'Agritainment', Wellness a Renaissance in LV

In the coming months and years, 740 acres of preserved land on West Mill Road in Long Valley will be transformed into a wellness center and apple cidery based on the visions of two men pursuing their respective passions.

The land, most recently owned by the , a millionaire and philanthropist who invested in real estate throughout the township, was sold in two separate parcels–one to Dr. Ronald Weiss and the other to businessman Sean Campbell.

For Weiss, closing on the property took nearly two years, according to his real estate agent Mary Grant, a Long Valley resident.

Grant assisted Weiss in the transaction not just on the business end, but when soil samples were needed from the farm to ensure it was of the quality the doctor was seeking.

Campbell, who scouted some 30 other properties for his cidery enterprise, felt his passion could best be pursued in Long Valley because of its setting and proximity to New York City.

“The soil over there is very good,” said Washington Township Vice Mayor Bill Roehrich, a lifelong farmer. “Studies showed apples and peaches were grown in that area about 150 years ago.”

Roehrich said that the ‘agritainment’ industry’s allure, with Alstede and in and around the area, will help Campbell’s operation specifically.

“People come out here because they enjoy the entertainment of the farms and animals,” Roehrich said. “I definitely think (Campbell’s) farm can do well.”

Campbell’s property houses a variety of buildings–some still with tenants–as well as silos and a horse farm. The New York City-based businessman will live on the property as he transforms the land into a hard apple cidery that will host tastings like that of a winery.

For Weiss, who first came in contact with the property in the mid-1980s while in medical school, farming has been a lifelong passion. This is the perfect place and time, he says, to join his love with his occupation as a doctor to create a wellness center based on physical activity and a variation of macrobiotic dieting.

The wellness center will be housed in a stone barn on the property that was built in the 1700s, Weiss said. The barn is currently missing portions of walls, but is in otherwise great condition, according to Benjamin Walmer of LIMN Architects, who is working with Weiss on the project.

Walmer, who has lived in Long Valley for the past 12 years, comes from a family of Pennsylvania fruit farmers, and while he’ll be helping Weiss fundamentally on architecture and design, he’ll also lend his agricultural knowledge as well.

“There are a handful of buildings, plus the entire farm–there’s a lot going on,” Walmer said. “We need to figure out how everything can work as one big ecosystem.”

The main building on the property, the home where the Weiss family will live, built in 1836, is in “spectacular” condition, Walmer said, and won’t require too many adjustments.

Original moldings and floors, as well as a large, still-working hearth in the basement all have little to no superficial damage, Walmer said. Any adjustments made will be in coordination with the local and county historic preservation committees, he added.

The priority for Weiss is the medical facility, though, Walmer said, and work has begun on preparing the barn to accommodate the facility.

For Campbell’s hard cider enterprise, Walmer has had discussions with the businessman, but is not currently under contract to work on the project.

“There’s a renaissance going on of getting back to nature, back to the old times of agriculture,” Walmer said. “Both of these projects show that, especially where it all started in German Valley, and I think they’ll be successful.”

Campbell, who plans to import and plant 6,000 young apple trees this spring, is going to be using very fine soil for apple growing, Walmer said. The soil is of the loam variety, which has very good infiltration and drainage properties.

That amount of trees is ambitious, Walmer says, but because of the ground’s soil properties, feels it can be supported.

“The American way seems to be ‘go big or go home,’” Campell said, “So I guess that’s what we’re doing here.”