Community Corner

Willow Pond Farm Preserved by Morris County for $1.3M

Drakestown Road farm spans 101 acres and grows grains and crops.

Another Washington Township farm has been preserved by the county, setting aside 101 acres of land that will forever be used only for agricultural purposes.

The Willow Pond Farm on Drakestown Road was officially permanently preserved according to a Dec. 26 announcement by the Morris County Agricultural Development Board.

Owned by Robert Smith since 1978, the total acquisition price came in at $1,347,465, funded by the Morris County Preservation Trust Fund.

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Smith grows grain and field crops on the land, the announcement said.

Under the preservation designation, the landowner will retain ownership of and may even choose to sell the preserved land with a deed restriction that the land will not undergo non-farm development, the announcement said. 

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Agricultural development of the farm is permitted and the type of farming activity can change in he future, the announcement said.

Willow Pond Farm is the 120th farm to be permanently preserved by Morris County, bringing the county’s total to 7,424 acres. 


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