Medford will preserve camp as open space

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Medford will preserve camp as open space


http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/southjersey/m111203l.htm

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

By MICHAEL T. BURKHART
Courier-Post Staff
MEDFORD

Officials Tuesday night approved an ordinance setting aside funds to buy development rights to a summer camp in the township to preserve as open space.

Under the bond plan, building rights to the 114-acre Jewish Community Center camp on Stokes Road will be sold to the township for $1.8 million.

"We're setting up a 1,000-acre forest belt in the southern part of the township," Mayor Scott Rudder said. "It's an important piece to bring that belt together."

The township expects to close on the property in December, said Alan Feit, township manager.

The township has been interested in the development rights for the camp, owned by the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey, since it formalized its open-space plan several years ago. The camp will continue to operate its popular summer programs.

The JCC camp is next to the 565-acre Camp Ockanickon, a YMCA camp for which the township bought development rights about five years ago.

Under the state Green Acres program, the township will pay about $450,000 for the rights, officials have said. The state pays half the cost, while Burlington County picks up the remaining quarter.

Also within sight for open space are three tracts known locally as Cow Point, which comprise 374 acres of farmland along Stokes Road. The township and the Burlington County Freeholders agreed last month to negotiate the purchase from the Eni family and a deal could be reached by the end of the year.
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Cow Point is bordered by Stokes, Branin and Himmelein roads. The land is zoned for residential and commercial development.

Medford raises about $400,000 a year with its 3 cent open-space tax.

The township has a goal of preserving 6,000 acres as open space.

About 1,500 acres already have been saved.
 

Piney

New Member
Oct 10, 2003
4
0
Medford
I don’t know why it should bug me, but I wish some of these reporters would take the time to check their facts and explain the meaning of some of what these open space purchases actually accomplish. I live on the edge of that camp and it’s located on Tuckerton road, not Stokes. The Girl Scout & Boy Scout camps are on Stokes. We also purchased the development rights to them. All this means is that for the agreed upon price they can’t sell the land to build homes on. Everything else goes on as usual. This does not mean that its open to the public, though in the agreement it states that there must be some sort of public access provided. Of all the land we have bought rights to, not one has ever provided a public access point, they are always working on it. If you do go on these lands the Medford police dept. will promptly arrest you for trespassing.
 

DeepXplor

Explorer
Nov 5, 2008
341
19
Jersey Shore
Open Space

I've seen Green Acres, (open space) become sports complexes with much asphalt for parking, including tennis courts, soccer field, football and baseball fields, and a large playground with swings etc. and much more, with a high powered lighting system so that there can be night games and of course, it has to patrolled by the cops. I am speaking of the Green Acres that Marlton has on Tuckerton Road. This was the former Barclay Horse Farm. I think that open space should be just that, open, not a sports complex. I think that Marlton would have been better off with housing at that location. All it does is use up tax dollars and is not used very much by the public.
 
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