Mission

To strategically preserve township land for the purpose of safeguarding environmental, agricultural, historical, and recreational attributes and opportunities. This includes protecting scenic vistas, ridgelines and riparian corridors, and forestland, and preserving their wildlife habitats.

History and Funding

The Township of Frelinghuysen is located at the northwestern edge of Warren County, New Jersey, comprising 23.6 square miles (or 15,104 acres).  The Township is an agricultural community, historically rich and environmentally sound. But like New Jersey as a whole, the character of the Township of Frelinghuysen is at risk in the face of future development. 

In 1999, Frelinghuysen Township voters approved establishment of a Farmland Preservation Trust Fund, allocating one cent ($.01) per hundred dollars in assessed property value. In 2003, voters increased collection to two cents ($.02) per hundred dollars. Then in 2005, voters approved a referendum to amend the Farmland Preservation Trust Fund to create a combined Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. The two cents ($.02) per hundred dollars in assessed property value that landowners currently pay amount to approximately $53,000 annually.

Maintenance of the Trust Fund entitles Frelinghuysen to apply for state, county, and federal funding in addition to pursuing monies from private agencies which likewise support and promote preservation. Both the Open Space Advisory Committee and the Farmland Preservation Advisory Committee work diligently to obtain funding in order to maximize the preservation power of our tax dollars. Collectively they focus on protecting our local farmland, preserving ecosystems, and enhancing recreational opportunities. To have a better endowed Trust Fund is to be better empowered in seeking funding assistance. It also demonstrates to our potential benefactors that the township’s voters are serious about preservation.

Statistically speaking, each new home in Frelinghuysen adds to the cost of running our township, contributing to increased school use, road use, administration, and emergency services. For every $1.00 collected in taxes, residential development in New Jersey costs between $1.14 and $1.51 in services – and these services continue forever. Farmland, on the other hand, costs less than each dollar it generates in taxes. Preserved open space increases the value of adjacent private properties, and has the long-range benefit of avoiding future costs. Even including the initial cost of acquisition, open space is less costly to taxpayers over the long term than development of the same parcel.

As Mayor Charles states in his welcome on the Township of Frelinghuysen website, “We must preserve our heritage as an agricultural community, along with our many precious resources.”

What's New: 

Meeting Minutes >>

OSAC Archives >>

Click here for the 2010 Meeting Dates >>

Open Space and Recreation Plan:

2006 Open Space and Recreation Plan (8.6MB) Complete

2006 Open Space and Recreation Plan

Pages 1-30 (1.3MB)
Pages 31-60 (704KB)
Pages 61-90 (3.7MB)
Pages 91-120 (2.9MB)
Pages 121-135 (166kB)

Ordinances:

2006-12 To create the Open Space Advisory Committee (4.6MB)

2006-13 To create an Open Space and Farmland Preservation Trust Fund (2.9MB)

Online References:

Websites related to "open space" in our community, more...
 

Stay Informed of Open Space Events:

Remember that, if you have any Open Space questions or ideas, we would love to hear from you. Simply send us an email at openspace "at" frelinghuysen-nj.us.

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