The opposite of overdeveloped, crowded suburban sprawl…Marlboro Township

“The objective of the township’s open space program is to take as much property off-line from development, as cost effectively as possible.” – Marlboro, NJ Mayor Jonathan L. Hornik

Looking at the concerted effort taking place in Marlboro Township – this effort, emanating from City Hall – to remove Township property from contention of being commercially developed, one will find the Marlboro Agricultural and Open Space Committee. This Committee is an advisory committee. The goal of the Marlboro Agricultural and Open Space Committee is to preserve Marlboro’s historically-rural “DNA” by working in conjunction with the Township Planning Board and Town Council. To protect Marlboro’s undisturbed, picturesque open space landscape.

How is this done?

The Marlboro Agricultural and Open Space Committee identifies properties within Marlboro Township that could be eligible to receive Green Acres funding. Once a Township property has been aligned with potential Green Acres funding, the Committee coordinates land preservation efforts, in unison with available Monmouth County programs. Then linking the land preservation efforts in Marlboro Township to Monmouth County officials and to New Jersey State officials.

Once a Marlboro property is determined to be suitable for inclusion in the Township’s open space program, Committee, County and State outreach efforts are aggregated, then deployed.

How come?

Outreach efforts make known the in-the-works, property-specific land acquisition-preservation objective which has been established (and which is being pursued) in Marlboro Township.

Coordinated outreach – undertaken in part to add supplemental funding channels to the capital-intensive land acquisition-preservation effort – provides resources, as well as good points-of-contact, for potential donors to reach out to. Enabling donors to make monetary contributions to the land acquisition-preservation effort which is then underway in Marlboro.

Donations received – these donations, allotted to the advancement of land conservation in Marlboro via Marlboro’s open space program – are able to be deployed by Marlboro Township, in conjunction with funding obtained through Green Acres. Providing capital utilized by Marlboro Township to make possible the acquisition of the land (and then, the preservation of that land as well). Land acquisitions, further advancing the let’s-keep-the-Township-rural, open space preservation goals prioritized by Town Council, and by the Township CEO, Mayor Jonathan L. Hornik.

Collaboration.

Collaboration which is in alignment with the aforementioned Marlboro Township open space program. A fabulous program. Well-thought-out. Alive and well (and quite popular too) in Marlboro Township.