ABSTRACT
In 1977, the voters of Burlington County approved a $1 million bond to preserve a 530-acre cranberry farm in Southampton Township. Eight years later, the county board and the State of New Jersey purchased some farms in Chesterfield Township for permanent preservation. By the mid-1990s, Burlington County was losing twice as much farmland as it was saving, despite being New Jersey's leader in farmland preservation. The County's Farmland Preservation Plan also promotes programs for stretching limited preservation funding. In addition to the Pineland's regional transfer of development rights (TDR) program, two townships in Burlington County operate highly successful TDR programs at the municipal level. Chesterfield Township adopted Burlington County's second municipal TDR program. The township worked closely with developers and other stakeholders on a detailed plan for its neo-traditional receiving area, Old York Village. In addition to preserving farmland, Burlington County and its partners have achieved remarkable success at protecting natural resources, parkland, and other open space.
