Large landowner wants say in planning U.F.'s future Princeton Nurseries owns 1,820 acres in Upper Freehold BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer The largest landowner in Upper Freehold has been holding a series of meetings with residents to gauge what they envision for the future of the township. Princeton Nurseries has 1,820 acres in Upper Freehold. The business has an additional 700 acres in Hamilton, Chesterfield and North Hanover, according to Princeton Nurseries President Ivan Olinsky. Princeton Nurseries has placed 250 acres of its land in the township into farmland preservation. That acreage, which is known as the former Collins farm, is located behind the Cream Ridge Winery off Polhemoustown Road, according to Olinsky. When asked what Princeton Nurseries plans to do with the rest of its property in Upper Freehold, Olinsky said he does not know at this time. The township's Planning Board is currently heading into its third year of trying to revise its master plan. Olinsky said if the proposed draft of the new master plan is approved, the township would create three or four receiving areas for high-density housing. He said whatever the township does concerning the density in those areas must be enough to justify the infrastructure that will go into building there. "Otherwise, we will have receiving areas that are never built," he said. "We will just have downzoning." Princeton Nurseries placed ads in local newspapers and sent letters to residents regarding its public planning sessions. Olinsky said the response was overwhelming. According to Olinsky, between 10 and 12 people attended each of the 14 planning sessions. The sessions were devoted to establishing a dialogue with residents and listening to their concerns and recommendations regarding the planning process presently being discussed by community leaders. Olinsky said the sessions will help Princeton Nurseries decide on short- and long-term strategic planning. The sessions were facilitated by Jim Constantine, of the planning firm Looney Ricks Kiss in Princeton. "I thought it would be to our benefit to bring in a specialist," Olinsky said. During each session, the residence of every person in attendance was plotted on a map. According to Olinsky, there was a good representation of people from all over Upper Freehold and Allentown. Each attendee also filled out cards citing the positive and negative things they thought about the township and its future. These comments will be summarized and presented at a meeting of all the attendees on March 3 at the Cream Ridge Golf Club, he said. People at the planning sessions discussed the township's master plan draft. "We think it has some constructive merit to it as we go forward," Olinsky said. "We can't give it our blessing yet. We don't know what it means." According to Olinsky, some attendees said it is difficult to give their input into the master plan process. "People we have talked with are very confused" about the master plan, he said, adding that his company decided to use the sessions to reach out to people. Some politicians in the township would like to downzone from the current 3-acre lots to 6-acre lots or larger-sized lots, he said. "Six- and 10-acre zoning when the municipality is built out will have houses every 6 to 10 acres, but no farmers left," Olinsky said. "McMansions will be all over the place." Olinsky said that there are beautiful houses on large lots in Colts Neck and Manalapan, for example, but those towns no longer have an agricultural community with contiguous large spaces that are farmland. There are equity issues for the farmer in downzoning, he said, since the equity of the land is based on its development value. "Farmers' life savings are in the land," he said. "It's reduced significantly in downzoning." Olinsky said that most farmers, including Princeton Nurseries, borrow money on a short-term basis and take out lines of credit for their business. "The ability to borrow is based on the collateralization of the loan," he said. According to Olinsky, Princeton Nurseries has been in existence since the 1870s and moved to the Upper Freehold area in 1962. Citing all the years his company has been involved in caring for the land, he said, "In a perfect world, people don't want to see change." Olinsky said Princeton Nurseries is committed to leaving a legacy in the township but wants to make sure it is not adversely affected by zoning changes. He said if the township is going to do something that will affect landowner equity, Princeton Nurseries should be involved in it. While downzoning could mean big houses and the loss of farmers, Olinsky said the creation of village centers could provide housing for all income levels, as well as small retail and professional buildings. He said the township should bring in a market analyst, as he feels the township has a concept but not a vision in its proposed master plan draft. Olinsky also commented on Princeton Nurseries' contract with the Upper Freehold Regional School District. He said his company was never a willing seller of the 46-acre parcel on Ellisdale Road slated as the site of a new middle school in the school district's December 2004 referendum. Olinsky said the Ellisdale Road tract, known as the Wempel farm, was his company's best farm. He said members of the Flemer family, which owns Princeton Nurseries, decided that rather than go through eminent domain proceedings it would negotiate a contract for the sale of the property. According to Olinsky, the school district's "taking" of the Wempel acreage and the township's possible downzoning could affect whether Princeton Nurseries decides to stay in business in the township. "It's a business [that is] run as a business," he said. "I'm here as the president to protect the asset value of the business." At this time, the company has not talked to developers about its Upper Freehold properties, he said. "We'd like to see the vast majority of [our property] stay green," he said. "We are committed to putting the majority into farmland preservation." Olinsky would like Princeton Nurseries to have a public workshop with the Planning Board. "I feel we can provide a tremendous amount of input and material to officials with what we have done with the 14 meetings," he said.