Perrineville Lake Park about to get bigger BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer MILLSTONE - The county seeks to create 92 more acres of parkland in the township. At the Planning Board's Oct. 10 meeting, Monmouth County Park System (MCPS) Attorney Granville Michael Magee gave an update about the park system's acquisition of the 98-acre Kunzler property as part of its Perrineville Lake Park/Rocky Brook Park project. The overall project will consist of more than 800 acres, with about 650 acres in Millstone. To date, the county has acquired 485 acres in the township for the project, according to Magee. The Kunzler tract measures 98 acres, but the landowner wants to retain a 6-acre homestead lot, as permitted by township ordinance, in order to go through with the preservation deal, Magee said. Monmouth County would have the right of first refusal on the development rights of the 6-acre piece, according to Magee. If the landowner of the 6-acre tract wanted to sell the property, he or she would have to first offer to sell it to the county, which would have to match what a third party would pay for the land, he said. Should the county decide not to match the third party, the right of first refusal would expire. Andrew Coeyman, director of land acquisition for the MCPS, said that the county has been involved in the Perrineville Lake project since the early 1990s. "We've always gotten a lot of support from the town and the governing body," he said. "The project got where it is today because of that." Coeyman said the county acquired 130 acres for the park in neighboring Roosevelt in December 2006. This summer, the county purchased the 124-acre Levin tract in Millstone for the project, he said. "Those two pieces are by themselves now," he said. The MCPS had acquired the Boss Winds Farm on Agress Road three years ago, and the Kunzler property would fill in the gap between the lands that the county already owns, according to Coeyman. "If the 6-acre Kunzler lot is approved, the county will get 92 acres and trail access to Boss Winds Farm," he said. "It's a key piece." The Kunzler acreage does not have a house on it but does have some buildings associated with a nursery operation, he said. Planning Board Attorney Michael Steib said that a question had been raised at an earlier board meeting as to whether an application for a subdivision from the county required formal approval from the township board. Steib said he researched the issue and reviewed case law. Years ago, according to Steib, the county seemed immune to local zoning regulations, but later case law made the county susceptible when it is engaged as the acting authority promoting public purposes. Steib said he concluded that the application is subject to a Capital Expenditure Section 31 review, which would come before the board as would any other capital improvement. Township Planner Richard Coppola noted that the issue is not a typical open space and farmland preservation agreement. He said the 6-acre parcel would be deed-restricted from future subdivision. "I think it makes sense," he said. "It is complementary to the master plan's goals and objectives." Chairman Mitchell Newman said that the deed restriction on the 6-acre parcel should note that the two adjacent sides of that lot would be used for public access. Magee said such a restriction could cut both ways, as the park will be used for passive recreation. "Some people would think that is a benefit, and it would make the price go up," he said. During the meeting, the board also unanimously adopted an amendment to the master plan that includes an updated exhibit of the township's bridle path network plan. Pat Butch, chairwoman of the township's Open Space and Farmland Preservation Council, said the new bridle path map replaces the existing map, which doesn't show trails acquired since 2002 or needed trail connections. "This will more clearly identify where connecting pieces are needed," she said. "There are many more miles of trails than in 2002."