In 1989, Somerset
County voters approved a dedicated Open Space Trust Fund that allowed the
Somerset County Park Commission and the Freeholders to initiate an aggressive
plan to keep the county green through the acquisition of open space and
farmland. A second public referendum in 1997 extended the reach of the Trust
fund to include farmland, greenways, and the acquisition and restoration of
historic sites.
The 1994 Somerset County Parks, Recreation, and
Open Space Master Plan served as the foundation for the preservation of 10,500
acres with a long-term goal of doubling that amount. The 2000 Master Plan
Update set a new goal of 20,500 acres involving five initiatives: expansion of
existing county parks; greenways along the County's major rivers and Second
Watchung ridgeline; the Sourland Mountain; the Millstone River Valley; and new
County parks in northern and southern Somerset County.
This open space acquisition challenge is the
result of pressures exerted by developers’ continuing mission to acquire
buildable land, a situation that has fostered a land race as the County
attempts to preserve and developers attempt to build.
The Somerset County park system currently
consists of 24 park areas totaling 14,757 acres. There are six General Use
parks offering active and passive recreation facilities; five golf courses;
three Special Use parks; one Developed Natural Area park which features an
environmental education center; and ten Undeveloped Natural Areas. In 2019 the
County acquired 57 acres and anticipates another 25 acres before the end of the
year.
In
progress is the Somerset County Preservation Plan that will provide land
use, funding, and partnership strategies for preservation in Somerset
County. This effort will advance the implementation of the Somerset
County Investment Framework and the County’s Comprehensive Economic
Development Strategy that were adopted as part of the County Master Plan in
April of 2014.
A map, titled Somerset County Parks Recreation,
and Open Space Master Plan, available at www.somersetcountyparks.org, shows existing public
parks and open space and private land currently in outdoor recreation use or
permanently preserved for open space.
Individuals or companies interested in selling
or donating property to the County for open space purposes may contact the
Somerset County Park Commission at (908) 722-1200 or the Somerset County Park
Planner at (908) 231-7509 for more information.
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