The Van Wagoner Farm in Springfield, one of Burlington County’s most scenic farms that was previously targeted for a large housing development, is getting preserved through the County’s open space and farmland preservation programs.

The Burlington County Commissioners announced the deal Wednesday night after voting unanimously on resolutions authorizing a final contract agreement with the Van Wagoner family. Once closed on, the deal would add nearly 270 acres to the more than 67,000 acres of farmland already saved across Burlington County.

“Burlington County is where the farmland preservation program first started in New Jersey, and we continue to lead the state in total acres preserved. Today, we are excited to announce the addition of the Van Wagoner Farm,” said Burlington County Commissioner Deputy Director Allison Eckel, the liaison to the Department of Resource Conservation, Parks and Farmland Preservation. “This farm was on the County’s list for preservation for decades. It’s a beautiful property and we’re thrilled to finally be able to take this action to keep the land as agriculture and open space forever.”

Commissioner Eckel said the agreement reflects the County’s strong commitment to preserving farmland and open space within the county. In addition to the Van Wagoner Farm, Burlington County also reached tentative agreements this year with the owners of six additional farms totaling 741 acres.

“Family farms like the Van Wagoner’s are why New Jersey is known as the Garden State. Preserving them is important to not only keep agriculture in our state a strong and viable industry but also to protect the landscape and quality of life that Burlington County residents value,” said New Jersey Assemblywoman Andrea Katz. “It is gratifying to see Burlington County and the Van Wagoner family take this step to preserve this land for agriculture and open space.”

The Van Wagoner Farm

Located off Arney’s Mount-Birmingham Road within the heart of the county’s farm belt in rural Springfield, the 285-acre Van Wagoner Farm is adjacent to Arney’s Mount, the highest elevation in Burlington County, and the County’s 200-acre Arney’s Mount Park.

The late John Van Wagoner, a fourth-generation farmer, purchased the farm in 1962 and originally operated a dairy farm on the property before transitioning to grain and corn. It is now used for pumpkins, hay and grain, and it is one of the ten largest farms on the County’s preservation target list.

Elsie Nicolette, John Van Wagoner’s daughter, said her late father continued to work the land and care for the property in his 90s. She said he enjoyed watching the County’s plans for a County park progress next door and would have been pleased to see his family’s property enter the County’s preservation program.

“We know that, like us, he would have been very grateful to see the tradition of farming continued through the preservation of the land,” Nicolette said.

Previously targeted for development

The property was previously targeted by a developer to become a large housing community. However, the project stalled after Springfield Township won a legal battle surrounding the developer’s attempt to force approval.

During its legal fight, the township argued that permitting high-density housing on the property would have gone against Burlington County’s ongoing efforts to preserve large contiguous areas of farmland in the area, which Springfield has also supported. The town also argued the location is too far from public transportation and other basic infrastructure needed to support high-density housing. 

Under the County’s agreement with the Van Wagoner family, Burlington County will preserve 239 acres of the family’s farmland through the County Farmland Preservation Program, which allows the landowner to retain ownership of the land but requires it to be permanently deed-restricted to remain in agriculture use. The County will also purchase another 30 acres of the property outright as an open space acquisition. Those 30 acres will become part of Arney’s Mount Park.

The park is located off Tower Drive and Juliustown Road and features a 2.2-mile inclusive path up and around Arney’s Mount, plus 2.45 miles of equestrian turf trails and several smaller “challenge trails” through the woods along the base of the mount. The park also has a picnic pavilion and accessible horse mounting platform, and it is the home of “Tommy the Tetanus Troll”, one of 18 troll sculptures created for the County’s Troll Trek outdoor art exhibition.

The County is eligible to be reimbursed 80% of the expense of the farmland easement from New Jersey’s Farmland Preservation Program.

Using the new Statewide Preservation Formula

The agreement with the family also reflects the new Statewide Preservation Formula, which was used to calculate the value of the development rights for the portion of the property entering the farmland preservation formula. The updated formula has been described as a “gamechanger” for preservation efforts since it appraises the value of a farm beyond market value by assigning additional value based on the agriculture and natural resource characteristics of the property.

Earlier this summer, New Jersey closed on the preservation of the 70-acre Three Willows Farm in Springfield, the first in New Jersey to be saved using the new formula value.

With the addition of the Van Wagoner property, more than 6,100 acres of farmland will be preserved in Springfield through the traditional New Jersey and Burlington County farmland preservation programs, the most of any Burlington County town.

“On behalf of Springfield Township and its citizens: we are delighted that the Van Wagoners have decided to preserve their family’s farm,” said Springfield Mayor David Frank. “The balance of public access on parklands and continued agriculture on privately held permanently preserved farmlands achieved at the Van Wagoner farm will be of great benefit to all of the people of Springfield Township and Burlington County, the local, County and State land preservation programs, and the agriculture industry.  We are very grateful that the Van Wagoners and the Commissioners were able to come together to make this complex preservation project a reality.”