21.5 acres of land preserved in Morris Twp.

Four agencies have combined to preserve a 21.5 acre piece of property that will provide new hiking trails and preserve scenic views in the Washington Valley section of Morris Twp.

Morris County announced the acquisition on Friday, saying the deal was facilitated by the Trust for Public Land, with partners including Morris County, Morris Township and the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority.

The property, which has been part of the 58-acre Vallevue Farm, was purchased for $1.6 million and is located in an historic and environmentally sensitive area, just two miles from downtown Morristown.

The project was funded from the County’s Preservation Trust Fund as follows: $800,000 from the Municipal/Non-Profit grant program and $100,000 from the MUA’s portion of the trust fund. The remaining $700,000 came from Morris Twp. municipal trust fund.

“This is a great natural space that is a perfect target for preservation, that can enhance recreational opportunities for our residents while protecting our groundwater, ’’ said Deputy Freeholder Director John Cesaro, who is the county governing board’s liaison on preservation issues.

The site links to another Trust for Public Land assisted project, 188-acres of open space acquired from St Mary’s Abbey by Morris County and Morris Township in 2009. The new trails will provide walking access from nearby neighborhoods to these existing parklands.

“By conserving Vallevue Farm and making it available to the public for walking and community farming, we have protected a special part of Morris County and we are giving area residents more opportunities to connect with nature,” said Anthony Cucchi, New Jersey State Director of The Trust for Public Land.

The tract was purchased from Albert Rosenhaus and had long been used as gentleman’s (or family) farm.

It will be owned and managed by Morris Township. A portion of the land acquired at Vallevue Farm contains farmland utilized for a small community supported agriculture program (CSA) which the township expects to convert into a community garden.

“I'm pleased to see Morris Township continue its decades-long commitment to preservation of appropriate open space sites. In this case, there is the added benefit of knowing the property will never be extensively developed,’’ said Morris Township Mayor Daniel. W. Caffrey.

The preserved tract potentially could have been subdivided into 12 residential lots. Instead, the landowner chose to sell this acreage for conservation and restrict the balance of the retained land, with their family home, to no more than three oversized lots.

This will maintain the historic footprint of the property, which was very important to the family, as well as preserve views of the property from across the valley.

“The Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority is very happy to be able to provide the last piece of funding to help complete this project,” said Glenn Schweizer, MUA Executive Director. “Much of Washington Valley was purchased by the MUA decades ago for a potential reservoir project that was later abandoned.’’