Township to Begin Acquisition Process for Former NJ Dept of Corrections Dairy Farm Lands

By Lori Savron | Posted March 6, 2025

Access to green spaces, well maintained infrastructure, environmental sustainability, social equity and inclusion, and economic opportunities are all factors that influence quality of life. Two important factors are open space and sidewalks. While close to 40% of Montgomery township has been preserved, we are not done yet.

The entrance to the old Skillman Dairy Farm at 180 Burnt Hill Road in Skillman. It is owned by the NJ DOC. Photo by Barbara A. Preston.

The Former DOC Dairy Farm Lands in Montgomery

I am pleased to report that, after many years of starts and stops of possible acquisition of certain state-owned lands, the township is now closer than ever to securing hundreds of acres of state property to ensure preservation — and to help with future municipal needs. The mayor met with state officials to reaffirm our request to own these lands. The outcome was a commitment to start the official process for land transfer. While the acquisition process will be lengthy, and is ultimately approved by the NJ State House Commission, which approves any sale of state land, we can confirm that the state has deemed the land surplus. This means it is no longer useful for the state. Montgomery Township officials are committed to seeing the acquisition through.

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Last month, Montgomery municipal staff members conducted a site visit with state officials for the land formerly known as the Skillman Dairy Farm (at 180 Burnt Hill Road) and for the former farmland surrounding the high school. Both tracts are owned by the NJ Department of Corrections. Some residents may recall a time when dairy cows grazed on these lands as one of six dairy and crop farms located throughout the state run by AgriIndustries, a branch of the Department of Corrections that sold dairy and processed food products back to the department and other state agencies.

The Skillman Dairy Farm had been staffed by low-security risk prisoners who were near the end of their sentences from the Garden State Youth Correctional Facility in Burlington County. The program ended at the Skillman location in 2009 and the farm continued to grow corn, alfalfa, wheat, and rye used for feed and bedding for animals at other DOC farms. Now that state officials have deemed the land surplus, the acquisition process can begin. I’ll provide future updates as progress is made.

Open Space Program

Furthering Montgomery’s longstanding and highly successful open space and farmland preservation program, the township recently preserved two properties totaling 21 acres. While our open space program has been successful in protecting Montgomery’s rural roots, some other policies have had a different impact – notably hindering pedestrian mobility.

Over time, with the creation of our Open Space Committee, the township began making pathway connections between subdivisions and along streams. With so much of the town’s residential development taking place in 1980s and 1990s, the Planning Board during that time selectively chose locations to add sidewalks, which means there are areas in town where there are no sidewalks. It wasn’t until 2003 that the township adopted an ordinance requiring sidewalks to be installed as part of every development, except in the Sourland Mountain zoning district.

The ordinance was a clear affirmation the township understands that sidewalks play a crucial role in our daily lives, providing safe space for pedestrians to walk, improving accessibility for people with disabilities, for parents with strollers, and for the elderly. Walking is also a great way to improve our health and well-being. There are also environmental benefits to walking or biking to our destinations, rather than having to drive everywhere — such as reducing traffic congestion and pollution. In essence, sidewalks are essential for creating safe, connected, and vibrant communities. The current focus is on broader accessibility between public facilities such as the municipal center, library, schools and parks. Last year, we completed sidewalks along Orchard Road from the municipal center up to and across Route 206 to Bridgepoint Road.

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Now, we look south towards the main commercial area along Route 206, and west on Orchard Road toward the schools and the Skillman Park/Skillman Road pathways. These types of projects begin with a feasibility study to get a sense of what’s possible from an engineering perspective (what environmental constraints are there, what permits are required, do we need to acquire land/easements, how much will it cost, etc.) Last year, we completed a feasibility study exploring four possible route options to connect the municipal center to the commercial area at Rts 206/518 and the findings will be discussed at an upcoming township committee meeting.

Possible New Sidewalks

Four possible alignments we are looking at include: A sidewalk along Route 206 with the existing bridge over Bedens Brook, and three options that would require new crossings of Bedens Brook. These include at the 23 Orchard office building to the Hillside neighborhood (Hartwick Road); Autumn Lane to Hillside; and 85 Orchard to the Tapestry neighborhood (Suffolk Road). The next step is to select one of these options and begin the project using the $3 million grant we received from the state.

Last month, the Township Committee took another big step on the other half of this project — pedestrian and bicycle connections along Orchard Road westerly to Burnt Hill Road — when we engaged Menlo Engineering to prepare a feasibility study, concept plans and budget estimates for road reconstruction and pedestrian and bicycle facilities continued along the remainder of Orchard Road.

The feasibility study will investigate constraints, stormwater management, critical areas, property limits, and other preliminary assessment information needed to reconstruct, widen, and construct pedestrian facilities along Orchard Road between Burnt Hill Road and Community Drive. For all the walkers and bicyclists out there, we see you and are working hard to ensure you have safe and accessible places to walk and bike.

Lori Savron is the Montgomery Township Administrator.

She has been managing the township since 2022 and has served in other roles since 1999. As township administrator she works closely with the Township Committee and has an open-door policy to every resident and business owner in the township. Her 25 years of public sector management experience has provided her with a vast knowledge of the economic and demographic make-up of the community, as well as the regional economic market and climate.

Memberships: New Jersey Municipal Managers Association (NJMMA)Somerset County Municipal Managers Association (SCMMA); New Jersey American Planning Association, NJ Chapter (NJAPA); American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)

Education: Master Planning and Public Policy from the University of Virginia

Certified Public Manager (CPM) from Rutgers University