BLOOMINGDALE — Passaic County’s commissioners are preparing to ask officials at the state’s Green Acres land preservation program to pony up $4 million to help turn a former horse farm off Union Avenue into a county park.

Following a brief Tuesday public hearing, county officials agreed to submit a grant application to the state program for the acquisition of Spring Brook Acres. A private farm on about 104 acres, the property at 335 Union Ave. is currently off the market but in 2019 was listed for $2.7 million.

Karen Labazzetta of the Bloomingdale Environmental Commission said the county’s plan to preserve a larger swath of the borough is positive. However, there are concerns over the implications of incorporating it as a county park, including the loss of tax revenue and possible maintenance issues, she said.

“As an Environmental Commission, we want to make sure the integrity of the property stays intact,” Labazzetta said. “One hundred acres is a lot to patrol.”

The property lies across the street from Federal Hill and adjacent to the Dragonfly Meadows. Both sites are preserved by the Passaic River Coalition. Spring Brook Acres also abuts the Passaic County Community College campus across from North Twin Lake near the Route 287 interchange in Wanaque.

County representatives considered preserving or acquiring the property in 2013, records show. However, in 2014, Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (R-Essex, Morris and Passaic) sponsored a bill to remove from the confines of the Highlands Preservation Area regulations to allow upgraded water and sewer service connections that would permit development on the site.

Borough officials backed the bill through a supporting resolution. The bill never made it out of the Assembly Environment and Solid Waste Committee, however.

Food truck festival: Passaic County to host first-ever food truck festival in Clifton

New Willowbrook store: New anchor store to replace Lord & Taylor at Willowbrook Mall in Wayne

Time capsule buried during tough year: Passaic Valley HS marks 80th anniversary as Class of 2021 buries COVID items in time capsule

It was not the first time the property skirted potential development. In the early 2000s, The farm was at the center of a battle between Skylands CLEAN and other area environmental advocates, including members of the town’s Environmental Commission.

Environmentalists sought to protect the property due to its function as a vital groundwater recharge zone, said Bob Pawlo, a former member of Skylands CLEAN. Then-mayor Craig Ollenschleger supported a project pitched by developer Charles Kushner to place 400 senior housing units in 13 buildings on 47 acres. Ollenschleger removed those who were outwardly opposed to the plan from the town commission as part of a mission to see the development through.

Members of the town’s Planning Board nonetheless denied the corresponding rezoning plan, saying the property was suitable for no more than 300 townhouses – a number developers deemed unprofitable. State officials ultimately placed the property in the Highlands Preservation Area and protected it from high-density development.

Robin O’Hearn, the head of Skylands CLEAN during the battle, said on Wednesday that open space would be an excellent use for the site.

The property includes a single-family home, a separate cottage, two trailers and a 14-stall barn, according to its 2019 listing on Realtor.com. State court records show it was also used as a dump for demolition debris by a former owner. It is currently responsible for about $18,000 a year in property tax.

David Zimmer is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Read or Share this story: https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/passaic/bloomingdale/2021/06/24/bloomingdale-nj-spring-brook-acres-horse-farm-passaic-county-park/5326335001/