For Immediate Release – December 21, 2023
MIDDLETOWN, NJ – At the Monday, December 18th Township Committee Meeting, the Middletown Township Committee introduced an ordinance (NO. 2023-3403) that authorizes the entry of purchase and sale agreement with the Monmouth Conservation Foundation (MCF) for the acquisition of 120 Thompson Avenue (Block 202, Lot 10). This three-acre property, located in the North Middletown section of the township, is one of the few pieces of open space left along State Highway 36.
Since the Open Space referendum that was overwhelmingly supported by the community in November 2020, the Township Committee has worked to preserve dozens of acres throughout Middletown. The most recent acquisition efforts include the 67-acre Tretter property off Chapel Hill Road, 20 acres at Fairview Fields, and several properties totaling approximately 18 acres near Exit 114.
“The Township Committee and I made the acquisition of open space a top priority, and since the 2020 referendum we have had real success in preserving both undeveloped property and upgrading recreational space,” said Mayor Tony Perry. “Last summer, this piece of property was set to be sold by MCF, but the Township was able to intervene and save it from development. We will continue to utilize the Township's Open Space Trust Fund to help facilitate acquisitions to preserve land.”
With the help of MCF Trustee Valerie Montecalvo and the entire MCF Board, the Township is entering into an agreement with the nonprofit to purchase the lot for about 20% of its market value so it can be kept as open, undeveloped wooded space for passive recreation.
"If we do not take these steps to preserve our undeveloped land, there is too great a risk for these resources to be sold to the highest bidder,” said Mayor Perry. “The Township Committee and I will continue to work diligently to protect and preserve our open space so future generations can inherit the Middletown we enjoy today.”