Yesterday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee approved legislation, opposed by the League that greatly expands the number and type of events that can be held on preserved farmland. The Assembly Committee Substitute for A-5384/A-5157 allows the owners of preserved farmland to host, by right, a number of special occasion events such as music, food, and other festivals, car shows, and weddings, all without municipal review, oversight or even prior notification.
Further, it is our belief that this legislation circumvents the objectives of the State’s successful farmland preservation efforts, in which public dollars have been committed to permanently preserve prime agricultural lands throughout the Garden State. At the time such easements were bought and paid for, it was not allowed nor anticipated that preserved farmlands would be used for the kind of nonagricultural activities this bill seeks to permit.
These bills are scheduled for Assembly vote on Monday, January 13.
We urge you to contact your representatives in the Assembly to voice your strong opposition to these bills.
Contact: Frank Marshall, Esq., Associate General Counsel, fmarshall@njlm.org, 609-695-3481 x137.