Preservation of Weber tract on verge of being approved

Kinnelon officials are on the verge of approving the preservation of nearly 170 acres in the Highlands that were once targeted for a large housing development.

The borough council next month is expected to approve the $2.8 million purchase of the Weber tract, a wooded property that borders Silas Condict County Park near Route 23.

There will be a public hearing and a vote on the proposed deal with Maple Lake Development on Nov. 19, according to the borough.

Half the $2.8 million cost will be paid by a Morris County Open Space Trust Fund grant awarded to the borough last year, and four other sources will pay off the remainder. The town will pay $300,000 of the cost from local open space money that has already been collected.

"This will protect and preserve the character of the borough," Councilman Robert Collins said.

Until the enactment of the 2004 Highlands Act, the Weber tract had been eyed for age-restricted housing.

A 2002 rezoning for senior housing led to the proposal of a 150-unit townhouse development. The property was one of the few remaining large lots in Kinnelon, and some borough officials touted the potential for property tax revenues.

Environmentalists resisted, saying the property was mostly wetlands and undeveloped land, and the property was used as an example for the need of the Highlands Act.

The project was scuttled with the passage of the act, which set restrictions on development.

The Kinnelon council has worked to preserve the property for the past several years, Collins said. Two years ago, the asking price for the land was reported to be near $4 million.

"I think it's a little shortsighted to say that because it's protected today, it will be protected tomorrow," Collins said in explaining why the borough purchased property that already had restrictions on development.

Eugene Paik is a reporter with the New Jersey Local News Service. He may be reached at (908) 243-6240 or epaik@njlns.com.