Shrewsbury to preserve horse farm

The Shrewsbury Borough Council officially began the process of preserving a piece of borough history last week by introducing an ordinance to acquire the Bonnano horse farm on Sycamore Avenue.

The first reading of an ordinance to purchase the development rights to the Bonnano farm took place at the Dec. 1 meeting.

Councilman Donald Burden, chairman of the Open Space Committee, said if the purchase of the land is successful, developers would not be able to construct houses on the property.

"I think the residents of Shrewsbury have consistently supported various initiatives to ensure that the historic quality of life of Shrewsbury is retained," Burden said. "It's one of the last pieces of property in Shrewsbury that is undeveloped and I think it's a significant part of the history of the Four Corners of Shrewsbury and Monmouth County."

The property to be acquired is 14.2 acres and would not include the house and barn. The Bonnano family would continue to operate the horse farm.

He said the land would remain as it is now and "no developer can come in and start building mega mansions on it."

Borough Administrator Thomas Seaman said purchasing the property would come at no extra cost to taxpayers because the funding would come from the borough's Open Space Trust Fund as well as a Green Acres Trust Program grant.

Before the property is purchased, Seaman said surveying and title work has to be done and then approved by the borough attorney.

"The ordinance is one of the steps of many [that] we've done," he said.

The ordinance states on Nov. 3 the borough adopted bond ordinance number 2008-923, which appropriates $1,340,000 in funds for this purpose.

Burden said he doesn't look at the possible acquisition as a positive only for the borough.

"I don't look at it as something exclusive for Shrewsbury, but also the entire Monmouth County area," he said.

Burden said the Bonnano family has been supportive and cooperative with the borough in order to ensure that the property is maintained.

He said he expects the ordinance to receive overwhelming support at the next meeting when there will be a second reading and an opportunity for public comment.

"I think the residents of Shrewsbury have been supportive of this whole process and they've set aside monies to do this for many years and they recognize that area itself is one of the last [horse farms]," he said. "And to maintain the community feeling of a little town like Shrewsbury, this is important to make sure we had that property preserved."

The next council meeting is scheduled for 8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15, at the Municipal Complex, 419 Sycamore Ave.