Chapel Hill Land-Swap Ordinance Gets Final Approval in Middletown
The committee approved an 83-acre preservation deal and farm-event rules; financing and a county grant application remain pending.
The Middletown Township Committee authorized an agreement to acquire and preserve approximately 83 acres and adopted new rules for special events on large farms on September 8, following public hearings that drew questions about displaced tenants, financing and which farms would qualify.
A broad array of speakers supported preserving the Chapel Hill property, but the hearing also included a tenant who said he had received 60 days to leave his home. Committee members said the transaction could not be treated as certain until there was a written agreement, while the property owner said she had tried to help him find another place.
The committee also heard concerns about the proposed redevelopment of the property commonly known as Circus Liquors and introduced a separate ordinance that would prohibit data centers throughout Middletown.