VOORHEES TWP, NJ--The Trust for Public Land (TPL) and the Township of Voorhees announced today the purchase of Stafford Woods, which will add to the township's parkland and provide parking and a trailhead for the stagecoach trail that traverses Stafford Park.
The property, which is located at the intersection of Evesham and White Horse Road was spared additional development through the deal with the protection of an over five-acre wooded property near the northeast corner, on which developers had planned to build a pharmacy and commercial strip. Additionally, one of the houses on the existing property will be converted into an environmental education center to serve the local community.
The protection effort complements the 2004 purchase of 140 acres by TPL, the township, county, and state and the preservation of the adjacent Stafford Farm. Half of Stafford Farm was preserved as a farmland, where the sight of horses is well known and loved by area residents. The other half preserved as open space.
Funding for the $2.75 million purchase was made available from public sources, including Voorhees Township, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres Program, and Camden County Open Space Preservation Trust Fund. The land was purchased from Medibuild, Inc.
This suburban community in Camden County is less than 12 square miles, but its location less than 20 miles east of Philadelphia and midway between New York and Washington, D.C. make it desirable for development. With "build out" for the town projected for 2015, the Voorhees Master Plan (revised in 1998) emphasizes preserving open space, limits developers to fewer houses per acre, and proposes an 18-mile bikeway through the township.
The Trust for Public Land has been instrumental in helping Voorhees achieve its land conservation goals through the River to Bay Greenway initiative--a partnership of TPL and local communities that provides linkages to existing parks, protects additional land, and creates new parks. Key projects include the 2004 protection of Stafford Farm and the 2001 acquisition of the 49-acre Lafferty Asphalt Plant property, which has now been converted into Connolly Park and is widely used by residents.
The Trust for Public Land
www.tpl.org/newjersey
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