Local officials and residents alike welcomed Princeton’s recent agreement to purchase a 25-acre tract of land for preservation at the northern edge of the municipality. At the Princeton council meeting earlier this month, officials voted unanimously for an ordinance to purchase two parcels at 680 and 660 Cherry Valley Road for $1.175 million.
Officials said the acquisition is intended to expand Princeton’s green spaces surrounding the municipality, colloquially known as the ‘Emerald Necklace.’ The parcels are said to include wetlands and woodlands that will help protect native species and expand public access to nature. The purchase also builds on recent conservation efforts, including the December 2024 acquisition of the 90-acre Lanwin tract for preservation and the opening of the 153-acre Wood preserve last fall.
Residents, as well as current and former members of the Ridgeview Turtles, a high school volunteer group that is part of Ridgeview Conservancy, lauded the municipal council members for the acquisition at the meeting. They also noted that, when coupled with the easement on 6 acres of the Princeton Academy of the Sacred Heart property, and the recently opened 153-Acre Wood, the acquisition would make the northern edge of the municipality a refuge for native species and expand public access to woodlands.
“This is not just about open spaces,” Mia Sacks, council president, said. “It’s about mental and physical health and building our children’s lives.”
According to a report in TAPinto Princeton, council members introduced the ordinance to acquire the two tracts of land on February 24. Raquel Schechtel owns the properties, which, according to an entry in NJ Parcels, were last sold in 2003 for approximately $641,000.
The municipal council’s decision to acquire the two tracts comes nearly three months after Princeton completed the purchase of a 90-acre site from developer Lanwin Development Corp for $9.1 million. The developer intended to build single-family homes on the site, but opposition from local residents who wanted the space to be preserved stalled work at the site for more than four years.
Officials introduced an ordinance to acquire the tract for preservation in March 2024. The municipality tapped resources from its Open Space Trust Fund and Princeton’s Green Acres funds for the acquisition. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Mercer County also provided resources.
The municipality completed the acquisition in December, nearly a month after the 153-acre Wood preserve was opened to the public. The site was purchased for preservation in 2021 with financial assistance from several local nonprofits. The closing cost for that property was $8.775 million, according to a report in TAPinto Princeton.
The Cherry Valley Road purchase adds to Princeton’s growing network of preserved lands. The acquisitions also reflect the town’s ongoing efforts to balance development with conservation and leverage public-private partnerships.
