One-third of New Jersey’s land mass is developed and another third preserved, a Nature Conservancy representative told the Pinelands Municipal Council Tuesday night.
For decades, a 20,000-square-foot space in the shopping center at 498 Beverly Rancocas Road which used to house an Acme, has been empty after failed attempts at several other stores.
That leaves the final third — about 1 million acres – “up for grabs” in the state with the highest population density in the nation, said Nature Conservancy Director of Land Protection Jody Alessandrine.
“In 30-40 years the entirety of the state could reach full build-out,” Alessandrine said. “The time is now to do something about that.” He said a coalition of environmental nonprofits and governmental agencies called the NJ Lands Blueprint Project have worked to build a map to help identify the most important parcels to save.
They are looking for input on how to improve it from municipal and county officials and planning professionals, said the architect of the map Mark Corbalis.