The Pelio Farms parcels in Lebanon Township — Courtesy: NAI James E. Hanson
By Joshua Burd
A public-private coalition will create a sprawling greenway in Hunterdon County after acquiring 244 acres of open space, under a transaction arranged by NAI James E. Hanson.
The real estate services firm on Tuesday announced the sale of the sites in Lebanon Township, which includes open and wooded land along Mount Lebanon, Sharrer and Turkey Top roads. The property had been listed separately as five parcels with the option to purchase them together, prompting coalition’s purchase to preserve them from development.
NAI Hanson’s John J. Schilp and Sigmund Schorr represented the buyers, which include the New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Green Acres Program, Lebanon Township, Hunterdon Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy, Victoria Foundation, 1772 Foundation, Leavens Foundation and the New Jersey Water Supply Authority. The brokerage team also represented the seller, Earl Pelio.
The buyers now plan to link the sites with existing preserved lands to create a greenway of nearly 2,600 acres in northern Hunterdon County, NAI Hanson said. Currently occupied by Pelio Farms, the acquisition will ensure that the land can be preserved and eventually opened to the public for passive recreation activities such as hiking, bird watching, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and nature observation.
“When dealing with property of this size and a public-private partnership of this complexity, it is crucial for a commercial real estate brokerage to deliver superior customer service to ensure that a fair and mutually beneficial deal can be negotiated on behalf of both the buyer and seller,” Schilp said. “As real estate development continues to move west and north in the state, we continue to see preservation groups show interest in acquiring and protecting high-quality land like this from development.
“We were honored to work with the buyers and seller in this transaction to guarantee that this land can be enjoyed by the public for many years to come.”