Hunterdon County Commissioner Lanza attends 20th anniversary event of The Highlands Act
Lanza: “Compensation To Property Owners Remains A Top Issue”
MORRISTOWN, NJ (Morris County) – Hunterdon County Commissioner John Lanza recently attended the 20th Anniversary of the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum in Morristown.
The Highlands Act signed into law on Aug. 10, 2004, was aimed at the long-term protection of New Jersey’s valuable public trust resources in the Highlands region, including the drinking water resources that 70% of the State’s population depends on.
“While not a member of the Board at the time of the law’s consideration, there was considerable opposition from local residents and municipal leaders, including the then Hunterdon County Freeholder Board. The current Hunterdon County Commissioner Board and the Highlands Council are now working in partnership with our municipal leaders to more closely identify challenges and achieve shared goals on issues including promoting agritourism and addressing affordable housing mandates in highlands communities,” Lanza said.
Hunterdon County joined with neighboring Warren County in opposing the initial passage of the Highlands Act due to a lack of funding for lost property values, especially among farmers who were subjected to sweeping regulations that restricted future use of their land.
In many instances long-term generational wealth that was lost due to a reduction in property valuation, especially among the agricultural community. Regarding this matter, Commissioner Lanza strongly stressed the Commissioner Board’s “continued support for adequate compensation for property owners in the Highlands Region, especially local farmers.”
Beyond the issue of compensation for the Highlands Property owners, Commissioner Lanza highlighted areas of shared success and collaboration between the County of Hunterdon and the Highlands Council. Among them, are collective work on growth management plans, promoting economic development in the Highlands Region, and addressing ongoing water quality and environmental stewardship issues.
Economic Development and more specifically agritourism has been a major success in Hunterdon County led by Marc Saluk who heads up the Hunterdon County’s Department of Economic Development & Tourism.
Marc Saluk shared some key points at the 20th Anniversary event, with a slide show presentation showcasing Hunterdon County’s partnership with the Highland’s Council on economic development and tourism including the ‘Explore Hunterdon’ marketing campaign. The ‘Explore Hunterdon’ initiative was launched in 2022 as the county’s first tourism website designed to entice residents and visitors to explore the county’s significant number of tourism attractions.
Saluk also spoke of the Highlands Council providing grant funds for regional planning and support of historical preservation within the county. Included in the shared master plan are ideas to create opportunities and support developing the economy through small businesses and Main Street growth, sustain agriculture, agritourism, and the businesses that comprise these sectors, and continued preservation of open space.
To date, the Highlands Council granted $643,913 to Hunterdon County to assist with the creation of a Growth Management Plan, Historic Preservation Plan and a Sustainable Economic Development Plan.
“Together, Hunterdon County and the Highlands Council have developed a strategic partnership to leverage our collective strength to address issues around long-term water quality, environmental sustainability, and promotion of sustainable economic development to ensure businesses and farmers remain viable in the Highlands and surrounding region,” Lanza said.
