Town Seeks Public Input On Open Space
- Hillsborough launched a community survey to identify and protect open space as part of its Master Plan update. - Survey focuses on prioritizing parcels and conservation strategies to guide municipal land-use decisions. - Public input will shape long-term development limits and recreational planning for the township (patch.com).
Hillsborough has opened a new public survey to help decide which land should stay open and how that land should be protected in the township’s Master Plan update. (hillsboroughnj.gov) The survey went live April 16 and focuses on the Open Space and Recreation Plan, a section of the Master Plan that covers existing preserved land, future acquisitions, and strategies to protect undeveloped parcels. (hillsboroughnj.gov) Town officials are collecting feedback through Engage Hillsborough, the township’s online participation platform, which was launched in 2024 with PublicInput to gather resident comments on planning and local projects. (engagehillsboroughnj.org, hillsborough-nj.org) The Master Plan is the township’s long-range land-use document, and Hillsborough’s Planning and Zoning Department says it guides decisions on transportation, land use, farmland, open space, and related development policy. (hillsboroughnj.gov, hillsboroughnj.gov) This is the third public survey in the update process. Hillsborough previously asked for comments on the plan’s goals in October 2024 and on land-use patterns in a second survey released last year. (hillsborough-nj.org, hillsborough-nj.org) The open-space push comes after a major preservation deal in the township. Somerset County closed in May 2025 on the 402-acre former Hillsborough Golf & Country Club property, with Hillsborough contributing $1.45 million from its Open Space Trust Fund toward the purchase. (hillsborough-nj.org) State rules also shape what counts as protected land. New Jersey’s Recreation and Open Space Inventory tracks parkland encumbered through Green Acres funding, the state preservation program that restricts conversion of those properties to other uses. (dep.nj.gov) The township’s latest survey asks residents to weigh in before officials draft the next version of the plan, turning public comments into a map of which parcels, parks, and open areas Hillsborough should try to preserve next. (engagehillsboroughnj.org, hillsboroughnj.gov)
