Open space and environment

The Mindel tract

Hillsborough bought the roughly 440-acre Mindel tract at Hamilton and Amwell Roads for $14 million in January 2022. In 2026 it agreed to sell the land's development rights to the state at $30,600 an acre, and the State Agriculture Development Committee gave final approval on April 30. No closing has been recorded yet.

Checked against the primary record on . Every figure on this page is sourced at the foot of the article.

State approved April 30; closing not yet on record Last moved

What happens next

No vote is scheduled. Residents can ask at a Township Committee meeting (a special meeting on November 10, then regular meetings on November 24 and December 15) whether the easement sale has closed, and for how many acres.

The Mindel tract is about 440 acres of farmland at Hamilton Road and Amwell Road. The township bought it for $14,000,000 on January 6, 2022, according to Ordinance 2026-03. The township says the land had faced proposals for a natural gas power plant, high-density housing and warehouses.

In 2026 Hillsborough agreed to sell a farmland preservation easement, which covers the right to develop the land, to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC). The price is $30,600 an acre: the state’s $27,200 formula price, plus $1,700 an acre for capping impervious cover at 10% and $1,700 an acre for capping any house at 2,500 square feet. The township expects about $13.1 million. The Committee introduced Ordinance 2026-03 unanimously on March 10 and adopted it on March 24, with no dissent recorded. The SADC gave final approval on April 30, 2026, for 438.81 acres.

No record of the closing, the final payment or a recorded deed of easement has been found. Once the easement is sold, the land can only be farmed, permanently. It is preserved farmland, not a public park: the township attorney said so at the March 24 hearing. The township keeps ownership for now and may later sell it as a preserved farm.

Residents can ask the Committee whether the sale has closed, what the final acreage and price are, and whether any trail or public access is planned.

The Mindel tract, explained

Timeline

Each dated event on this issue, oldest first, linked to the full sourced entry.

  1. Resolved Township buys the 440-acre Mindel tract for $14 millionHillsborough bought the Mindel tract, about 440 acres of farmland at Hamilton and Amwell Roads, for $14,000,000, according to the 2026 ordinance that later sold its development rights.
  2. Resolved Committee approves $9.5 million purchase of two warehouse sitesOrdinance 2023-15 authorized buying 1170 Millstone River Road and 303 Amwell Road, both with pending warehouse applications, for $9.5 million. 303 Amwell Road was reported acquired in January 2026; no closing record for 1170 Millstone River Road has been found.
  3. Resolved Committee authorizes a state farmland preservation application for the Mindel tractThe Township Committee authorized the Planning Director to apply to the State Agriculture Development Committee to preserve the township-owned Mindel tract.
  4. Resolved Committee approves a 120-day option for the state to buy the Mindel easementAs part of a consent agenda approved unanimously, the Committee authorized a 120-day option agreement with the State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation of the township-owned Mindel property.
  5. Resolved Ordinance to sell the Mindel development easement introducedThe Committee unanimously introduced Ordinance 2026-03, selling a farmland preservation easement on the Mindel tract to the State Agriculture Development Committee, and set the hearing for March 24.
  6. Resolved Committee adopts the Mindel tract easement sale at $30,600 an acreOrdinance 2026-03 was adopted on a roll call with no dissent recorded. It sells the development rights on about 440 acres to the State Agriculture Development Committee at $30,600 an acre, subject to the final survey.
  7. Resolved State gives final approval to preserve 438.81 acres of the Mindel tractThe State Agriculture Development Committee unanimously granted final approval (Resolution FY2026R4(16)) to buy the development easement on 438.81 acres of the Mindel tract. One member recused.

Explainers

  • The Mindel Tract: How Hillsborough's Largest Farm Purchase Is Being Preserved

    Hillsborough bought the roughly 440-acre Mindel tract for $14 million in January 2022. In 2026 the Township Committee voted to sell the land's development rights to the State Agriculture Development Committee at $30,600 an acre, and the state gave final approval on April 30 for 438.81 acres. The land will be farmland forever, not a public park. The closing has not been recorded.

Documents

The township's own records on this issue. Each links to the official copy.

Meetings

  • Township Committee — March 24, 2026

    The Committee adopted Ordinance 2026-03, selling the Mindel tract's development easement to the state at $30,600 an acre. It approved three affordable-housing settlements, designated a Sunnymead Road lot an area in need of redevelopment, and sought bids to demolish the old municipal building.

  • Township Committee — March 10, 2026

    Ordinance 2026-03, selling the Mindel tract's development easement to the state farmland program, was introduced unanimously. The consent agenda committed the township to adopt its Fourth Round housing ordinances and amended the Belle Mead depot solar sublease.

  • Township Committee — October 14, 2025

    Lead-in to the year. The Committee bought eight more Flock license-plate-reader cameras, took a 120-day option with the state for farmland preservation of the township-owned Mindel property, and heard the 2025 road report.

Sources for this overview

  1. Township Committee minutes, March 24, 2026 (Ordinance 2026-03 adopted; full text) LocalWhy copy of Township Committee minutes, March 24, 2026 (Ordinance 2026-03 adopted; full text) (opens in a new tab)
  2. State Agriculture Development Committee, open session minutes, April 30, 2026 LocalWhy copy of State Agriculture Development Committee, open session minutes, April 30, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
  3. Hillsborough Township, "Moves to Secure $13.1M to Permanently Preserve Approximately 430 Acres of the Mindel Tract," March 16, 2026
  4. Township Committee minutes, October 14, 2025 (120-day SADC option agreement) LocalWhy copy of Township Committee minutes, October 14, 2025 (120-day SADC option agreement) (opens in a new tab)
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