The 2026–2035 Open Space and Recreation Plan

Warren Township has a draft Open Space and Recreation Plan for 2026–2035 and a public input meeting on it scheduled for Monday, November 9, 2026, 7:00 p.m., in the Susie Boyce Courtroom at the Municipal Building. The Township’s November 2 news item says the Open Space Advisory Committee will present the draft and that comments may be sent to bill.openspace@gmail.com. No RSVP is required.

The draft prints 887.61 acres (OCR) of preserved open space in 18 areas. Its category breakdown prints 9 trail properties (410.6 acres), 3 park and field properties (28.8 acres) and 7 other open spaces (471.0 acres) (OCR). The acreage subtotals sum to 910.4, and the category counts to 19; the summary does not explain the differences. It excludes Somerset County-owned land and the 14.3-acre Round Top Swim Club (OCR), described in the document as under contract.

It sets six goals: preservation and acquisition, environmental protection, trail connectivity, active recreation, stewardship and sustainability, and public engagement. Its near-term 2026–2027 list includes Codington and Glenhurst trails “safe and usable (complete),” Dealaman improvements, an invasive-species baseline, a trail-classification policy, a Glenhurst entrance redesign, and security cameras at Greenwood Meadows, Municipal Pavilion and Pop Warner. Later items include a new athletic field including cricket (2028–2030), Duderstadt Complex upgrades, an ADA-accessible trail loop, playground expansion (2027–2028) and a decision on Round Top Swim Club (2027–2028). The summary calls these opportunities “subject to annual budget review and Township Committee approval.”

The Township’s November 2 announcement calls the document a draft. Its summary sets out a six-step path: review by the Township Planner; review by Township administration and the Township Committee; public input; a final plan document; Planning Board approval “as part of the Warren Master Plan”; and Green Acres submission. The Township’s Master Plan page lists a 2026 Reexamination Report and the adopted Housing Element and Fair Share Plan, but does not list an Open Space and Recreation Plan element. The summary says cost estimates are still being developed.

The Open Space Advisory Committee was created by Ordinance 25-18, adopted November 13, 2025, 5–0 — Committeeman Blick, Committeeman Fine, Committeewoman Kian, Deputy Mayor Croson and Mayor Lontai all yes. The Committee’s page gives its establishment as “January 2026”; the first meeting on the Township’s listing was January 23, 2026.

The Township’s survey report shows 464 responses (OCR) to its first question. The plan summary reports 470 responses (OCR) and more than 800 written comments (OCR). The summary states that senior households made up 40% of respondents (OCR), compared to 35.3% of Warren households that include a senior (OCR).