Planning/Zoning Board of Adjustment

Development pressures on South Harrison have been quite substantial until the recent real estate downturn. This economic slowing has provided a window of opportunity for South Harrison to review where future growth should occur and where traditional land use must be protected, and to develop its Master Plan accordingly. South Harrison Township has taken advantage of this time to chart its course for the future. The OSRP supports and enhances that vision, which includes retaining South Harrison's rural way of life.

South Harrison Township's Open Space Committee oversaw the development of the Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP), which was prepared by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) with funding from the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), South Harrison Township , and DVRPC. The draft OSRP document includes information about existing preserved land in South Harrison Township , township open space and recreation needs, and resources for protecting land. It lays out a system of open space that connects larger areas of environmentally important land through greenway corridors. It also identifies farmland that is contiguous to preserved farms and should be a focus for future township preservation efforts.

The purpose of the Open Space and Recreation Plan (OSRP) is to identify areas of the township where local efforts to acquire land will supplement preservation efforts by the county and state. The OSRP enables South Harrison Township to enter into a Planning Incentive Grant agreement with Green Acres for specific funding for these "pre-approved" areas. Strategies that the township can take to finance this preservation, in conjunction with Gloucester County and the state funding, are identified in the Plan. The document also articulates specific township actions such as developing bike trails and promoting stewardship that would further support protection of land for active and passive recreation in the community.

 As stated by Marc Nagtegaal, then Chair of the Township Planning/Zoning Board, "Forests and farms in South Harrison Township are a major component of the township's economic well-being as well as a major part of its identity. We need to balance growth of residential areas with a strong program of preserving our high-value natural lands and allowing our farmers to thrive. The Open Space and Recreation Plan is a major step to that end and one that will enable South Harrison to expand the resources it has available for this effort."