Efforts to save a 175-year-old New Jersey family farm have escalated, drawing support from President Donald Trump’s administration as the land faces possible seizure for affordable housing.
For months, brothers Christopher and Andy Henry have pleaded with Cranbury Township officials to let their family keep its centuries-old farm on South River Road.
The town is moving to seize the Middlesex County farm under eminent domain to create space for a developer to build affordable housing required by the state. The family will get a fair market price for the farm, even if they refuse to sell, local officials said.
On Tuesday, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins weighed in on the dispute in a post on X, saying the federal Department of Agriculture was in contact with the Henrys and would support them in their legal fight.
“While this particular case is a city eminent domain issue, we at USDA are exploring every legal option to help,” Rollins said in the post.
The agriculture secretary spoke to the Henry family, the post said. It also included a link for others to report if their farm “has been the target of government overreach.”
Trump administration officials did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment Wednesday. Cranbury officials also didn’t immediately respond to a request to comment.
The Henry brothers and their attorney did not immediately respond to a request to comment on Rollins’ social media post.
Jack Ciattarelli, the Republican nominee for governor this year, also used his social media account to thank Rollins for looking into the Henrys’ fight to save their farm.
The Henrys previously said they are exploring legal options to challenge the township’s use of eminent domain, a process that allows the government to take private property for public use, even if the owner refuses to sell.
Christopher and Andy Henry grew up on the 21-acre property their great-grandfather purchased in 1850. They say they have invested more than $200,000 into it since taking ownership in 2012.
Tucked between the New Jersey Turnpike and Route 130, the farm is surrounded by warehouses that have popped up over the last 30 years. The Henrys say they’ve turned down offers as high as $30 million from developers seeking to build yet another one on their land.
The property is currently rented out to a tenant who raises cattle on the farm.
Last month, the Cranbury Township Committee passed an ordinance allowing officials to begin the process of seizing the land through eminent domain — a move that could force the Henrys to sell their farm.
Cranbury Township officials released their affordable housing plan last week, identifying about half of the Henry farm as a potential development site.
A historic image of the Henry farm in Cranbury.Henry Family
Under a controversial state mandate, New Jersey towns must add or rehabilitate more than 146,000 affordable housing units by 2035. The requirement stems from the Mount Laurel Doctrine, a series of state Supreme Court rulings that require municipalities to provide their fair share of affordable housing.
Cranbury is required to build 265 affordable units over the next decade, and nearly half of them are proposed to built on nearly 12 acres of the Henry farm, according to township documents.
The plan outlines a partnership between the township and Walters Group, a New Jersey-based real estate company, to build a 130-unit affordable apartment complex. The units would be spread across six multifamily buildings, with a shared community center and open space for recreation.
Construction is expected to take place in two phases and cost about $45.2 million, according to the documents.
Dozens of residents have spoken out against the seizing the farm at recent township committee meetings. And, an online fundraiser started to help the family cover legal costs has continued to grow, raising more than $54,000 as of Wednesday.
Cranbury Mayor Lisa Knierim has defended the decision to use eminent domain, saying the committee spent more than a year reviewing over 50 potential sites before selecting the Henry farm as a site for needed affordable housing. She said the move is necessary to avoid costly legal action from developers known as “builder’s remedy lawsuits,” which could strip the township of control over where and how affordable housing is built.
“No one is in favor of eminent domain. No one wants to see a farm disappear,” Knierim previously said.
However, the Henrys and their supporters argue the property is located in a warehouse zone and is unsuitable for housing.
The next township committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, with a planning board meeting set for the following day to review the affordable housing plan.
Timothy Dugan, an attorney representing the Henrys, said the township’s plan to seize the farm goes against Cranbury’s long-standing farmland preservation efforts.
Cranbury has deep agricultural roots. The town’s historic district, which is home to several 19th-century buildings, was originally developed to support area farmers and agricultural activity. To date, the township has preserved more than 2,000 acres of farmland.
“This affordable housing’s going to be by itself, surrounded by warehouses,” Dugan previously said. “How is that a good decision and how is that fair to the low-income people who are going to live there?”
Stories by Nyah Marshall
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