On January 14th Plymouth Township’s Council voted 5-0 to spend $135,000 towards the possible preservation of Maple Acres Farm in Plymouth Meeting. The preservation agreement between the Montgomery County Agricultural Land Preservation Program and the farm is not yet finalized. How much the preservation program can offer for the property is based on an appraisal. Plymouth Township’s contribution is 15%.

If it is signed, the agreement would place restrictions on how the property could be used in the future. The property would remain under private ownership and could be sold. The new owners would have to continue to follow this agreement.

According to the county’s website, as of October 2018, there are 164 farms preserved in Montgomery County under this program. The preserved farms total 9,307 acres. Across the state, there are 5,399 preserved farms in 59 participating counties; totaling 557,613 acres.