The Battle To Save A Farm From Eminent Domain

(Writer's Note - 6/27/25: The Save The Farm Facebook Page and Former Cranbury Mayor Jay Taylor clarified that the Cranbury Lions were NOT against the float. Thank you to Former Mayor Taylor and the Save The Farm Facebook Page for clarifying the mix-up)

If you've read any snippet of news in the past decade plus, chances are you've likely heard the phrase eminent domain. Eminent domain refers to the government's power to take a private property for public use, even if an owner doesn't want to sell.

Perhaps the most famous example of eminent domain in popular culture would be in 'Hey Arnold: The Movie', where greedy real estate developer Alphonse Perrier du von Scheck attempts to declare eminent domain to get the people in Arnold's neighborhood to sell their land to him in order to go through with his redevelopment plan. Spoiler alert: Arnold and his friends expose him for the fraud he is and Scheck gets sent to jail.

Well, 'Hey Arnold: The Movie' is playing out in real life once again, this time in Cranbury, New Jersey. Here's the situation - a farm that has been in town for 175 years, dating back to Civil War era America, is now under threat from eminent domain being brought about by not just Cranbury Township Committee but also corporations and most notably of all, the Cranbury Lions Club, an organization responsible for many of the events that go on in the town and that are dedicated to serving the community.

The farm has been on South River Road in Cranbury and owned by the same family since the end of the Civil War and over the years it has been meticulously maintained, even in the face of constant urban development as warehouses and corporations continued to encroach on the property. Now it appears as though the township may be headed in the direction of handing over a farm to those same corporations in favor of 'affordable housing'.

This all began back in April, when the one in charge of the farm - Andy Henry - received a strange letter in his mailbox. The letter was from a township attorney stating that the township of Cranbury had decided to use eminent domain to claim his property for an affordable housing project. It also stated that if he didn't quote-unquote 'agree to sell', he'd be dragged into a costly court battle.

The township has other options on the table and other properties they could use that haven't been farmed in years. They just decided to choose the one that was flanked by corporations and warehouses. Take a look on Google Maps - type in the address: 1234 South River Road, Cranbury, New Jersey - and you'll see all those big buildings flanking Andy's farm. Corporations to the north, warehouses to the east. Why? One reason and one reason alone - money. Campaign contributions from corporate donors.

A GoFundMe was quickly drawn up to help cover court costs, a stuffed cow fundraiser was done and there was even a float in the recent Cranbury Memorial Day Parade. But here's the thing, hearing from someone who appeared to be behind the Save The Farm float, it sounded like the Township Committee and the Cranbury Lions - the group that sponsors the Memorial Day Parade - didn't want the float in the parade.

Why would a community group not want a float in a parade they sponsor? Is it possible they have a horse in this race? Who knows? 

But what is known is this - they are blatantly violating the Right to Farm Act in New Jersey with their threat of an eminent domain lawsuit. Also, the Cranbury Township Committee and the Cranbury Lions will be inducted into the Arnold Diaz Memorial Hall of Shame for being beholden to corporations instead of the people they serve.

SHAME ON YOU!