Battery storage land in Springfield Township

Does your farm have a preservation easement?

If your farm is preserved, find the deed of easement before discussing a battery lease. The township’s Zoning Office says owners must check with the County Agricultural Development Board and review that deed to establish permitted uses.

Ask the project team to have the proposed equipment, access and electrical route checked against the actual restrictions. A small fenced area still needs a workable route to the road and the grid. Space for temporary work may affect a different part of the farm.

Do not assume land beside a farm building is available simply because it is not being planted. Mark loading areas, drainage, tenant access and places used at harvest. Tell the team which uses need to continue.

You can inquire before gathering all the records. Explain that the property may be preserved and give the location. The restrictions need to be established before anyone treats the proposed area as available.

Reference: Springfield Township: Zoning Office and preserved-farm questions

Use the municipality and parcel, not just a mailing address

This guide concerns Springfield Township in Burlington County. Give the developer the municipality and block and lot from your property records, alongside the mailing address. Ask which reviewing office it has contacted for that parcel.

The township’s February 15, 2022 Planning Board agenda lists application #2-21, North America Energy Storage Corp., Block 602, Lot 23.01, for an amended site plan. That is a useful reference for locating the application file. It is not a final decision or proof of an operating battery.

If someone cites that application as an example, ask for the decision and the current approved drawings. Check whether the documents concern the same property, project company and proposed use they are discussing with you.

A state incentive announcement, a grid reference and a municipal application are separate records. Have the team explain how they belong to the same proposal rather than matching them on a place name alone.

Reference: Springfield Township: February 15, 2022 storage application agenda

Ask what changed in an amended plan

Ask for a comparison with the earlier drawing. What moved or grew? Did the entrance, cable route or temporary work area change? Which land would remain available for your use?

The 2022 agenda references engineer review and the County Planning Board. It does not show the outcome or the content of those reviews. Ask for the actual letters and decisions before relying on an account of the meeting.

Keep dated drawings with the agreement they support. If a revision affects land you intended to retain, ask how further permission and compensation would be handled. Have your adviser check the wording before signing an amendment.

Reference: Springfield Township: February 15, 2022 storage application agenda

Confirm the current route for the proposal

The township’s current website provides Land Use Board information as well as historical Planning Board and Zoning Board records. Ask the reviewing office which process applies today to your parcel and proposed battery use.

The Land Use Board page says applications are heard at regular meetings and identifies submission timing. Have the project team confirm the current schedule and a complete submission rather than promising a decision at an informal discussion.

Ask for a short list of remaining steps: land-use decisions, other permits, the electrical connection and any commercial award the project depends on. Establish which records already exist. A historical agenda does not complete those steps for a new proposal.

Reference: Springfield Township: current Land Use Board information · Springfield Township: agendas and minutes archive

Make the reservation and continuing farm use clear

Before reserving land, request a payment schedule and an end date for the option. What is paid while studies continue, who can extend the reservation and what happens if the proposal stops?

Show the access needed by farm operators and tenants. Discuss work timing, gates, crops and drainage before authorizing investigations. Ask who repairs damage and how you report it.

Compare the equipment area with all the rights requested. An option over a larger area, a continuing road easement and a temporary construction area can affect your property differently. Ask when unused areas are released.

Tell Sunland what you know about the property

Start with your name, email and phone number, then the location. Add the block and lot if you know it. Mention preservation, a tenant or an existing offer; other property details can follow.

Tell us whether you would consider a lease, sale or use of only part of the property. You do not need a finished plan to start. Further review needs to establish the restrictions, connection, approvals and commercial fit for the actual site.