September 2024: The Franklin Township Local Health Assessment and Action Plan, prepared by Kenyon Planning, LLC, proudly received an Achievement in Planning Award from the New Jersey Planning Officials!

To view the Franklin Township Local Health Assessment and Action Plan, please visit:
https://www.franklintwpnj.org/our-township/what-s-new/for-the-well-of-it
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September 2023: The Randolph Township Environmental Guidebook was completed and presented at a Public Information Session on September 30, 2023. Kenyon Planning served as part of a larger project team as the primary author.

To view the Randolph Township Environmental Guidebook and the presentation from the Public Information Session, please visit: https://www.randolphnj.org/511/3748/Randolph-Environmental-Guidebook-RTEG
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May 2023: Franklin Township was awarded a $20,000 grant from Sustainable Jersey to implement green infrastructure strategies along the existing trail at Naaman Williams Park, and to create a trail in the woodlands area of the Park. This project will remove barriers from using the trail during flooding and ponding conditions, and builds off a study completed by Rutgers University entitled, “Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design at Naaman Williams Park”. This Report can be viewed at:
https://njbikeped.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Franklin-CPTED-Report-Final.pdf
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  • April 2022: Franklin Township was awarded a Technical Assistance Grant from Sustainable Jersey to complete a Local Health Assessment and Action Plan. This Plan will study the demographics, zoning, and environmental conditions and constraints across the different Wards in Franklin Township to understand how these characteristics affect public health. The Action Plan portion will identify feasible programs, policies, and projects that can work towards achieving health equity and environmental justice for all of Franklin Township. Kenyon Planning wrote the grant application for this project, and is overseeing the preparation of the Plan under contract with Franklin Township.
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  • October 2020 - The Update to the Township of Montgomery’s Natural Resources Inventory, prepared by Kenyon Planning, LLC, was awarded an Environmental Achievement Award at ANJEC’s 47th Annual Environmental Congress.

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  • July 2020: The Update to the Township of Montgomery’s Natural Resources Inventory, prepared by Kenyon Planning, LLC, was awarded the Excellence in Planning Award through the Somerset County Annual Land Development Awards Program.
    https://www.co.somerset.nj.us/Home/Components/News/News/4147/17

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Tara Kenyon, Principal of Kenyon Planning, LLC has been selected to participate in Farmland Advisors New Jersey, an advanced training program for professionals working actively with farmers to access land and successfully transfer farmland to the next generation.

 New farmers face substantial barriers in New Jersey, especially when it comes to finding land. New Jersey has the second highest farmland prices in the nation, making it difficult for beginning farmers to find suitable land at a price they can afford. Opportunities to lease appropriate farmland under secure conditions can often be difficult to find. At the same time, farm transfer within or outside a family can be complicated due to family, business, legal and tax hurdles.  

 The multi-year training program will be coordinated by American Farmland Trust, a national conservation organization dedicated to protecting farmland, promoting sound farming practices and keeping farmers on the land.

 Kenyon was one of 15 participants selected to participate in the Farmland Advisors New Jersey program from a pool of qualified applicants from across the state. Participants include Cooperative Extension educators, land trust staff, agricultural service providers and other professionals working with farmers and farmland owners. Farmland Advisors addresses this challenge through a series of progressive learning and networking opportunities, including webinars, in-person workshops, and peer-to-peer exchanges about issues pertaining to accessing and transferring farmland.  

 “The transition of farmland from one generation to the next is a time when the land is most vulnerable,” says David Haight, vice president for Programs for American Farmland Trust. “With nearly a quarter of New Jersey’s farmland set to change hands in the coming years, it’s critical to build capacity across the state to support transitions that keep this land in farming. We are excited to engage an impressive network of professionals from across the state to further their efforts in addressing the challenges that farmers and landowners face in making their land available for a new generation of farmers.”

 Topics to be covered during the training include: personal and business goal-setting, assessing financial readiness, understanding land tenure options, finding available farmland, assessing farm property suitability, farm leasing and purchasing farmland and participating in farm succession planning.

 Farmland Advisors New Jersey is being coordinated by American Farmland Trust in partnership with Duke Farms, Farm Credit East, Foodshed Alliance, Kittatinny Mountain Farm, Monmouth Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Conservation Foundation, New Jersey Farm Bureau, New Jersey State Agriculture Development Committee, NOF-NJ, and Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

 This program is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program under sub-award number ENE18-152-32231, and also through funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and members of the American Farmland Trust.

 To learn more about Farmland Advisors New Jersey program and participants, please visit www.farmland.org/njadvisors, or contact Erica Goodman at egoodman@farmland.org.
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