Rova farms update: commitee approves plan to move forward

Jackson, NJ – Plans to redevelop the former historic ROVA Farms property took a major step forward after the all-volunteer citizen committee voted to approve the final site plan for the project.

“The ROVA Farms project is continuing, and despite what people are saying on Facebook, we are, and always have been, committed to finishing this project,” said Council Vice President Moredchai Burnstein. “The state DEP threw a huge wrench into the prior council’s grand plans, which was a great concept, but because it’s mostly wetlands, the state fought us on everything, so we had to go back to the drawing board, and we’re now looking forward to seeing the official site plan from Morgan Engineering very soon.”

Morgan Engineering, hired to construct the official site plan, will now turn the committee’s final concept plan into reality, with architectural renderings expected to be delivered within weeks.

Burnstein, who stood in for Council Liaison Nino Borrelli, said he was satisfied with the committee’s decision to finalize the plan to turn the former Russian Orthodox retreat into a lakefront park and that the plan will be discussed in detail in the near future.

Draft architectural designs are expected to be completed next week and submitted to the governing body for review at a future council meeting.

Jackson Council President Jennifer Kuhn said she looks foward to seeing the final plans.

“This was a community effort that unfortunately took more time than we would have liked thanks to state regulations and oversight, but we’re finally on the right path to make this happen,” she said.

The project, which has been under discussion for several years, is seen as a cornerstone in revitalizing the ROVA property. Township leaders previously voted unanimously to move forward with the redevelopment effort, but state DEP regulations prohibited some of the original committee plans and ideas submitted as far back as 2022 due to wetlands restrictions and environmental concerns raised by the state.

Councilman Burnstein praised the efforts of local residents and volunteers who participated in the review process, noting that their feedback has been instrumental in shaping the project. Councilman Borrelli, who is the council liaison to the committee, said he hasn’t attended a ROVA Farms committee meeting in ages.

The next step will be the presentation of architectural drafts to township officials, moving the long-anticipated project closer to reality.

Rova Farms’ history dates back to the 1930s when Russian immigrants purchased 1,400 acres in Jackson, creating a cultural and recreational center for the community, including a resort and the historic St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Church. It hosted many events but eventually declined, leading to land sales and the property being reduced to a flea market in years prior to the demolition of the bar and concert hall.

In 2019, Jackson Township acquired the largest remaining parcel to preserve Rova Farms’ history, with plans to develop it into Rova Park, a passive recreation area for fishing, hiking, and cultural events.

The site is best known for hosting a Bruce Springsteen concert in 1973, which was interrupted by police after a barroom brawl broke out while the future rock’n’roll hall of famer was performing ‘Santa Claus is Coming to Town’.

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