Madison Urges Drew University to Accept Final Offer 
In the Media Claire Whitcomb In the Media Claire Whitcomb

Madison Urges Drew University to Accept Final Offer 

Madison Urges Drew University to Accept Final Offer 

Total offer valued at $65.1 million 


Madison, NJ – September 9, 2024 – In July, after more than two years of negotiations, the Borough of Madison made a final offer valued at more than $65 million. Unfortunately, Drew has not yet accepted that offer. The Borough implores Drew University leadership and its Board of Trustees to accept this offer without delay. While the offer remains on the table, upcoming deadlines for court filings and the potential expiration of grant funds secured for the purchase of the Forest will mean that the offer will be withdrawn as Madison will not fund lost grants with local tax dollars or debt.  

The Borough’s comprehensive proposal includes acquiring and preserving approximately 51 acres of forested land, including the Zuck Arboretum, Hepburn Woods, and properties along Glenwild and Green Village Roads. Additionally, the offer allows for residential development on other parts of the Drew campus, consisting of both affordable and market-rate apartments.  

Madison has collaborated with various stakeholders, including Federal, State, and County officials, the Friends of the Drew Forest, potential private donors, and the Fair Share Housing Center, to support the forest’s purchase. The Borough continues to negotiate in good faith, as our current offer is, in fact, 30% more than a previous offer made in March 2023.

The Borough extends our gratitude to the Friends of the Drew Forest, the 15,000+ community members who signed the change.org petition, environmental advocates, and various government officials—including Senator Booker, Congresswoman Sherrill, New Jersey Senators Bucco and McKeon, Morris County Commissioners, and members of the Morris County Open Space Committee—who continue to support our efforts. The Borough reaffirms our commitment to protecting the Drew Forest and urges the public to remain engaged in this important cause. 

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Sherrill to seek $5M in federal funding for Drew Forest preservation in Madison
In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest

Sherrill to seek $5M in federal funding for Drew Forest preservation in Madison

MADISON - Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-11, has submitted a Community Project Funding (CPF) request of $5 million to the House Appropriations Committee to support the preservation of the Drew University Forest Preserve.

Sherrill submitted the request along with 14 other CPF requests for the 11th Congressional District for Fiscal Year 2024, according to a Monday, April 17 statement from the congresswoman’s office. The requests may be included in the text of the 2024 appropriations bill and marked up by the House Appropriations Committee later this year.

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4/29 - Madison Green & Clean
Events Friends of the Drew Forest Events Friends of the Drew Forest

4/29 - Madison Green & Clean

The Downtown Development Commission (DDC) is sponsoring "Madison Green & Clean" (formerly known as May Day), a town-wide beautification day with a new focus on Eco-Friendly Initiatives! We hope you will join the fun and help us celebrate this on Saturday,April 29, 2023.

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4/19 - EV Expo at Sunday Motor Co.
Events Friends of the Drew Forest Events Friends of the Drew Forest

4/19 - EV Expo at Sunday Motor Co.

Come meet the Friends of the Drew Forest!

The EV Expo is returning to Madison on Wednesday, April 19. This event is sponsored by the Environmental Commissions of Madison, Chatham Borough, Chatham Township.

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Protect Our Water on World Water Day
Forest Facts Friends of the Drew Forest Forest Facts Friends of the Drew Forest

Protect Our Water on World Water Day

It’s World Water Day! Have you wondered where YOUR drinking water comes from?

The answer may be —from under your feet— if you live in Madison or one of the 30 other towns that drink water from wells drilled into the Buried Valley Aquifer. These wells produce high-quality inexpensive water from porous glacial sediments that were deposited in valleys that extend like tentacles across parts of Morris, Essex, Somerset, and Union Counties.

With all these towns pumping water out of this aquifer, why hasn’t it been used up?

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Madison Councilwoman Ehrlich and Friends of the Drew Forest win environmental awards
In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest

Madison Councilwoman Ehrlich and Friends of the Drew Forest win environmental awards

By Madison Eagle

“For the fifth year in a row, Madison has been singled out among New Jersey’s 564 towns for its environmental leadership.

The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC) has honored Borough Councilwoman Rachel Ehrlich with its Municipal Leadership Award, following in the footsteps of Mayor Robert H. Conley, who won in 2021.

In addition, Friends of the Drew Forest is the recipient in the nonprofit category, a result of its ‘exceptional educational awareness campaign,’ according to ANJEC Executive Director Jennifer Coffey.”

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Madison Officials React To Court Win Upholding Affordable Housing Settlement
In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest

Madison Officials React To Court Win Upholding Affordable Housing Settlement

By Marianne Carillo | TAPintoMadison

“This past Friday, Superior Court Judge Stephan Hansbury ruled in Madison’s favor stating that the Borough’s Affordable Housing settlement should not be overturned. Drew University had sued Madison asking the Court to vacate its 2020 settlement with Fair Share Housing Center.”

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Judge won't vacate Madison affordable housing settlement over Drew lawsuit
In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest

Judge won't vacate Madison affordable housing settlement over Drew lawsuit

By Claudia Ceva | Madison Eagle

“The court will not vacate Madison's 2020 affordable housing settlement with the Fair Share Housing Center (FSHC).

Superior Court Judge Stephan Hansbury, during a hearing on Friday, Aug. 19 on the lawsuit filed by Drew University against the borough at the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown, said while he needed more time to reach a final decision, vacating the settlement is officially off the table.”

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Six major environmental groups call for Drew Forest preservation in Madison
In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest

Six major environmental groups call for Drew Forest preservation in Madison

From the Madison Eagle

“Leaders from Environment New Jersey, the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC), the New Jersey Highlands Coalition, New York/New Jersey Baykeeper, Raritan Headwaters Association and The Watershed Institute signed a Monday, Aug. 8 letter to the Friends of the Drew Forest advocacy group voicing their ‘vociferous support for the full conservation of the entire 53 acres of the Drew University Forest’ on behalf of their organizations.

‘There are many land-use battles across the state, some that are waged with scant environmental evidence,’ the letter reads. ‘This is not one of them, and the double whammy precedent of the potential development of such a unique ecosystem that the Drew University Forest represents along with the actions by the university hoping to cash out one of its most treasured places compel us to action.’

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In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest In the Media Friends of the Drew Forest

Whitcomb, Environmental Heads Encourage Brainstorming At Drew Forest Event

By Tyler Barth for TAPintoMadison

“About 75 residents, including former Councilwoman Astri Baillie, attended the event, where they learned from the Friends of the Drew Forest and Claire Whitcomb of the [Madison] Environmental Commission about what the Forest provides for the region and how the fight to save it is going.”

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