New Milford Home Is State's 600th Purchased Under Flood Buyout Program

NEW MILFORD, NJ — A borough home was recently purchased by the state's Blue Acres Program, the 600th such home in New Jersey to be.

The Columbia Street home is along the Hackensack River. It was bought for $390,000, the state Department of Environmental Protection announced.

The Blue Acres Program works with willing sellers to provide them a fair price for their flood-zone properties in order to preserve the land, protect people and create open space.

After a Blue Acres purchase, homes are demolished and the land is permanently preserved as open space for recreation and/or conservation. The goal is to purchase clusters of homes to provide areas that will absorb flood waters.

Of the nearly 900 offers made by the Blue Acres Program, 678 have been accepted, with the balance moving through the buyout process. More than 460 homes have been demolished.

Nearly all of the program's $375 million budget comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.

“The Blue Acres Program has proven to be extremely successful, making a big difference by moving hundreds of families out of harm’s way,” said DEP Commissioner Bob Martin. “This program is providing homeowners with a viable alternative to living with the constant threat of flooding, at the same time creating open space that provides buffers to flooding.”

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Photo: The New Milford property purchased under the state's Blue Acres buyout program./State Department of Environmental Protection