During a tour of some of Gloucester County's recently preserved farmland, county officials touted their $38 million proposed bond ordinance as protecting even more open space from development.

Three properties located in Woolwich, Mantua, and spanning Clayton and Franklin Township were showcased Monday as success stories in the county's land preservation plan.

"The housing market being in the slump that it is in has allowed us to be aggressive in buying this land," said Freeholder Director Stephen Sweeney as he stood on a 92-acre farm in Woolwich. "If the economy is good, then a developer builds here. ... We are taking advantage of the softening economy."

It cost nearly $6 million to purchase these three properties.

Nearly all of the 179 acres on these properties were at risk of becoming housing developments. A developer was looking to build more than 50 homes on the former asparagus and tomato farm near Raccoon Creek in Woolwich.

Across the street from the High Hill Road property is a development of newer homes.

"We were able to defer a huge detriment [in] taxable services that would have been needed," explained Freeholder Joe Chila who also serves as mayor of Woolwich once dubbed the fastest growing community in the Northeast. "It's a great time to catch our breath and do things like this."

The LaPalomento property has been in the family some 50 years. From the early 1950s until 1986, the land was farmed by three brothers and their families. Since then, it has been rented by a local farmer.

"Seeing all these cars on the road, I would like to see it as open space," 92-year-old Joe LaPalomento said Monday as he stood on the land to greet officials. "What they are doing here is beautiful."

John LaPalomento, who was present with his uncle on Monday, said his family spent many long days on the farm. The 56-year-old from Turnersville remembers working there as a child and again later during summer vacations when he became a teacher in Glassboro.