Lumberton plans to rework open-space program Officials want to curb growth and stop expansion of an airport. Changes will be discussed tonight.

LUMBERTON — The Township Committee has abandoned plans to do away with its highly touted open-space preservation program.

Officials pulled the ordinance, which had been scheduled for a public hearing tonight. Instead, they plan to revamp the Transferable Development Rights program and pull together new policies to create open space, restrict development, and try to stop an expansion of South Jersey Regional Airport.

"TDR was a good program, but we have got to modify it," Mayor Margaret Gest said yesterday.

Members of the committee and planning board plan to discuss the changes at 6:30 tonight in the municipal building and at a meeting Tuesday.

Officials say the old program, which allowed farmers to sell the development rights on their land, was insufficient. It did not create open recreational spaces or do much to stop residential development or the airport expansion, they said.

"I'm just afraid that we're going to be built out," Gest said.

The original program created a "sending" area where space would be protected, and a "receiving" area where development would be allowed. Property owners in the sending area could sell the rights to develop their land to a buyer who would use those credits to develop land in the receiving area.

Changes may include a different receiving area and different zoning designations, such as industrial, residential or agricultural, officials said.

In some areas, landowners who have enrolled in the program would not be penalized, but those who have not yet enrolled may be prevented from using the development-rights program, township planner Marc Shuster said.

Lauren Mayk's e-mail address is lmayk@phillynews.com.