MONTVALE—Starting 2026, the last remaining fields once farmed by the DePiero family for more than a century will again flourish with crops and flowers, thanks to a newly approved lease agreement and a groundswell of community support for keeping the land green.
On Oct. 28, the Borough Council voted unanimously to award a 20-year lease for the borough’s 8.4-acre former DePiero Farm property on Craig Road to D’Agostino Landscaping & Irrigation of West Nyack, N.Y. The lease takes effect Jan. 1, 2026.
The company bid $43,200 annually, with 2% yearly increases, outpacing bids of $12,000 each from Demarest Farms in Hillsdale and Matthew Worgul and Matthew Epstein.
Mayor Michael Ghassali called the decision “a meaningful step forward in our commitment to community engagement and sustainable land use.”
“Beyond the lease itself, we’re especially excited that the farm will now include dedicated space for a community garden and be available for town-sponsored activities — creating new opportunities for residents to connect, learn, and grow together,” Ghassali told Pascack Press on Oct. 29.
The approved lease ensures that the site will remain active farmland while also introducing a community garden on approximately one acre of the property. The garden will offer 4-by-8-foot plots for residents, particularly those in townhouses without their own gardening space.
Town Day at the Farm a hit
The agreement comes just weeks after Montvale, through the mayor and council and Recreation Committee hosted its first “Town Day at the Farm” on Oct. 18 at the property — drawing an estimated 1,500 residents for an afternoon’s sprawling picnic.
Under sunny fall skies, attendees enjoyed grilled burgers with snacks, a petting zoo, line dance lessons, balloon animals, and hayrides around the perimeter of the land — courtesy of Jeffrey Piatt, owner of Montvale Landscaping, who drove a 1935 Farmall tractor and trailer.
“We’re celebrating that we’re keeping this as open space and that it’s a farm,” Ghassali said at the event. “It’s exciting that we’re keeping this as a farm and letting people enjoy what we actually bought with our own tax money.”
Montvale purchased the 8.4-acre DePiero property earlier this year for $5.15 million, a cost that will average roughly $70 per household per year over the 25-year bond term.
Council also approved an ordinance appropriating $30,000 from the capital fund balance for improvements to the property’s buildings and grounds, with about $10,000 used to support Town Day at the Farm, Ghassali said.
Officials said D’Agostino Landscaping, located about seven miles from Montvale, will be permitted to use the farm stand and greenhouses as part of the lease. The company’s experience in agricultural operations met all bid requirements, according to the resolution adopted Oct. 28.
“This bidder has demonstrated sufficient experience in the agricultural business and agrees to abide by all conditions set forth in the form of lease accompanying the bid specifications regarding the operation of a retail farm in the Borough of Montvale,” the resolution states.
We invited D’Agostino Landscaping to comment several times before press time.