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Big Land Preservation Plan Advanced

by Mary Serreze | Jan 22, 2010 12:15 pm | Comments (0)

Posted to: Environment, Zoning and Planning

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Under a plan described by Northampton planning director Wayne Feiden at last night’s City Council meeting, 185 acres of land, much of it in the floodplain of the Mill River in Florence, would be preserved forever as open space. The Trust for Public Lands would play a key part in the deal by fronting money to buy farmland within the spread, which would then be sold by the city to a farmer or farming organization. The rest of the land would be used for recreation and conservation, and would be owned by the city.

Preserving both the 45-acre Bean Farm and the 140-acre Allard Farm, which are contiguous parcels, presents a “once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Kevin Lake, chair of the city’s Conservation Commission, who spoke during the public comment section of the Council meeting.

The city’s Agriculture, Conservation and Recreation commissions have issued a joint application to the Community Preservation Committee for $990,000 to preserve both farms, which amounts to about 40% of the $2.5 million needed to purchase the properties outright. The commissions hope that grants and other forms of fundraising will fill the gap.

Feiden identified four interests for the city: that 24 acres be owned by the city for recreation (athletic fields), that the floodplain forest be preserved as conservation land with public access, that new community garden opportunities be created, and that the rest of the land be preserved for farming.

Under Feiden’s plan, the Trust for Public Land would front the money for the purchase of the Bean and Allard Farm, and would need to be reimbursed. The city and state would bear the cost of placing the agricultural portion—about 100 acres—in permanent agricultural preservation restriction (APR). The city would carve off what it needs for recreation fields, community gardens, and conservation land within the riparian flood zone. The farmland would be sold to a private entity that must keep it in agricultural use.

Feiden explained that there are four potential sources of grant funding for the project: APR funding from the state, federal conservation grants, state conservation grants, and private donations. “The Trust for Public Lands will apply for grants immediately; they don’t want the holding costs,” said Feiden.

The Massachusetts APR program pays farmland owners the difference between the “fair market value” and the “agricultural value” of their farmland in exchange for a permanent deed restriction which precludes any use of the property that will have a negative impact on its agricultural viability.

Meanwhile, the Google group known as Grow Food Northampton, under the leadership of Lily Lombard, a member of the Community Preservation Committee—the group that will vote on whether or not to allocate funds to purchase the properties with public monies—has assembled an advisory board of “community farm experts” that will be addressing two city boards—the Agricultural Commission and the Bean Farm Task Force—on February 2nd and 8th, respectively.

The Bean Farm Core Group has announced that it will apply to become a “legal non-profit (not a 501-c3) so we can fundraise (with fiscal sponsorship) and qualify to manage City farmland.”

“We’ve got nearly 100 acres to envision. Let’s be kids in a candy shop,” Lombard wrote to the group’s listserv.

Feiden, however, counseled caution on Thursday night. “There are lots of balls in the air—it’s not over till it’s over,” he said.

Feiden mentioned that the Conway School of Landscape Design is working with the Bean/Allard Farm task force to help envision various possibilities for the land.

Relates Story on MassLive: Northampton City Council gives approval to buy 45-acre Bean Farm property City Council gives approval to buy 45-acre Bean Farm property

Tags: Bean Farm, Feiden, Allard Farm, APR

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