Tracy, speaking as the presenter on the conservation-easement item, told the commission the parcels under consideration once were in a pending sale that fell through and are again available for possible protection through an easement. She said the Department of Conservation has moved to a rolling pre-proposal process and that a pre-proposal could be submitted in March with a full application likely due in June.

The commission was told the northern parcel includes a substantial building envelope while other areas are planted in trees and that both parcels adjoin existing protected lands. Tracy said the parcels include class 2 soils and lie on the urban fringe, making them a potential fit for the commission’s priority-acquisition strategy. She described the landowner as a repeat participant in easements and said the title report appeared clean.

Commissioners debated whether the easement should include language encouraging hedgerows, habitat designations or limited-access, docent-led uses in some subareas. One commissioner suggested adding a conservation-farm or carbon-farm plan to a contract to increase biodiversity if the owner seeks tax benefits; another warned that an ordinary agricultural easement and Department of Conservation guidance typically do not allow broad restrictions on allowable agricultural uses, though specific habitat areas can be designated inside an easement.

Speaker 6 moved that the commission recommend the city council direct staff to submit a grant application to help fund the purchase of the conservation easement, with matching funds from the city’s open-space/partial tax fund. Speaker 2 seconded the motion. Tracy proposed a friendly amendment requesting that the southwest corner of the northern parcel be managed to maximize habitat value; the amendment was seconded and accepted as part of the motion.

The chair called the question and the commission approved the motion by voice vote.

Why it matters: the commission framed the acquisition as a low-cost opportunity to expand a band of protected lands near Willow Grove, preserve productive soils and secure a contiguous habitat corridor. The request to manage a parcel corner for habitat aims to balance agricultural uses with limited habitat conservation on privately owned land.

Next steps: the commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to city council staff as a request to authorize submission of a grant application and consider city matching funds.