Bedford council approves carve-out of municipal zone at Joppa Hill, moves 25 acres into conservation

The Bedford Town Council on June 11 authorized the town manager to work with the Piscataquog (Piscataway) Land Conservancy to amend the Joppa Hill Conservation Area easement to create an approximately 8.3-acre exclusionary zone and to convert 25 acres currently within the MU (municipal use) zone to conservation.

The move follows a yearlong study by a Joppa Hill Road Conservation Area committee that evaluated terrain, soils, wetlands and long-term use. Chris Bandazian, who served on the committee and said he helped draft the original easement, told the council the municipal-use portion near the road is often wet and that much of the remaining parcel is steep or prime habitat, making construction costly and environmentally disruptive. "When the property was actually mapped for wetlands and slopes fairly…