City seeks $55,009.50 in CPA funds to acquire 7.7 acres at Brooks Dairy Farm for conservation
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Summary
City planning staff asked the Community Preservation Committee for $55,009.50 in CPA funds to acquire a 7.7‑acre parcel known as Brooks Dairy Farm, which the city would conserve and place under a conservation restriction with the Greater Worcester Land Trust.
Eric Flint, conservation planner for the City of Worcester Division of Planning and Regulatory Services, presented an application requesting $55,009.50 in CPA open‑space funding to acquire a 7.7‑acre forested parcel known as Brooks Dairy Farm.
Flint said the city would hold the fee interest and grant a conservation restriction to the Greater Worcester Land Trust. He said the acquisition would permanently protect the parcel, catalyze protection of an additional roughly 20 acres (Bald Hill), create a 28‑acre block of protected open space, and provide passive‑recreation access and habitat protection adjacent to Nelson Place Elementary School, which draws from environmental‑justice neighborhoods.
Flint said the city intends to fund the remainder of the acquisition through a grant from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ Local Acquisitions for Natural Diversity (LAND) program and that the CPC is being asked only to cover 15.5% of the project cost. He said the parcel has been prioritized for acquisition by the city since at least 1996.
Public commenters and conservation advocates expressed strong support. The CPC did not vote; staff will include the project in scoring and bring recommendations to the June 17 meeting.