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Conservation commission plans April 1 site visit for Meadowood swap proposal; Open Space Committee invited
Summary
The Conservation Commission will hold a site visit April 1 to review an Audubon Society proposal to swap Meadowood parcels. Open Space Committee members were invited to attend; committee members discussed soils, access, and procedural hurdles including state and attorney general approvals for swaps tied to grant funding.
Members of Simsbury's Open Space Committee discussed a proposal to evaluate a potential land swap in the Meadowood area and agreed to participate in a Conservation Commission site visit scheduled for April 1.
"On April 1, the Conservation Commission is going to have a site visit, and we would like OpenSpace members and any of the land use boards to have some input and to see ... what the land looks like before we come up with any plans," said Marjorie, chair of the Open Space Committee.
The discussion described a potential exchange of parcels labelled on committee maps as E and F (roughly 24 acres for parcel E) so that better agricultural soils would remain available for farming and less-suitable land could be considered for different uses, including possible housing or fields. Committee members said parcel E had been chosen historically because of relatively drier soils, access alignment with Newbury Court and Hoskins Road, and adjacency to existing town recreation areas.
Members emphasized that any swap would face procedural steps: parcels with state or federal agricultural grant funding would need re-surveying, state review, and ultimately sign-off by the Connecticut attorney general's office before title or use restrictions could be changed. One staff member noted the town has previously worked with the Trust for Public Land on similar matters.
The Conservation Commission will invite Open Space Committee members to the April 1 site visit; the committee did not take a formal vote on a swap at the meeting and described the effort as exploratory and contingent on soils analysis, surveying, and grant-approval steps. Committee members also raised traffic and safety concerns about access near the County Line Road/Hoskins Road intersection if future development increases vehicle trips.
Committee members recommended that the Conservation Commission and other land-use boards perform field inspections before any formal referrals are made to the Board of Selectmen.
