Sheltering Palms asks town to release conservation easement; council orders inventory and site inspections before considering sale

Sheltering Palms' representative, Tony Flaim, told the Town Council on July 1 that the foundation acquired a property in foreclosure and later discovered a conservation easement on the parcel. The organization requested the town consider removing the easement in exchange for payment and proposed $150,000 as a starting point for discussion.

Council members said they understood the nonprofit’s position but declined to consider a unilateral release without town-wide context. Several council members asked staff for a full inventory and status report of all conservation easements the town holds (staff noted 12 other easements identified by the county) and requested visual inspections of each parcel before setting policy or accepting any payment. Council members noted that treating one easement differently could create an unfavorable precedent and asked for more information about whether easements carry tax implications or were subject to mitigation conditions.

Staff agreed to email council a map with hyperlinks to the easement instruments, perform site visits to assess current conditions and, where appropriate, describe potential mitigation or replacement options (such as tree replanting or directed mitigation funds). Council said it would prefer a consistent policy and asked staff to return with the inspections and options for any potential use of acquisition, mitigation, or replanting funds before discussing a sale or release.