The Blacksburg Town Council voted to accept a set of Brush Mountain parcels and to convey a perpetual open-space easement to the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, a measure staff said preserves natural character while allowing public trails and limited recreational access.

Staff described three parcels the town and New River Land Trust have acquired since about 2018 — McDonald Hollow, Stonecutters Hollow and a third Brush Mountain parcel — and said the town is taking ownership of the town-side parcels while national forest lands remain under U.S. Forest Service jurisdiction. The staff presentation said the town has worked with the Land Trust to acquire more than 770 acres and to build roughly 16 miles of unpaved trail so far, with about 20 miles planned when the work is complete.

Town staff characterized the agreement as a perpetual open-space easement with restrictions to keep the property in a natural state, limit impervious surface and restrict development, while allowing trail construction and public access. The Virginia Outdoors Foundation will retain enforcement rights to ensure the town complies with easement terms, staff said.

Council moved and approved Ordinance 21-07 following the presentation and a brief staff Q&A; no public commenters spoke on this ordinance during the public-hearing period.

Why it matters: The transfer preserves land contiguous with the town trail network and establishes a legal mechanism (a perpetual open-space easement) to limit development and retain long-term public access.

What’s next: Staff indicated the town will continue trail construction, complete boundary surveys and coordinate with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation on easement compliance and management.