Needham commission backs $800,000 plan to buy 10 acres adjacent to Ridge Hill

The Needham Conservation Commission voted Feb. 26 to recommend that town meeting approve purchasing about 10 acres on Cartwright Road to add to the Ridge Hill Reservation, endorsing the purchase-and-sale agreement the select board signed earlier this week.

Town Manager Katie King told commissioners the select board had executed a purchase-and-sale agreement to acquire an approximately 10-acre parcel for $800,000. ‘‘Of the $800,000, $500,000 is to be spent based on your approval of using the conservation fund,’’ King said, and the town will seek the remaining $300,000 from the Community Preservation Committee for Community Preservation Act funds and place a warrant article on the town meeting agenda.

The town manager outlined the remaining steps: Conservation Commission approval of fund use, CPC review on March 4, a town meeting appropriation vote if CPC recommends funding, and a planning-board filing to split the parcel so the seller retains 2 acres with road frontage while the town acquires the back 10 acres. King said the acquisition would place the land under the conservation commission’s control if town meeting approves the purchase.

Commissioners praised staff and town leadership for expediting the acquisition. After Chair Dave Harrer read the formal motion, the commission voted to make the narrow advertising determination that public advertising ‘‘will not benefit the town’s interest’’ because of the property’s unique qualities and adjacency to Ridge Hill. The panel then unanimously voted to authorize up to $500,000 from the conservation fund for the purchase and to recommend a town-meeting article to appropriate the balance.

If town meeting approves the CPC recommendation and appropriates funds, the planning-board action to split the parcel and the conservation commission’s stewardship would follow as administrative steps.