Parks board asks real estate committee to consider buying 112 Amber Road to protect Hoppers Birch Pond

The parks board urged the city’s real estate committee to examine buying 112 Amber Road to protect Hoppers Birch Pond and to provide space for future programming or maintenance. Parks board representative (Speaker 6) said the property is adjacent to the preserve and the board unanimously supports pursuing acquisition to prevent further development.

"There's interest in making sure it's not developed further," the Parks board representative said. "In this year's capital improvement budget request, we are looking for funding to support development on the Hoppers Bridge Pond." The representative told the committee the parks board has included the site in its land-acquisition strategy.

Staff summarized ownership and recent sales history: the parcel was described in the referral as owned by Utica Amaro, who paid $320,000 in April 2024. Committee members asked about the assessor’s valuation and market status; staff said the parcel is currently off the market. The parks representative and staff flagged safety and access issues at the pond, citing a dam inspection that described the dam’s condition as poor.

Chair (Speaker 1) said he would take several weeks to review budget implications and asked staff to prepare background materials. The committee then voted to request an 8-24 referral and to revisit the item at the next meeting.

The committee did not authorize an expenditure at the meeting; it asked for an informational report and for staff to provide budget analysis and market information ahead of the next meeting.