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Select Board approves purchase of 3.14-acre parcel near Taylor Bray Farm, grants conservation restriction
Summary
At a May 20 special meeting the Yarmouth Select Board voted to buy roughly 3.14 acres adjacent to Taylor Bray Farm for $600,000 and to grant a conservation restriction required to secure a state land grant; staff said the project depends on a $347,000 state grant and documents will be signed and filed.
The Yarmouth Select Board voted May 20 to purchase approximately 3.14 acres off Nottingham Drive (shown as Lot 99 on the plan) for $600,000 and to grant a conservation restriction in favor of the trustees of the Yarmouth Conservation Trust.
Britney, a town staff member who introduced the item, said the parcel lies directly adjacent to Taylor Bray Farm and that the town approved the acquisition at a special town meeting last fall. "It's about 3.14 acres," she said, and told the board the Select Board must take two votes tonight: a certificate of vote to accept the deed and a separate vote to grant and approve the conservation restriction so the parcel qualifies for the town's land grant from the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services.
The motion to purchase—read aloud to include authorization for the chair, Tracy Post, to execute any documents necessary to effectuate the acquisition—was moved and seconded. The board then certified on the record that a majority voted to grant and approve the conservation restriction to the trustees of the Yarmouth Conservation Trust, citing statutory authority in the Mass. General Laws as part of the certification.
Staff and board members confirmed signing logistics. The chair asked members to sign the original documents in the red folder so the town could complete the record; staff noted there were two documents for signing. A town presenter added that the acquisition is contingent on the town receiving a $347,000 land grant and that closing prior to the end of the fiscal year was necessary to preserve eligibility. "This action is contingent upon the town receiving a $347,000 land grant, which we successfully had," the presenter said.
The motions carried by voice vote. Board members and staff thanked conservation staff for their work shepherding the project to this point and said the signed documents will be posted in accordance with town bylaws and state law.
What happens next: town staff will obtain the remaining signature noted at the meeting, file the executed documents, and post the record as required; the conservation restriction will be held by the trustees of the Yarmouth Conservation Trust.
Authorities cited: the board referenced provisions of the Massachusetts General Laws (transcript references to chapter/section related to conservation restrictions and Chapter 44B) as part of the Select Board certification and grant approval.
