It seems that if this land was developable, it would have happened already. Further, the owner could sell it on the market for a premium. When we have so many other Town properties that are under-maintained or not maintained at all, why should taxpayers bear another expenditure, which potentially adds annual expenses to the budget. Until the Town is fiscally able to properly maintain all Town properties, including open spaces, acquisitions must be carefully considered.
If we choose to do nothing, it seems unlikely that the current state of either parcel would change. Conversely, acquiring the land presents a whole set of potential downside risks, including environmental remediation. Hypothetically, even if the owner was to donate the property to the Town with some type of conservation restriction in perpetuity, any environmental remediation would need to be stipulated.
