[Update] Farmington Officials Consider Purchasing Mountain Road Land

The Town of Farmington is considering purchasing part of a Mountain Road property as a way to connect public open space in the area and the Hill-Stead Museum, according to Town Council agenda materials.

The council voted unanimously at its meeting Tuesday night to refer the land acquisition prospect to the Planning and Zoning Commission to survey the land. In June, the council will discuss the commission's report and vote on whether to purchase the 70 Mountain Road property.

The few residents that commented on the proposal in a public hearing at the meeting were in support of the town acquiring the land.

The 70 Mountain Road property is nearly 15.5 acres and the town is looking at purchasing about 12.4 acres of it, which would leave about 3 acres to the current owner. The estimated purchase price of that piece of land is about $310,000, but a property survey needs to be conducted before settling on a "final sale price," according to the meeting materials.

In addition to linking "town-owned open space" south of the property and the "Hill-Stead Museum to the north," it would also create "an opportunity to relocate the New England National Scenic Trail (formally the Metacomet Trail) off of Poplar Road, where it is currently located," according to staff notes in the meeting materials.

"This property was officially added to the Town’s Land Acquisition List in 2003, although the possible relocation of the trail through this property had been considered for many years prior to that," town officials said in the council's agenda material notes.

After the public hearing concludes, the Town Council is scheduled to vote on whether to recommend the purchase to the Farmington Planning and Zoning Commission to review.

The Planning and Zoning Commission will submit a report of the property survey to the Town Council for its June 11 meeting. The Town Council will then need to vote on "whether or not to authorize" the land acquisition.