Ann Arbor Greenbelt acreage up 15% since January

The Ann Arbor Greenbelt is growing bigger around the collar, with over 3,200 acres ringing the city's periphery. That total is up from 2,802 acres as of last January, says Ginny Trocchio, Ann Arbor Greenbelt program manager. Since then, the Greenbelt has closed the acquisition of development rights on three parcels of farmland, adding to the stable of acreage now under protection.

The city holds a conservation easement on the properties, Trocchio explains, but the land holder maintains ownership. "Our easement prohibits land division so you can't subdivide the property, you can't build any additional residential houses, and it protects the farmland soil and the woodlands that are on the properties."

The newest acquisitions are in Salem and Northfield Townships. The 212-acre Geiger property in Salem Township cost $1,241,722. A grant from the U.S.D.A. Farm and Ranchland Protection Program provided $603,925 of the cost, with the city of Ann Arbor paying the balance.

The Maulbetsch property, also in Salem Township, is 125 acres. It cost $725,000, with a U.S.D.A. grant covering $282,750 and the city funding the rest.

The city also paid $536,000 for the 115-acre Geiger parcel in Northfield Township, valued at $667,000. The $131,000 difference is a donation by the landowner.

"One of our priorities is putting together 1,000-acre blocks of property," Trocchio says. Webster and Ann Arbor Townships each have over 1,000 acres under protection. "We've had partnerships on every single deal to leverage the city dollars, so on average over the last six years of acquisitions it's roughly 50 percent. For every dollar the city has put in, another dollar has come from...local partnerships like the townships or the county, landowner donations, or the farm and ranch protection program grant."

A bus tour of the Greenbelt will be held this Saturday, October 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Register here.

Source: Ginny Trocchio, Ann Arbor Greenbelt program manager
Writer: Tanya Muzumdar