Hornback Farm Added to Ann Arbor Greenbelt

The Hornback farm in Salem Township has been added to the land protected by Ann Arbor’s greenbelt program. The city council approved $199,367 from the city’s open space and parkland preservation millage for the purchase of development rights on the property at its Oct. 1, 2012 meeting. The roughly 73-acre farm is located on Pontiac Trail and Brookville Road.

The appraised value of the property was $321,000, but the landowner made a 10% donation of $32,100, leaving a purchase price of $288,900. Of that, the city of Ann Arbor’s share was $160,500 after contributions from Salem Township and Washtenaw County of $64,200 apiece. The city incurred due diligence costs ($10,000), closing costs ($5,000) and made a contribution to the greenbelt endowment ($23,867) that brought the city’s share to $199,367.

The city’s 30-year 0.5 mill greenbelt tax was established by a voter referendum in 2003 for the purpose of “funding the acquisition of land for parks and the acquisition and management of land and land rights in undeveloped and developed land both within and outside the City of Ann Arbor for the purpose of preserving and protecting open space, natural habitats and the City’s Source-waters.”

This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron. A more detailed report will follow: [link]