BRUNSWICK — The town council voted 5-3 Monday to start negotiations to purchase 144 acres at the former Brunswick Naval Air Station.
The town hopes the land will be used for conservation and limited recreation, such as hiking and biking, though some, including Brunswick Housing Authority Executive Director John Hodge, would like to see some of the land used for housing.
Councilor Kathy Wilson, however, argued the parcel was too far from town services to be a good spot for an affordable housing development.
Councilor Dan Ankeles, who argued in favor of conservation, said it would cost the town about $35,000 to purchase the property.
“For $35,000, I think we’d be nuts not to do conservation here,” said Councilor Steve Walker. “We have a great opportunity here to restore our town commons, to restore some good habitat, to maintain linkages for pedestrians and bikers. I mean come on, there’s got to be other places where we could find 30 or 40 acres to do housing closer to town than this parcel.”
The town commons is a 71-acre wooded park with trails and picnic areas along Harpswell Road. The 144-acre parcel at Brunswick Landing was once part of the town commons before the Navy acquired it at the start of World War II.
Councilors David Watson, Chris Watkinson and Dan Jenkins opposed the vote.
According to Steven Levesque, director of the authority charged with redeveloping the former base, about one-third of the parcel can be developed. The parcel in question consists of 144 acres between Harpswell Road and Brunswick Executive Airport at Brunswick Landing.
The parcel was part of 275 acres given to Bowdoin College for educational purposes in 2006. It includes a cranberry wetland, a radar tower, abandoned military bunkers, airport access roads and a quarry.
Earlier this year, the college gave more than half of the land back to the Navy, which in turn gave it back to the redevelopment authority.
The redevelopment authority was working on a plan that would see about 45 acres developed with a mix of housing including single-family homes, workforce, senior and transitional housing.
The rest of the land would have been given to the town for conservation and recreation, Levesque said Monday.
Leveque said the redevelopment authority is not opposed to allowing the town to acquire the entire parcel.
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