The land around the access road to the ‘River S’ unit of the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge has been purchased by the City of Ridgefield for a new city park.
The property is located on Hillhurst Road at the northerly end of the Taverner Ridge development and includes roughly seven acres of gently sloping land with an additional 13 acres of forested green space.
The City worked with the owners of the Taverner Ridge development over the last several months to negotiate the terms of the sale. The purchase agreement calls for the City to complete an environmental review of the property and obtain an updated appraisal prior to finalizing the purchase.
Ridgefield Mayor Ron Onslow commented on the enthusiastic support of the City Council for this acquisition: “We are excited to be able to secure this readily accessible park site in an area currently under-served by City parks. Being able to preserve access to Lake River and the forested slope leading down to Lake River was a bonus.”
Paul DeBoni, representing the seller added: “We are pleased to have the City purchase this parcel. The addition of a City park on the site will be a real asset for the nearby development and the community.”
The purchase price of the park site is $400,000 and will be paid for out of City Park Impact Fees received from developers over the past several years. The City does not currently have plans to develop the park. Initial planning for future development of a park on the site could proceed in the next year or so subject to available funding.
