Council Considers Accepting Open Space on Huckleberry Hill Road

The Avon Town Council is scheduled to hold a hearing Thursday night on whether to accept open space gifted as part of a three-lot subdivision being built along Huckleberry Hill Road.

The Planning and Zoning Commission required Lovely Development, Inc. to deed some open space to the town as a condition for approval of its 140 Huckleberry Hill Road subdivision, according to town officials. That is in lieu of contributing to the town's open space fund, which is used for purchasing other open space in town.

The half-an-acre of open space is at 116 Huckleberry Hill Rd. A map for the subdivision that was last updated in January was submitted to the council for review.

At its February meeting, Councilwoman Pamela Samul said that it "adds on to additional space that the town already owns," as stated in the meeting draft minutes.

Councilman Douglas Evans acknowleged the "policy to ask developers to give open space in connection with subdivision approvals," but he questioned whether the town should do so if there is no use in mind for the space becaus "it takes it off the tax payroll," according to the draft minutes for the February meeting.

Town Manager Brandon Robertson said that the town has to be careful in some cases about accepting open space property "in the middle of nowhere" that the town has no use for and that could become "a liability."