Canton Land Trust: 'No Formal Offer of Property Was Ever Made to the Trust' Regarding Satan's Kingdom

From Canton Land Conservation Trust (CLCT):

Check out CLCT’s response to the Satan’s Kingdom Project:

The Land Trust and Satan’s Kingdom

During last month’s Canton Planning and Zoning Commission public hearing concerning the proposal to rezone acreage near Satan’s Kingdom and the Farmington River for the purpose of developing the site as an industrial park, misconceptions arose with regard to a relationship between the developer, Satan’s Kingdom LLC, and the Canton Land Conservation Trust.

It seems that some Canton residents left the meeting under the impression the Land Trust had “made a deal” with the developer, Allan Borghesi, and that the Trust had agreed to accept an offer of eight acres of open space if his zone change application were granted. The explanation that follows should demonstrate that such an impression is not accurate.

During the summer, a member of the Land Trust Board attended a meeting that included Mr. Borghesi, members of the New Hartford Land Trust Board of Directors, and several Mohawk Drive property owners. At this meeting, Mr. Borghesi discussed the possibility of both land trusts accepting open space or conservation easements as part of his plan for the property.

A week prior to the public hearing, Mr. Borghesi called the co-presidents of the Canton Land Trust and asked that we send him a letter stating that we would accept the land if it were offered to us. Mr. Borghesi was told at that time that the Land Trust has a process by which open space is accepted. We did send him a letter, a common courtesy extended to anyone who might express an interest in donating property to the Trust.

This letter summarized some of the steps that the Land Trust takes when considering acceptance of land. Furthermore, the letter explained that the Land Trust requires a more formal offer of land and that a phone call is not sufficient for discussion at a Board of Directors meeting where final acceptance of property is voted upon by the Trust Directors. It should be noted that no formal offer of property was ever made to the Trust, and therefore, no discussion concerning any acceptance of property ever took place at a Board of Directors’ meeting.

Continuing questions or concerns regarding this issue may be adressed to the Land Trust Co-Presidents, Christian Winkler and Jay Kaplan.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons

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