Select Board contemplates a $650,000 conservation question

Should the town of Grafton buy 12.4 acres on Pleasant Street or allow its current owners to sell it for real estate development?

The parcel at 59 Pleasant Street, now owned by Joseph, Walter, and Gary Wasiuk, falls under Chapter 61A, which offers preferential tax treatment for agricultural land. In return, the town is offered the right of first refusal if the land is offered for sale.

The Wasiluk family has a $650,000 offer for the land by a residential home developer, which the town would have to match if it is acquired.

During a public hearing before the Select Board Tuesday, neighbors urged the town to buy the property, citing its location near conservation land, use of the land for recreational purposes, and traffic on the street.

The unnamed buyers, however, had another proposal: if the town refuses the purchase, 6.5 acres abutting the conservation land would be donated for conservation purposes, leaving the property directly off Pleasant Street open for development.

The Select Board will make its decision on Feb. 2.