Should the City of Warwick raise $15 million through a bond measure in order to purchase 459 acres of open space? 

That's the question that the Warwick Land Trust hopes is on the ballot next November. 

Land Trust member Nathan Cornell said that the trust unanimously endorsed a plan he prepared in September to acquire properties, mostly in Cowesett including the Little Rhody Beagle Club, Valley Country Club, Fisher Property, Met Life Property, Allen Property, and the YMCA & AMCAP. 

The bond would also pay for conservation easements on Canyon 1, farmland near Dawley farm, and the old growth forest bordering the Little Rhody Beagle Club. 

“The rest of the bond would be allocated for conservation easements which would be legal agreements with private property owners to keep their land protected as open space so it can never be developed,” Cornell said in his presentation. 

Cornell explained that since the 1960s “almost all the open space in Warwick has been developed. Apart from Morris Farm and the few farms left in Potowomut, all the farmland has disappeared, and the forest land has been fragmented and much of it destroyed.”

He said that the remaining open space is in the Cowesett area west of route 95 and in the Natick area.

A graduate of Toll Gate and vice chair of the Warwick School Committee, Cornell initiated a drive to identify old growth trees in Warwick that has gained favor with members of the Land Trust and environmentalists. In his pursuit to identify and save old growth trees, Cornell has found several mature American Chestnut trees that arborist Matthew Largess believes could be some of the biggest in the northeast.

Cornell has also been vocal in opposing plans for the development of solar farms at the Little Rhody Beagle Club, Kent County YMCA property and Valley Country Club and supporting a 6-month moratorium on a city solar ordinance recently approved by the City Council.

If the City was to do nothing Cornell said that all of the open space areas not owned by the City would be developed. He said that “the quality of some neighborhoods will go down due to over development and lack of open space for residents to enjoy.”

He also said that “the destruction of the forests found on these open space areas will lead to Warwick becoming less hospitable due to heat levels rising from the destruction of trees.”

Cornell also noted “there will be major issues with animals, such as coyotes, wandering on residential properties because the forests and fields where they lived would be destroyed.”

“As climate change worsens and Rhode Island’s forests continue to fragment and disappear due to development, these open space areas will be contingency land for future forests as needed, and the forestland currently on these properties will serve as important carbon sinks and cool the air in Warwick as global temperatures rise,” Cornell told the Land Trust. “These open space areas could also one day serve as city parks as sea levels rise leading to Goddard Park and City Park eroding away in the next few hundred years.”

Cornell said that a lot of the properties are in “critical threat” of being developed soon which is why they wanted to act now. 

He said that because the City wouldn’t have enough money on its own to purchase it and because the Land Trust has very little money they thought the best option would be to put it up for a vote on the ballot. He said that they looked into applying for  funding from the state but it wouldn’t be nearly enough to purchase all the properties even if they received any.

Land Trust Chair Leslie Derrig who has been on the Land Trust for 12 years said on Wednesday that any time they try to preserve land or forests they are faced with obstacles in order to get funding saying that “Its been awful trying to get money.”

“This is our only chance to preserve these properties,” Cornell said. 

Derrig pointed out that Warwick wouldn’t be the only community in the state to go after funding through a bond measure, saying that it is common.

Mayor Frank Picozzi on Tuesday said he is worried about purchasing the land without a proposal on what it's going to be used for because of the revenue the City would lose from taxes and because of the added expenses and manpower of maintaining it. 

“You have to be careful buying parcels of land that are open space, you take them off the tax roll so you lose revenue,” Picozzi said. 

He also said he would want any acquisition of land to be beneficial to all residents and not just those whose neighborhoods next to or near the parcels. 

“We can’t just buy land where people don’t want anything developed; it doesn't benefit the whole rest of the city,” Picozzi said. 

Cornell said that in order to get the bond measure on the ballot it would have to be approved by the City Council. He said that he thinks the community will rally behind the idea. 

“I think there will be a lot of community support for it,” Cornell said. 

Derrig said that they are going for step two which will be to talk to more city councilors.

The Land Trust recently spoke to Ward 9 City Councilman Vincent Gebhart about the proposal. He said that while he is open to the idea, he wants to see more details before making a decision.

“I'm all for conservation of open and forested space.  That said, we need to align our priorities and vision for the future,” Gebhart said. “We need to invest in our infrastructure, especially high schools, water, and sewer and doing that is likely going to require bond funding as well.  We need a firm grasp of what our financing options are and from there could prioritize open parcels that are available for purchase and whose acquisition deliver a high value to residents.”

Ward 2 City Councilman Jeremy Rix said Wednesday “I have only recently heard of the proposal and am looking into getting more information.”

Council President Steve McAllister also noted on Wednesday the Land Trust hasn’t approached him yet about the proposal.