Title
Resolution to Approve Participation in the Purchase of a Conservation Easement on the Kempf L. Property in Northfield Township, Approve a Participation Agreement with Northfield Township and Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission, and Appropriate $50,400.00 (8 Votes Required)
Memorandum
This resolution approves a participation agreement with Northfield Township and Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission for the purchase of a conservation easement on approximately 38 acres of property owned by the Kempf family in Northfield Township. The resolution also appropriates $50,400.00 (20% of purchase price) from Open Space and Parkland Preservation Millage proceeds for the purchase.
The landowners applied to the City of Ann Arbor Greenbelt Program in 2023, which staff forwarded as a courtesy to Northfield Township's new Purchase of Development Rights Program, and the Township became the lead agency in the negotiations with the landowners. The Township commissioned an appraisal, with a value date of September 15, 2025, that determined the fair market value of a conservation easement on the property to be $252,000.00. The Township is the lead agency and will be the holder of the conservation easement. The Township also was awarded a USDA-NRCS ACEP-ALE grant to assist with the purchase price. In addition to the acquisition costs below, the Township will cover due diligence and closing costs.
Kempf L. Property, Northfield Township
The Kempf L. property is approximately 40 acres and is on Nollar Road in Northfield Township. It is nearly adjacent to the Greenbelt's Honke and Buesser easements and generally located amidst a respectable concentration of other protected land. Commodity crops are currently grown on the land's loam-type soils. Within the woodlot are two small wetlands. The conservation easement will cover approximately 38 acres of the 40-acre property, which excludes the existing building site.
The property scored a percentile rank ...
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