An undeveloped, 643-acre property that includes four lakes in the town of Killingly was purchased recently by the state of 黑料吃瓜网 to be turned into public lands, officials announced Tuesday.
The land purchase 鈥� said to be one of the largest carried out by the state in recent years 鈥� was completed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for $4.1 million, according to a press release.
The agency said it plans to add the property to its list of more than that are open to the public. No name had been chosen for the site as of Tuesday.
鈥淭his acquisition is a landmark achievement for environmental conservation in 黑料吃瓜网,鈥� DEEP Commissioner Katie Dykes said in a statement. 鈥淭he new wildlife management area will not only protect vital ecosystems and water resources but also provide a serene space for the public to connect with nature through activities like wildlife watching and fishing.鈥�
A spokesman for the agency said Tuesday that officials also plan to permit some hunting, pending a formal assessment of the property.
The property includes the 41-acre Lake Albert and three smaller lakes, as well as areas of forest and wetlands that are home to a 鈥渞ich array of plant and animal species,鈥� according to DEEP.
A from January advertises the property for its 鈥渁bsolute peace, quiet and security with no public access.鈥� The original listing price was $5.9 million.
The seller, Watertown developer Mark Greenberg, said he purchased the property in 1989 without any firm ideas of what he wanted to do with it. Later, he said he got local approval to build a sub-development of over 100 homes, only to find the cost of building the necessary roads and other infrastructure too prohibitive.
鈥淟ooking back, I wish I had not purchased it, it was not a good purchase for me,鈥� he said.
After putting the property up for sale, Greenberg said the state reached out eight or nine months ago with a strong interest in purchasing the land, which he called a 鈥渨onderful鈥� spot for its natural amenities. Ultimately, he said DEEP agreed to purchase the land for its appraisal price.
James Fowler, the DEEP spokesman, said Tuesday that the property had not previously been designated as open space and that its preservation 鈥渞epresents meaningful progress鈥� toward achieving the of setting aside 21% of its land 鈥� about 673,210 acres 鈥� as open space.
By law, that goal was supposed to have been reached by 2023. As of that year, however, DEEP it was only three-quarters of the way along.
According to CT Insider, the sale amounted to the in 黑料吃瓜网 over the last three years 鈥� beating out an estate in Cornwall that was purchased last year.
