Just before Christmas, the remaining 54 acres of undeveloped land owned by the Rockefeller family went on the market for $21,500,000. That is a good-sized parcel of land at a relatively attractive price. We imagine this has caught the eye of a developer or two. It has also caught the eye of First Selectman Fred Camillo and the Greenwich Land Trust (GLT).
The 54 acres are the last remaining large parcel of the more than 600 acres of land originally purchased by William G. Rockefeller at about the time the railroad first came to town. Over time parts of the original property were developed into neighborhoods such as Deer Park, Rockwood Ridge and Sherwood Lane. What will happen to this remaining acreage remains to be seen, but we have some thoughts.
Mark Twain famously said: “Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.” That is exactly what should happen. The town of Greenwich and the Greenwich Land Trust (GLT) should purchase the property to preserve the open space and for the benefit of the residents of Greenwich. While the property could be developed into residential housing, it also has wetlands, rock outcroppings and other archeological features that can make development a challenge.
Think of the possibilities; walking trails, community opportunities, open space, bird and nature watching. Your imagination is the limit. We would not normally advocate the town purchasing the property, but there is precedent, a very successful precedent. The Treetops precedent.
Treetops is the former home of legendary singer Libby Holman. It encompasses 110 acres straddling the Greenwich/Stamford boarder. In 2000, the property was going to be sold and turned into a large residential development. Greenwich and Stamford, and their respective land trusts, worked diligently and quickly to come up with a plan for each town to purchase their portion of the property and maintain it as open space. They worked with Congressman Christopher Shays’ office seeking and receiving federal support. In the end, the town of Greenwich and the GLT paid $3.5 million for 70 acres. (Land was cheaper than because we had more of it.)
Now, 23 years later, we should pull out the Treetops playbook and do it all over again. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it feels right too. The Rockefeller family has long been associated with philanthropy and conservation. Not only can we all point to Acadia National Park, Grand Teton and Yosemite National Parks, to name just a few, but countless 1,000s of acres around the country the Rockefellers have conserved. In fact, James S. Rockefeller, the last owner of the Greenwich property had a winter home called Long Valley Farm in North Carolina. After his death it was given to the Nature Conservancy. Today it is part of the Carvers Creek State Park.
Conserving the Greenwich property would follow along the types of philanthropy the Rockefeller family is so well Known for. We understand that the profits from the sale of the property is to be divided by roughly 100 Rockefeller decedents. Working with that many people can be challenging. Perhaps there is a way to work with the trustees of Mr. Rockefeller’s estate to allow the town and GLT time to study the feasibility of acquiring the property.
If that is possible than all things are possible. Greenwich has demonstrated over and over again the importance of conserving open space. The GLT permanently protects and cares for more than 848 acres of woodland, marshland, orchards, and meadows throughout Greenwich. The town of Greenwich owns and maintains many parks and woodland throughout town as well. Together they are the perfect partners to manage this property for all to enjoy.
As far as the money goes, in 2000, as part of the deal to acquire the Treetops property Greenwich and Stamford had 100 days to raise $5 million, and they did it! A public private partnership would be the ideal way to purchase the Rockefeller land. We just hope we can get more than 100 days to make that happen.
