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courtesy of the Northampton Planning Department

The city is eyeing this 47-acre parcel, part of the Bean Farm off Spring Street, for purchase and is considering using some of it for recreational fields.

NORTHAMPTON - The much-discussed Bean Farm stays in the spotlight tonight as the City Council takes up a recommendation from three city commissions to buy the property near downtown Florence as soon as possible - and then figure out what to do with it.

Wayne Feiden, director of the Office of Planning and Development, said Wednesday that he is optimistic a deal will be struck with the family in time for tonight's meeting.

The Recreation Commission, Agriculture Commission and Conservation Commission are co-sponsoring a resolution in which the council would authorize the purchase of 47 acres of the 61-acre farm off Spring Street. The entire property has been on the market for two years.

While the city declines to discuss specific offers it has made to the Bean family, those offers have been "substantially less" than the $2.5 million asking price, said Feiden. The city would seek Community Preservation Act money to buy the project.

The meeting begins at 7:15 with public comment in the Council Chambers of the Puchalski Municipal Building. It is followed immediately by a Finance Committee meeting, after which the regular session resumes.

The council tonight will also consider a pair of orders related to Village Hill Northampton. One would authorize Mayor Clare Higgins to accept deeds and easements for future development of a multi-use trail through the development's north campus.

Plans call for connecting the Manhan Rail Trail on the development's south campus to a Smith College-owned sidewalk on the north campus. The trail would eventually connect to an existing bike path in Village Hill's north campus.

The other would give the Conservation Commission authorization to acquire undeveloped land that would serve as a buffer to the north of the north campus. The city is negotiating to buy the undeveloped land for permanently protected open space.

The Bean farm, located on both sides of Spring Street about a quarter-mile north of Meadow Street, has been in the Bean family for more than 100 years and is farmed today primarily for hay. The 47 acres the city wants to buy is primarily farmland located on the east side of Spring Street, adjacent to the Allard Farm. The other 14 acres on the west side of Spring includes woods and a farmhouse and could not be used for recreation or agriculture.

Opinions vary over the farm's eventual use, with agriculturalists who want to see the land kept for farming and recreationalists who envision a multi-use sports complex. Land for both interests is in short supply in the city.

The Office of Planning and Development twice last week outlined three scenarios for future use of the land: keep it entirely agricultural, use it all for playing fields, or divide it up for both uses.

A public forum on the future use of the land will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 7 at JFK Middle School on Bridge Road.

Chad Cain can be reached at ccain@gazettenet.com.