NORTHAMPTON - Make that two farms.

Northampton officials advanced a plan Wednesday to buy not only the Bean family farm off Spring Street, but the abutting - and much bigger - Allard Farm.

If successful, the combined properties would enable the city to meet "far more, if not all, of the recreation, conservation and agriculture goals that we have heard at the public forums," Wayne Feiden, director of the Office of Planning and Development, wrote in an email to the City Council and other city officials and board members.

While the public has been debating what to do with the Bean property for months, Feiden and other city officials have been working behind the scenes on a plan to acquire the 140-acre Allard Farm. The farm is owned by the South Deerfield-based Allard's Farms Inc., whose principal owner is Wayne Goulet of Hadley.

City officials announced Wednesday they are working in partnership with the Trust for Public Land to buy and preserve the farm. Allard Farm property falls on both sides of Meadow Street and on the east side of the Mill River west of Florence center. The land abuts the Bean Farm.

Use of CPC money

The city's Agriculture, Conservation and Recreation commissions have jointly applied to the Community Preservation Committee seeking money to preserve both farms at the same time. The commissions are asking for $990,000, or 40 percent of an estimated $2.475 million needed to buy a combined 185 acres of land.

The remainder of the money would come from a combinations of grants and other fundraising.

The CPC was expected to discuss the request at its meeting Wednesday night. Feiden will brief the City Council about the plans at its meeting tonight.

The Trust for Public Land is taking the lead on the Allard Farm purchase. The city has already worked out an agreement with the Bean family to buy 45 acres of their farm for $910,000. That agreement is still in the works and the council tonight will be asked for permission to move ahead with plans to buy the Bean property, or alternately, to buy development rights to the land.

Hurdles remain

Still, even if that permission is granted, the project has hoops to jump through, namely gaining approval from the Community Preservation Committee for its grant request, and then another stamp of approval from the City Council.

In its application to the CPC, the commissions said this opportunity may never come up again. They claim the two parcels are worth far more for agriculture, conservation, recreation and historic preservation than they would be separately.

"Like any complex deal, there are still chances that the Bean or Allard farm deals could unravel and there are many details to be worked out with ... but I think this is a win-win," Feiden wrote.

If one of the deals falls through, the commissions have indicated they would still move forward with plans to buy the other.

In their application, the commissions said that if the land is not preserved, it is "extremely likely" that it will be divided into a subdivision or a series of "spaghetti" lots extending from Spring and Meadow streets to the agricultural fields.

The Trust for Public Land is land conservation organization with an office in Amherst that conserves land for people to enjoy as parks, community gardens, historic sites, rural lands, and other natural places.

The council meeting begins at 7:15 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Puchalski Municipal Building.

The session starts with a public comment period, followed by the regular meeting at 7:30.