NORTHAMPTON — Some $1.23 million in Community Preservation Act money approved by the City Council last week will go toward 11 projects, including affordable housing downtown and in Leeds, outdoor recreation and improvements to the Northampton Community Music Center.

The largest single appropriation totals $300,000 for the Northampton Conservation Commission and Office of Planning and Sustainability to acquire 229 acres of land for the Saw Mill Hills Conservation Area.

“This is filling in the largest gap in the Saw Mill Hills that currently exists,” said Sarah LaValley, who serves as the assistant director with land acquisition and conservation with the city’s Office of Planning & Sustainability. “We now have an opportunity to protect this critical parcel forever.”

The area consists of roughly 2,200 acres and extends north-south from Roberts Hill to Ryan Road and east-west from Spring Street to Sylvester Road. It serves as a popular location for recreational activities throughout the year, such as bird watching, cross-country skiing and mountain biking.

The land the city is buying from Barbara Pomeroy is located within part of that area and is privately-owned, putting it at risk for development and loss of public access, LaValley said. The deal is expected to close in March, according to LaValley.

Another significant portion of CPA funds is a $220,000 appropriation for structural rehabilitation of the Northampton Community Music Center. According to a recommendation from the Community Preservation Committee, the money will be used for exterior work such as masonry, replacement doors and windows and porch reconstruction at the center’s South Street location.

The City Council also approved funds for planned affordable housing projects in the city. Some $60,000 will be used for design work for an affordable housing project on Crafts Avenue downtown. The project is still in a preliminary stage, and the funds are matched by an additional $921,000 grant from the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Program.

Additional CPA money for affordable housing includes $25,000 for preliminary designs for a project on Evergreen Road in Leeds, and $50,000 for the city’s affordable housing fund.

CPA funds are generated through a surcharge on property tax bills that are matched by a state contribution. Eleven separate appropriations were made this year by the city.

Other projects with appropriated CPA funds are:

■$183,000 for structural repairs for the Smith Charities Building on Main Street.

■$180,000 to go toward the Victoria Bismarck Farm project, a set of three affordable houses located on Burts Pit Road.

■$62,168 for electrical upgrade for the Daughters of the American Revolution’s Betty Allen Chapter house, located on South Street.

■$60,000 for the Rocky Hill Greenway trail, with an additional $40,000 to go toward the CT River Greenway trail.

■$50,000 to go toward the state’s general conservation fund.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.

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