The agricultural land behind the post office on Loudon Road in Concord will continue to be used for farming, if the city council agrees with a committee recommendation made Thursday.
Its future use came into question when the farmer who works the land informed the city that he planned to break his lease and abandon the Gully Hill property.
Recommendations for the land ranged broadly in terms of what level of public visitation they would invite, from ballfields to a conservation easement that would “limit public events on the property to a total of 10 days per season so long as they don’t conflict with the agricultural uses and don’t impact the natural resources,” according to meeting minutes.
The Gully Hill Conservation Easement Committee decided that the city should issue a request for proposals for three-year agricultural uses, said Councilor Candace Bouchard.
The committee didn’t recommend putting a conservation easement on the land, she said, leaving open the possibility that its use could change in the future.
Bouchard said she expects the recommendation to go before the full city council for approval on Feb. 13.
Neither Bouchard nor City Planner Heather Shank knew exactly how long the process would take before a new farmer could move in, but each person said they assumed it would be relatively quick.
“They’ve done this before,” Bouchard said, “so it’s not like starting over.”
The lease would be renewable, unless either party opts out, she said.
The committee, which is made up of five city councilors, unanimously agreed on the recommendation.
(Nick Reid can be reached at 369-3325, nreid@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @NickBReid.)