The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Milton OKs $3.8M for 109 acres of greenspace
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The city of Milton is spend- ing big to acquire more green- space.
Last week at a City Council meeting, the city approved a contract to purchase 109.59 acres of greenspace from Wolff Investments L.P. for about $3.84 million. Approving the contract does not guarantee the purchase, though, as there is now a 90-day due diligence period for the city to complete, allowing it to survey the land and gather environmental details.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re locked in,” Mayor Joe Lock- wood said at the council meeting. “We have some things that have to be worked through and confirmed. This is the first stage . ... Overall, I think this is a great thing.”
The property is made up of four parcels of varying size along Lackey and Sweetapple roads in the southwest portion of the city. The price breaks down to about $35,000 per acre.
The property includes 6,000 feet of Little River’s stream tributary and a 2.5-acre pond. Threatened and endan- gered species that live on the property include the Cherokee darter fish and Michaux’s sumac plant. It is also a migratory bird path for five differ- ent species.
“This property has some existing soft-surface trails that could be utilized,” city spokes- person Shannon Ferguson said. “Any long-term planning decisions for newly acquired parks and greenspace would be decided in the future.”
If the sale is completed, it will be paid for using Milton’s greenspace bond funds.
The property was recommended by the Milton Greenspace Advisory Committee, a citizen-led panel created by the city in 2017 to help facilitate the property evaluation process for the 2016 citizen-approved $25 million greenspace bond referendum. This is Milton’s second purchase under the greenspace bond program, and it now has acquired a total of 249.38 acres of greenspace.