Wintonbury Land Trust recently acquired a hardwood forest adjacent to the Wintonbury Hills golf course. This undeveloped property was originally subdivided for homes and sat idle for years due to access issues. This land includes a pinnacle 140 feet above the town center, within the rolling golf course terrain, offering spectacular views of Reservoir #3 to the east and Penwood State Park on Metacomet ridge to the west.
We received two parcels totaling 7.2 acres in 2018 as a donation, and the Town of Bloomfield received a third parcel. The Land Trust is negotiating for donation of a fourth parcel in 2019. Together these parcels will total 14.4 acres of hardwood uplands bordered by the golf course on two sides and a State of CT parcel on another.
We plan to develop a neighborhood trail system that will bring walkers to the viewscape, then eastward down to Reservoir #3 and south to the reservoir dam, at which point the trail can extend both east and west to link other nearby neighborhoods.
January 2021 Update:
In the Fall of 2020 the Land Trust received the fourth and final land donation from Hannah Roditi and Marc Caplan to complete the Beacon Hill Preserve. The official donation process began in 2018 when Nelly Schwan and John Cosker each gave their 3.5 acre plots to the Land Trust and the Town of Bloomfield received a third 3.5 acre parcel from the Vincent Family.
Discussions first began over 8 years ago with one of the property owners! It eventually included negotiations with the four property owners, the Town, and adjoining property and easement holders including the Wintonbury Hills Golf Course, Eversource, and State Department of Energy & Environmental Protection.
We thank the WLT Acquisitions Committee for their patience, persistence, creativity, and vision in bringing this complicated donation to fruition. And we extend our deep gratitude to the families who decided to donate these parcels and preserve this beautiful open space for all to enjoy.
