The Ann Arbor City Council is expected to vote tonightMonday on whether to use $625,000 from the city's greenbelt program to help buy 140 acres of open space in Superior Township.

If the council approves the deal recommended by Ann Arbor's Greenbelt Advisory Commission, it will be the second time the city and Washtenaw County have collaborated on a natural-area preservation purchase.

The total cost is $1,320,500. The county Board of Commissioners has already approved spending more than $650,000 from the county's Natural Areas Preservation Program. Like the city's greenbelt initiative, that program is funded with money from a dedicated, voter-approved tax.

The acreage includes two parcels along either side of Prospect Road at the intersection of Vreeland Road.

The 55-acre property on the east side of Prospect includes a wet area, woodland and open fields under agricultural production. A ridgeline on that parcel separates the Rouge River and Huron River watersheds, said Tom Freeman, assistant director of the county's parks and recreation department. There's also a stream.

The 84-acre parcel on west side of the road includes land currently in agricultural use, a large body of open water and a "spectacular" woodlot with hickory and oak, Freeman said.

That property is located across from already protected land known as LeFurge Woods Preserve. LeFurge Woods is owned by the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy. Washtenaw County's Natural Areas Preservation Program owns a conservation easement on 64 acres.

The Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy's "Conservancy Farm" property on Vreeland also is nearby.

"It's terrific property adjacent to existing protected property," Freeman said.

It became available after the housing market weakened: The seller is Biltmore Homes.

"Everybody's happy about the price, except the owner," Freeman said.

A 2007 appraisal performed for the county Natural Areas Preservation Program put fair market value at more than $12,000 an acre, Freeman said. The seller had asked for more than that.

But a new appraisal reflected the drop in demand for housing and buildable land.
The sale price of $9,500 an acre reflects the best available fair market appraisal, Freeman said.

It also compares well with the average $10,000 an acre paid in the first six years of the county program. That average includes lower-priced land on the western side of the county and higher-priced properties in the northeast corner, Freeman said.

Under the proposal, the city will contribute up to $4,500 an acre.

Superior Land Conservancy, a unit of the Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, will provide $10,000. Superior Township is contributing $1,000, Freeman said.

"It's not a large amount, but they don't have a special land-preservation fund or millage," Freeman said. "We're pleased to have four different groups participating at any level. That's a first."

As the lead agency in the acquisition, the county Natural Areas Preservation Program assumes responsibility for managing the property. Where other open-space preservation programs sometimes buy development rights, the county program acquires land that will be acccessible to the public.