PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The state Department of Environmental Management and the The Nature Conservancy have succeeded in placing 245 acres of forestland in Richmond beyond reach of developers.
The land lies off Richmond Townhouse Road, behind the Washington County Fairgrounds, the DEM said Friday in a news release. The property abuts the Conservancy's 180-acre Grass Pond Preserve.
The DEM purchased the property for $1 million from Delbonis Sand and Gravel, with $500,000 provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, $300,000 from The Nature Conservancy, and $200,000 in state open space bonds.
The preservation of the Delbonis property creates a 424-acre conservation area open to the public for recreational activities.
The property had been slated for development as the third phase of Richmond Hills.