Land Bank buys Aquinnah beach, Chilmark field
By Nelson Sigelman - December 21, 2006
The Martha's Vineyard Land Bank this week added an Aquinnah beachfront property and a Chilmark field to its inventory of Island properties that are available for public enjoyment.
On Tuesday the public conservation organization announced the purchase of an eight-acre piece of property on Moshup Trail in Aquinnah within short walking distance of its popular Moshup Beach. The purchase provides 400 feet of beach. The seller was Joan Higbee and the purchase price was $2,250,000.
James Lengyel, Land Bank executive director, said the land included an ocean view building site and land on both sides of the road. "The Land Bank's acquisition, therefore, also advanced the town's goal of keeping Moshup Trail as wild as possible," said Mr. Lengyel in a press release. "In addition, Ms. Higbee's land also included a conservation commission permit for a beach trail.
The Land Bank also bought a Chilmark field from Daniel Leventritt. Photo by Ralph Stewart
Preliminary management plans call for the creation of a trail from the road to the beach.
There would be no parking along the road or on the property. Visitors would continue to use the town-owned parking lot at the head of Moshup Trail by the Gay Head Cliffs, the Island's only municipal parking lot for which there is a parking fee.
The second purchase announced this week was a Chilmark field visible from South Road described by Mr. Lengyel as "a collar of open land that has long surrounded a historic house on the South Road."
The purchase price was $875,000 and the seller was Daniel Leventritt.
The parcel above is the latest Land Bank acquisition.
According to a press release, preliminary management goals for the new property, named Blue Barque Preserve to honor the original name of the house located there, call for it to be maintained "as an attractive roadside field, with the potential for haying."
The Land Bank said that members of the public with any questions about these acquisitions are encouraged to attend one of the Land Bank Commission's regular Monday evening meetings or a meeting of the Aquinnah or Chilmark town advisory board.
The Land Bank, established in 1986 by an act of the state legislature and endorsed by Island voters, purchases open space with funds raised through a 2 percent surcharge on real estate transactions.
Property is purchased after extensive private deliberations among six elected Land Bank commissioners representing all six towns, office staff, and town advisory boards. Once acquired, lands are studied in depth before management plans are developed.
