Trust must raise $5.1m to buy 250-acre farm site

So when the Raymond family, which has owned the property 70 years, offered to sell Maplecroft’s development rights to the town and various conservation organizations, everyone worked quickly to begin negotiations.

“It’s the Swiss Army knife of conservation properties,’’ said Whitney Hatch, an Ipswich resident and southern New England director for The Trust for Public Land, the national nonprofit that is leading the fund-raising effort.

In an agreement recently reached with the Raymond family, the trust has until February to raise $5.1 million to purchase conservation easements that would keep the farm as open space permanently. Pending approvals and availability, the funds would come from the town’s existing open space bond account, contributions from the state Department of Agricultural Resources and the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, and approximately $500,000 in private donations collected by the Essex County Greenbelt Association.

Hatch said the trust is used to working with deadlines and will make sure this opportunity does not slip away.

“The indicator for us is that it is one of the top two or three properties, and these opportunities don’t come around every day,’’ Hatch said. “We wouldn’t have signed an agreement if we didn’t think it was realistic.’’

Ipswich voters will play a crucial part in the town’s portion of the agreement. At the October Town Meeting, voters will decide whether to allow the town to appropriate money from its open space bond account for the purchase of Maplecroft’s development rights, said Kristen Grubbs, manager of the town’s open space program. In 2001, Town Meeting approved a $10 million bond for open-space acquisitions, including 88 parcels on Great Neck, said Town Manager Robert Markel. Currently, there is $3.4 million in that account, most, if not all, of which could go toward the purchase of the Maplecroft easements, Markel said.

Markel said he is pleased that Neil St. John “Ted’’ Raymond, a Boston developer who grew up and continues to live on the property, approached the town and conservation organizations first.

“He made it clear to the town that we’re going to have to be competitive and he’s not going to take a beating, but within a reasonable price range, he’s been willing to work with the town,’’ Markel said. “It’s very important. It’s a testament to the program we have and the awareness that people have of it.’’

In an interview, Raymond joked that the reason he and his family decided to sell the property’s development rights is that, “I have my AARP card now, so I’m doing some estate planning.’’ But the interest in conserving the open space was always there.

“It’s probably self-serving to say, but it’s pretty open land and it’s a commodity, hard to replicate, if not impossible,’’ Raymond said. “Right now we’re very pleased with the prospect of the open spaces, that no matter what happens, the land will always remain open.’’

Raymond declined to comment on the prospects for the land if the town and The Trust for Public Land cannot meet the February deadline. But Grubbs, town Open Space Program manager, said everyone involved is vested in meeting that deadline.

“There are not a lot of places in the North Shore that have 250 acres that are mostly farmland,’’ Grubbs said. “We’ve had farmland turning into condos and a golf course, and with the train coming into town, it’s a definite commuter town into the city. That has brought some development pressure that other communities may not see.’’

Maplecroft Farm is along the main gateway into Ipswich, bordered by Argilla, Heartbreak, and Northgate roads, as well as Essex Road/Route 133. Parts of the property are farmed for corn, pumpkins, and squash and to raise cattle and horses. There are fields used for youth athletics, and a portion of the property is within a water protection zone for a town drinking water well, Grubbs said.

As part of the agreement, portions of the site would be used for a public trail for hikers, horseback riders, and other uses. According to The Trust for Public Land, the Essex County Trail Association would likely hold the trail easement.

“Most landowners who make this decision are conservation-minded. They do have as part of their driving purpose the love of the land,’’ Grubbs said. “That said, they’re giving up some real value in doing that.’’

A lifelong resident, Raymond said he’s one of many who have enjoyed Ipswich’s open spaces, such as Crane Beach and Appleton Farms.

“This is an effort to ensure that the properties that we have remain as open space,’’ he said. “Ipswich has a great tradition with the Trustees of Reservations and the Greenbelt [Association], and the town itself has been far-sighted, issuing bonds for open space. The community has really made an effort. It’s a very nice thing to see it happen.’’

Katheleen Conti can be reached at kconti@globe.com.