They’ve organized a nonprofit group and marched through town waving vegetables to encourage the creation of a community farm. Now the Lexington Community Farm Coalition must wait to see if the idea takes seed.
After months of meetings and public hearings in Lexington, as well as informational sessions for residents of neighboring Arlington, the committee charged with studying the best ways to reuse the 8-acre Busa Farm property is preparing to report back to Lexington selectmen next month.
The town’s residents voted to buy the land for $4.1 million last fall, and local officials and volunteers have been considering a variety of proposals for taking advantage of the property, including affordable housing and athletic fields as well as the community farm.
David Horton, chairman of the Busa Land Use Proposal Committee, said the panel will begin talking about what they think is the best idea during a public meeting Thursday, slated for 7 p.m. in Town Hall. The committee will develop a preliminary report for selectmen next month, and settle on a final recommendation in February, Horton said. The Board of Selectmen will make the final decision.
“We think it comes down to what would work well — what would give the most benefit based on what the land looks like, and how the land has been used in the past,’’ Horton said.
Asked for his preference, Horton said he won’t be offering any opinions until discussing the options with his committee.
People supporting a community farm have turned out in the largest numbers for the community meetings, he said.
Janet Kern, the coalition’s president, said what started as a grass-roots proposal has turned into an organized effort to promote the benefits of a community farm. “I’m incredibly encouraged, mostly because of the public support,’’ Kern said.
Kern said the coalition is calling for using all 8 acres for the farm, with about 5 acres devoted to raising crops and the balance used for education, parking, and the property’s greenhouse.
The farm would pay for itself by selling its harvest, using the Community Supported Agriculture model, she said, envisioning approximately 250 shares going for about $550 apiece.
A professional would be hired to oversee the agricultural operation, and a portion of the harvest would be donated to local food pantries, she said.
Other communities, such as Lincoln, Waltham, Newton, and Natick, already have community farms on public land, Kern noted, and she said the Busa land provides a rare opportunity in a town where most of the farmland has disappeared.
“We just feel that this is our last opportunity to have this sort of community farm in Lexington,’’ Kern said.
But the Busa land also provides the town with an opportunity to address other needs.
The first idea for the property’s reuse came from the town’s Recreation Department, which is proposing an athletic field, a tot lot, walking trails, and a picnic area. The department’s plan would also leave about 4 acres that could be used for other purposes, such as public gardens or affordable housing.
But the idea of using the land for an athletic field has raised some concern from a neighboring town.
The Busa land sits next to the Arlington Reservoir, and some residents are worried about the traffic that would be created if the farm was turned into an athletic field, said Arlington Selectwoman Clarissa Rowe.
Chris Kluchman, chairwoman of the Lexington Housing Partnership, said the Busa site offers a rare opportunity to create multiple units of housing within reach of low- or moderate-income residents.
Since the housing would occupy only about 1.2 acres, the partnership is suggesting that 4.8 acres of the remaining space could be used for a community farm, and almost 2 acres could be used for a full-size athletic field.
