Chestnut Hill Conservancy Celebrates 50th Eased Property

A preservation and conservation milestone for the Chestnut Hill community was celebrated on Tuesday, March 1, 2022, when the Chestnut Hill Conservancy officially created their 50th conservation easement, further supporting their goal to protect open space and the cultural landscape of the Chestnut Hill area. In partnership with the Friends of the Wissahickon, the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, the nation’s first urban accredited land trust, manages a robust Conservation and Easement Program that works to preserve the area’s significant natural, scenic, and architectural resources. A vital component of this program is the preservation of open space, which is essential for protecting the Wissahickon watershed, water quality, native flora and fauna, and the area’s unmatched urban-village character.

This most recent property added to the Chestnut Hill Conservancy easement program is a charming, stone home on Newton Street that sits on a lot measuring just under half of an acre. The owners, Pamela and James Hill, were compelled to place the easement out of concern for the recent influx of development in the area, as well as the desire to retain green, open spaces. At the signing of the easement on March 1st, James Hill summed up his and Pamela’s inspiration for creating this easement. “We’re just a small corner property, but we’re interested in preserving open space.” He continued to explain that Chestnut Hill is losing that open space, but “we’re interested in preserving it. We can’t do a lot. We’re not billionaires. But we are doing what we can.”

Pamela and James Hill are now part of a long line of residents that have dedicated themselves to preserve open space in Chestnut Hill, both for the benefit of their current neighbors and future residents. By placing a conservation easement on their property, they have accomplished that goal—ensuring that Chestnut Hill’s character will endure for everyone to enjoy.