For the past 28 years, the Andover Conservation Commission has been managing a small parcel of land on the south side of Bradley Point Lane. In 2023, the Andover Conservation Commission decided that this land should be further protected with a conservation easement, to permanently set aside this small piece of waterfront land from development. This is why you will see a warrant article at Town Meeting on Tuesday, March 12, asking the Town to allow this small parcel on Bradley Lake to be placed into a conservation easement.

If the Town votes in favor of a conservation easement on this land, the Andover Conservation Commission will work closely with the Village District to ensure that the easement rules would allow uses that directly serve to improve the Village District water supply (in case such a need arises). The Conservation Commission recommends this easement in order to protect the quality of the water supply for the Village District (including many homes, businesses, AE/MS, and Proctor). This will also protect the quality of water in Bradley Lake for recreational uses, including the Town Beach near the dam.  

Bradley Point Road is a narrow private road that is maintained by the residents on the road, so the Conservation Commission does not feel the easement should allow public recreational uses of the property. In March of 1996, the Town of Andover voted “to designate a parcel of land on Bradley Point Lane, with frontage on Bradley Lake (tax map 13, lot 286-083) consisting of 0.92 +/- acres, as conservation land, to be managed for conservation purposes by the Andover Conservation Commission, as authorized by RSA 36-A:4. This property was acquired by tax deed in 1991. (Recommended by the selectmen.)”  

Since 1996, the ACC has monitored the property to ensure it is undeveloped and remains a vegetation buffer zone along the shoreline. In 2023, the ACC paid to have a survey of the property, and discovered that the shape was considerably different from the shape represented on Avitar Tax maps, or the “Z shape” sometimes used to refer to it in the 1990s Town Reports.  In fact, the town land is just under 0.3 acres (much smaller than previously believed). 

The 0.23-acre wooded portion of the land is around 65 feet wide and runs from Bradley Point Road to the lake. A 0.06-acre triangular section of the property lies under a neighbor’s driveway.  The intention of the easement would be to grandfather this driveway into the easement, so the neighbor would still be able to use and maintain it.

After an easement is placed on a property, this property retains the easement permanently, even if it is sold. We recommend that the Town allow a conservation easement on the land, so it will always remain undeveloped and will help protect the quality of the Town water supply for drinking and recreational purposes.  The Conservation Commission will ensure that the expenses of an easement will be paid without any added cost to the taxpayer.