Easton CPC Authorizes $10,000 Appraisal for Langwater Farm Preservation

EASTON -- July 9, 2026, Easton Community Preservation Committee votes to appraise development rights on 38-acre Langwater Farm fields. The committee, meeting remotely on July 9, unanimously authorized spending up to $10,000 from its administrative fund for an independent appraisal of agricultural land along Washington and Main streets owned by an Ames family trust, the first formal step toward a potential agricultural preservation restriction that would permanently bar development on the scenic fields. Community Planner Wayne Bitler explained that the Ames family has submitted parallel applications to the state Department of Agricultural Resources and to the town; the appraisal will give the committee its own valuation of the development rights before any financial negotiation begins. The committee also reorganized, electing Rob Rogers, a Stonehill College political science professor, as chair and Philip Fesio as vice chair, with longtime member Ed Hanss confirmed as the CPC's point of contact with the Ames Realty Trust ahead of a July 11 meeting with Charlton Ames. Letters of interest for the 2026-27 CPA grant cycle are due August 3.