R.I. buys development rights to Johnston land

PROVIDENCE – The R.I. Department of Environmental Management has acquired development rights to 15 acres of farmland in Johnston.
The property, at Mathewson Farm on Greenville Avenue, is actively farmed and will be used for agricultural and open space purposes.
The cost for the acquisition was $100,000, much less than the $735,000 appraised value.
DEM director W. Michael Sullivan last week credited the family for its “willingness to provide a bargain sale on this highly developable property.”
Organic farmers lease three acres of the land and use another two acres for a maple syrup venture.
Rhode Island has 858 farms, mostly family run, which occupy 61,000 acres. &#8226