The Downs donates 25 acres to Scarborough Land Trust

Courtesy / Gorrill Palmer, Crossroads Holdings LLC The 25-acre donation is outlined in red.

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By Staff

Crossroads Holdings LLC, the real estate development team leading the Scarborough Downs redevelopment project, said last week it would donate 25 acres at the Downs to Scarborough Land Trust.

The land transfer is expected to be complete by June.

The donation brings the Warren Woods Preserve to over 250 acres of protected conservation space, making it the second largest conservation area in Scarborough, according to a news release.

“It has always been a really important part of our master plan to preserve conservation land, maintain greenspace, and create connectedness between the Downs and Scarborough’s existing trail system — this donation of land accomplishes all of those goals,” said developer Roccy Risbara.

The Downs is a 525-acre mixed-use development in Scarborough.

Scarborough Land Trust is working to expand land area under its protection throughout the town. This winter it expanded Warren Woods Preserve by 71.5 acres through two other acquisitions.

“This bolsters the protection of the Elaine Stimson Warren Woods Preserve and the watershed of the Nonsuch River, all in a really important location for the town,” said Andrew Mackie, the trust’s executive director.

The Downs is also working to expand public access through the creation of new trails that will connect to the existing 1.4-mile trail network that runs throughout Warren Woods. The mutual goals are to create trail and open space connectedness throughout the Nonesuch River watershed, Warren Woods and the Downs project.

Parking and trailheads for public access to this land area are already in the works, with one trailhead complete with parking and benches and another planned for completion next year, being installed by IDEXX Laboratories.

The trust, founded in 1977, has conserved over 1,600 acres to date.

Risbara is a 2020 Mainebiz Business Leader of the Year.

Crossroad Holdings LLC is owned by two sets of brothers: William, Marc and Rocco "Roccy" Risbara III of Risbara Bros., and Peter and Richard Michaud, formerly of Michaud Distributors. They bought Scarborough Downs in a deal announced in December 2017.