Land Deal Preserves Crossnore Fields Near Downtown W-S

A local conservation group has completed a land deal that protects an urban swath of farmland in Winston-Salem. 

The Piedmont Land Conservancy this week closed on a conservation easement that will keep 92 acres of land at Crossnore from being developed.

The deal was aided by a loan from The Conservation Fund, a national environmental nonprofit.

The green rolling hillsides are located just northwest of downtown. Historically it served The Children's Home, an orphanage, farm, and school affiliated with the Methodist Church.

It's now a residential foster care provider known as the Crossnore School and Children's Home. Under the agreement, Crossnore remains the owner of the land.

Developers had seen potential in the property nestled between upscale neighborhoods and downtown, but preservationists have worked to keep it pristine. The conservancy's plan for the property includes walking trails that'll be open to the public.