NEWBURY, Vt. — A Puerto-Rico-based nonprofit is seeking town approval to turn 101 acres into an educational facility to promote sustainable land management and farming.

The project would be an extension of Plenitud Puerto Rico’s nonprofit farm and teaching center established the U.S. territory in 2008. It currently offers programs centered around sustainable agriculture and climate resilience at its farm on the island.

Now the nonprofit hopes to continue its work in Vermont.

In July 2023, Plenitud bought a 101-acre property on North Road in Newbury for $715,000, according to town property records. It currently features a three-story barn, outbuildings and a small house.

The remainder of the property is divided into forest and farmland. A large portion — 85 acres — is in a conservation easement with the Upper Valley Land Trust that permits agricultural use, sustainable forestry and related construction. Since purchasing the property, Plenitud has been issued construction permits, including to build two greenhouses, a pond and a 1,680-square-foot house. 

On Nov. 14, the organization went before the Newbury Development Review Board seeking approval to establish an educational facility. This would mean constructing or renovating multiple buildings, in addition to building the farming infrastructure. After the hearing, the board took the matter under advisement. The board is required to issue a decision by Dec. 24.

“We dream big. At the same time we plan to grow slowly into this 20-year vision and to allow time for our programs to develop naturally,” Jessica Jones-Hughes, associate director at Plenitud and “point person” for the Vermont project, said in a recording of the meeting.

On the Newbury farm, the nonprofit plans to build multiple greenhouses, and also create a pollinator meadow, pastures for “small scale” animal agriculture, hayfields, a row crop field, a diversified orchard and a sugar bush, as well as to sustainably harvest some of the forest’s timber.

“We intend to have these smaller spaces where we produce a lot and everywhere else will be integrated with ponds and fruit trees and flowers and look a little more natural but maybe instead of a pine tree you have a nut tree that’s going to produce a food,” Plenitud volunteer Dan Greif said at the meeting.

Greif, a psychologist, is one of three Plenitud representatives currently serving as on-site staff at the farm. Jones-Hughes has been splitting her time between Newbury and Puerto Rico, and Newbury resident Katie Bullis is Plenitud’s operations coordinator in Vermont. Plenitud is also in the process of creating a local advisory committee in Newbury, according to the application. 

Community response

Community members were split on their opinions about the proposal. Some said they think that Plenitud will bring value to the community and the staff  have been very engaged since they arrived in Newbury, while others are concerned about the venture. 

“We’ve had conversations about community involvement and community engagement and our aspirations are very closely aligned and I think that the two organizations would work well together,” Jennifer Lund, interim pastor for West Newbury Congregational Church, said of the church and the nonprofit. 

West Newbury resident Catherine Kidder said she expects Plenitud’s involvement to continue to grow with time and that their knowledge would be valuable for residents. 

“Their degree of interest and involvement in the community has been stellar … I don’t see that diminishing in any way,” Kidder said. “I think what they’re bringing to us is a level of sustainability and knowledge about how to take care of ourselves that we might need in the near future.”

​​​​​​Other community members’ concerns centered around how the nonprofit would manage parking and traffic, and what would happen if the farm is not financially viable and closes.

The property has space for six to eight vehicles to park, while the nonprofit plans to cap group events at 12 to 15 people and host a few larger events per year, according to application materials. 

Plenitud plans to host single-day and overnight classes for small groups and a few community events a year. They will teach sustainable agriculture and forestry, climate resilient construction and other wellness programs, according to application materials submitted to the board. Programming will mostly be during a summer “high season,” but one to three staff will live on the farm year-round.

Plenitud representatives said that they would encourage participants to carpool and park at centralized parking locations such as park and ride lots in neighboring towns for smaller events. For large events, they could have attendees park on a field at the farm. They also said that community groups often arrive together in a van or carpool and that they feel confident in their abilities to manage parking. Most of the time, the farm would only hold its staff members.

Conservation Commission Chairman Michael Thomas said the commission could support the proposal, but he was “confused” by the parking plan and did not see it working, especially for people traveling from out of the area for programs. 

“If somebody’s driving up from Connecticut or from Maine they’re probably going to drive right to your place and not stop somewhere. I know that's modern thinking and maybe in more urban areas that’s an accepted practice,” Thomas said. 

Development fears

Hanging over the conversation were concerns about a four-year battle between Newbury and the state of Vermont, which ended in March 2024. After the state closed its only juvenile rehabilitation center for troubled youths in 2020, it identified a Newbury property as the future home of a new facility. Community members came out in stark opposition, with the battle making its way up to the state Supreme Court.

Neighbor Carol Metayer said she is “terrified” about these issues and referenced the battle over the juvenile detention center.

“If you pull out, you’ve now created a commercial property across the street from my house that Becket (the company that would have operated the detention center) or anyone else could move into,” Metayer said. “Although we’ve had you guys for dinner and we have also enjoyed your company, we’re very concerned and very worried about the blurry future and also the fact that the barn is not sustainable other than through your donations.”

Greif and Jones-Hughes said throughout the meeting that they are committed to staying in the town and remaining involved in the community over time. Jones-Hughes also told the board that Plenitud plans to pay property taxes to “contribute” to the town, despite qualifying for tax-exempt status as a nonprofit.

Fitting in in Newbury

The discussion about expanding the nonprofit has been ongoing for years. About five years ago the nonprofit identified Vermont as its ideal location on the mainland, Jones-Hughes said. A group of Plenitud’s long-time staff began combing for properties in Vermont that they might be able to purchase.

The state has a “resilient climate,” an “accepting” community and would be a good place for Plenitud to foster “cross-cultural connections,” she said.

Having partnered with Vermont colleges for service learning trips, Plenitud also has a community of regional supporters, Jones-Hughes said in a late November interview.

About two years ago, they found the Newbury property and it checked several boxes, Jones-Hughes said.

“We really wanted a farm that was out of a floodplain, that had a lot of prime agricultural soils and was big enough that could hold a vision for us to grow into over the next 20 years,” she said. The iconic red barn was also a point of interest. 

Around the same time that they found the property, the nonprofit received a large donation from a terminally ill supporter who knew about their efforts and requested they use the funding to get established in a new location, Jones-Hughes said. 

“It’s just fitting that we ended up in Newbury because Newbury is a very service-oriented town and there’s a lot of alignment between what the town stands for and what we stand for,” Jones-Hughes said.

Jones-Hughes said she has spent the past two years or so getting to know Newbury residents and local nonprofits and organizations. She attended the annual West Newbury community supper this year. During the meeting, multiple community members mentioned having had the team over for dinner or receiving a tour of the property to learn about Plenitud’s plans. 

“In our zoning requests, we aim to balance minimizing our impact on the natural environment while giving ourselves sufficient space to house staff and interns and host students, community members and individuals on the farm,” Greif said.

If the project is approved, the team hopes to start events and classes in 2026 with some potential for “trial” activities in 2025, Jones-Hughes said.

Clare Shanahan can be reached at cshanahan@vnews.com or 603-727-3216.