Brunswick preserves 240-acre Maquoit Woods, protecting open space near downtown

Brunswick locked in permanent protection for Maquoit Woods, a 240-acre stretch of open space just two miles from downtown and across from Brunswick High School, ending any chance of a 900-unit subdivision on most of the parcel. The deal, announced by the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust, left Brunswick owning the land while putting a conservation easement over 240 acres of the roughly 283-acre property.

The arrangement was the result of years of work by the town, former Land Trust leadership and an anonymous donor who paid Brunswick $2 million for the easement. Town records show the Brunswick Town Council accepted the offer after the Brunswick Conservation Commission recommended approval. The council first received the proposal on July 21, 2025, and the commission voted on August 6, 2025, to recommend acceptance.

The preservation decision keeps one of Brunswick’s largest undeveloped tracts intact near the town center. Town records show Brunswick bought the property in December 2022 for about $3.89 million after earlier consideration of a 900-unit subdivision proposal was rejected because of potential impacts to Maquoit Bay. The easement now removes most development pressure from the woods while keeping the town in control of the land.

For residents, the immediate gain is access and protection. More than four miles of trails already wind through Maquoit Woods, which lies near Crystal Spring Farm, the Town Commons and Brunswick Landing. The Land Trust says the woods sit within a 309-acre undeveloped habitat block at the headwaters of Booker Pond, which flows into Maquoit Bay, and contain a rare, globally vulnerable Pitch Pine Heath Barren community. Two streams run through the forest, strengthening its role in water quality and wildlife movement.

The parcel also sits inside a broader conservation landscape along Maquoit Bay, west of Mere Point Road and toward the Brunswick-Freeport town line. The Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust describes that area as a Focus Area of Statewide Ecological Significance and a priority habitat block, placing Maquoit Woods within a long-running effort to protect shoreland and upland around the bay.

The town’s 2025 comprehensive plan adds another layer to the decision. Brunswick has been trying to balance growth, affordability, infrastructure and environmental protection, and the adopted plan narrows the designated growth area while steering future development toward places with water and sewer service. That leaves the remaining 40 acres in the town’s Growth Zone available for future housing discussions, while the rest of Maquoit Woods stays open for low-impact recreation and long-term ecological management.