WALTHAM, MA — For months, the city and UMass Amherst have been in quiet talks regarding the future of the 58 acres in north Waltham commonly known as the UMass Field Station. The landlord, UMass, has communicated its intention to shutter the administrative offices at 240 Beaver Street by the end of the year. Tenants, residents and activists argue the property should be acquired by the city to be used for perpetual use as a farm and open space.

On Tuesday night, the city council approved spending some $13.75 million from the Community Preservation Act funds to acquire the field station from UMass Amherst, making acquisition one step closer to a reality. "It's probably one of the most important votes I've taken on the council since I started," said Councilor George Darcy who also chairs the Long Term Debt and Capitol Planning committee, which recommended using the money, second only to the acquisition of the money for the high school he later told Patch. "The 50 acre UMass field station is a gem of Waltham and there is no better use of CPA funds for this motion."

Community Preservation Act funds are taxpayer dollars set aside to go toward project dedicated to preserving open space, historic resources, development of affordable housing, and the acquisition and development of outdoor recreational facilities. Applications for CPA funds go through the Preservation Commission then get sent to city council for appropriation. The mayor's request of $14 million was approved, it then headed into Long Term Debt and Capitol Planning committee before it came back to City Council for final approval. Because of a small timing issue on how the state funds are calculated, the last $250,000 will be approved when they arrive later this month.

"It's an important step, but not the final step," said Sen. Mike Barrett, who's been supportive of the acquisition. "We need to see the university agree to a reasonable price. And that's not quite a done deal."

The city council approval allows the mayor to go into negotiation with the state with that amount of money. The final price of the land could be higher or lower, depending on negotiations.

Barrett, who has been in touch with both sides of the table said he's hoping to see a deal by the end of the year.

"There's an understandable tension here," he said. "The university is under pressure from its Board of Trustees to get a high price for a very interesting parcel. And the city, on the other hand, wants to save as much money for the taxpayers as it can. It's taking a while for the two sides to bridge that gap."