New London ― A southeastern Connecticut land conservation group is seeking to acquire and preserve a large, undeveloped residential parcel that was the subject of a recent unsuccessful attempt to develop the property for apartments.

Representatives of the Old Mystic-based Avalonia Land Conservancy went before city’s Planning & Zoning Commission on Thursday seeking an endorsement for a proposed preservation initiative at 0 Stonebridge Drive, a 23.7-acre parcel whose owners, Shiloh Baptist Church, have tried for more than 25 years to sell.

The commission discussed the endorsement request on Thursday, but did not act on it.

The property, which has sat undisturbed and undeveloped, was the subject of intense discussion this year when the Vessel Technology firm, which built the Vessel apartment building on Bank Street, applied for a zoning change that would allow the land to be used for multi-family home construction.

That proposal was rejected by commission members after dozens of neighboring residents and open-space advocates lambasted the plan and pushed to keep the property from being developed.

Avalonia Board of Directors President Dennis Main on Monday said his group is preparing to apply for a state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection Open Space and Watershed Land Acquisition (OSWA) grant.

If approved, the grant money would be used to purchase the Shiloh land and keep it in perpetuity as open space, Main said.

“The property is phenomenal,” Main said. “Where else in the city of New London, except for just a couple of other spaces, do you have such a large block of wooded space? It’s a rare occurrence.”

The property is bracketed by Briggs Street to the south and Williams Street to the east, not far from the Lyman Allyn Art Museum and Connecticut College. Power lines and a small portion of another multi-family zone lie to the west, and the college’s arboretum sits to the north.

Main noted the Shiloh land is attached to another 750 acres that comprise the arboretum.

He said the group’s request for municipal support is slated to be discussed by the City Council on Nov. 18.

“That’s the required approval we need from the city,” Main said.

The non-profit conservancy on its website describes its land trust mission as one of preserving “natural habitats in southeastern Connecticut by acquiring and protecting lands and communicating the value of these irreplaceable resources.”

The group lists more than 4,600 acres it’s helped preserve, including sites in Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Stonington, Norwich, North Stonington and Preston.

In addition, Avalonia holds several conservation easements or restrictions on many pieces of privately-owned land that bar development.

In order to qualify for the OSWA grant, the land trust must meet several prerequisites, including showing its plan is in compliance with New London’s Plan of Conservation and Development, as well as garnering letters of approval from the city and the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments.

“We have to have our application in by Dec. 2, which is why we’re fast-tracking this,” Main said. “Once a grant is awarded, it’s takes a maximum of 24 months to finish the acquisition process. And we’re looking to keep (the Shiloh property) open for public access and passive recreation.”

Main said Shiloh church leaders are “amenable” to his group’s plan. Shiloh representatives did not return requests for comment on Friday.

Arboretum Director Maggie Redfern said the Shiloh property, with its mature trees and relative lack of invasive species, has remained undisturbed for a century.

“The arboretum pond water connects to the property before passing through to the Old Town Mill and beyond – a huge continuous watershed and wetlands area,” said Redfern, who previously advocated for preserving the property from development.

j.penney@theday.com