The Town of Dartmouth will see more than 16 acres of newly protected land after the Select Board assigned land surrounding 179 Jordan Road to the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust at a meeting on Sept. 13.

The land was restricted for agricultural use under Chapter 61A, which meant it was taxed at a lower rate. When the owners of Chapter 61A land plan to sell that property, the town has the right to purchase the land or assign its option to buy to a nonprofit conservation group.

In this case, the property will be maintained by the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust.

DNRT Executive Director Dexter Mead said his nonprofit is “ready, willing and able to accept this assignment.”

He noted that the Jordan Road property has around 6.5 acres of woodland property designated for rare species and “has the best soils for agriculture.”

Mead added that more than 50% of the property abuts other protected land and is surrounded by other properties protected by the DNRT, Buzzards Bay Coalition, and Trustees of Reservation.

“It’s a great property to preserve,” he said.

Since a third party will maintain the land, Town Counsel Anthony Savastano noted that 70% of the parcel purchased must be used for chapter 61 purposes. Chapter 61 refers to land being forested, 61A refers to land classified under agricultural use and 61B refers to land classified as recreational use.

Any additions to the property, Mead said, would be limited to one acre of the land.

“We plan on one lot on the property — one house,” he noted. “We don’t plan on developing 30% of the property.”

Following the land assignment, town officials thanked the land trust for being willing to oversee the property.

“DNRT has shown over the past several years a very well-balanced approach to preserving land in town,” Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald said. “I fully trust Dexter, his staff, and the board of the DNRT to do the correct thing.”