City Council members unanimously approved the acquisition of about 4 acres of land Monday evening, securing full ownership of a portion of the Richmond Slave Trail after years of effort.

The acres, located at 1401 and 1421 Brander St., were accepted from the Capital Region Land Conservancy, a nature-preserving nonprofit focused on the Richmond area, and will be incorporated into the 3-mile retelling of the city’s role in the American slave trade.

The conservancy, in partnership with the City of Richmond, purchased the acres from the Norfolk Southern Railway Company last year, after raising the necessary funds and years of negotiation.

“CRLC is privileged to have contributed to the preservation of approximately a quarter mile of the Richmond Slave Trail and to have executed the Richmond Riverfront Plan in acquiring the land along Brander Street on behalf of the City,” CRLC Executive Director Parker C. Agelasto stated. “Securing the public access to the trail along the James River west of Ancarrow’s Landing is important to connecting visitors to history and nature.”

The purchase was meant to correct a mistake made when Slave Trail markers were placed throughout Richmond as part of the initiative in 2011. Roughly 2,000 feet of the trail crossed into Norfolk Southern’s private property, leading to unintended trespassing by trail goers.

According to city documentation, the acquisition also allows the city to complete plans developed in 2019 to create a trail head at Ancarrow’s Landing and repair parts of the trail on the James River’s south bank.

The Norfolk Southern Railway Company will retain ownership of a small, 20-foot portion of the land for a non-operation railway track located near the trail. The parcels’ value is appraised at $94,000 but was given as a gift to the city.

Council members also approved a conservation and open-space easement on the land for the Capital Region Land Conservancy and the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The easement will ensure the trails are maintained while prohibiting buildings or similar, substantial changes to the property, in order to preserve the forest along the river.

Other ordinances approved during the City Council meeting included accepting a $1.1 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation for the Richmond Signal System Smart City Traffic Signal Controllers program.