HIGHLAND — Highland, which just issued bonds for about $7 million to buy land to make a park, takes open space very seriously.

So seriously, in fact, that when the city sees its neighbors in Cedar Hills considering developing open space where juniper trees grow and people walk, officials from Highland feel compelled to intercede to save the land.

Or try, anyway.

That's why Highland City Council members voted unanimously on Tuesday to pursue giving Cedar Hills about five acres in return for an irrevocable conservation easement on the land. Legal issues caused the council to stop short of immediately offering the deal to Cedar Hills.

"I don't believe we have done the necessary work to formally authorize the mayor to agree to this," Councilman Brian Brunson said at Tuesday's City Council meeting. "I think we need to do some title searches or some appraisals. ... I think (authorizing the mayor now) is premature, but I'm not opposed to what we're trying to accomplish."

The proposal to give Cedar Hills land in return for an easement that would belong to Highland originated with a citizens action group called Keep Cedar Hills.

The group has distributed fliers to Cedar Hills residents, established a Web site — www.keepcedarhills.com — and worked with Highland's City Council to propose an alternative to developing a section of juniper trees in Cedar Hills territory.

Cedar Hills is considering allowing an 11-house development in the wooded area to help pay off the city's $6 million golf course debt. City officials from Cedar Hills have said they are intrigued by the possibility of a land deal with Highland as an alternative to building in the grove.

"That's very exciting and generous of them and very enlightened of them on many levels," Cedar Hills City Councilman Joel Wright said of the proposed deal. "I would be extremely interested in something along those lines."

Cedar Hills' City Council has not yet received any official proposals from Highland.

Highland doesn't seem to be concerned about losing some land — the city doesn't have any other plans for it — but what the city wants is to have control over the conservation easement it would receive in return for the land.

"I would like to establish a paper trail to follow (the conservation easement) through and put it on a good legal footing so a copy of these documents could be here at this city building," Highland City Councilwoman Kathryn Schramm said. "I'm hesitant to go 10 years down the road and have Cedar Hills say there is no legal restriction on the land and they build a high-rise apartment building there."

Residents who listened to Highland's decision said they are satisfied with the direction in which the city is moving, and they acknowledged the legal complications that may arise from all of the different parties that have an interest in the land.

"There could be some other means of preserving the junipers," Highland resident Roger Sheffield said. "There are certainly some grounds for a legal fight, which we would really not like to do. It's in the best interest of both communities to preserve the junipers."

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