Orchards Golf Course will stay green.

City officials unveiled plans Friday to put the troubled 30-acre course off-limits to developers — forever — using money levied from Orchards’ neighbors to buy conservation easements for the property.

“We are buying and paying for his future development rights,” said Jean Milstead, one of the adjoining property owners who had worried the land would be developed and create flooding problems for neighbors.

The plan now goes to the Lawrence City Commission for approval. If successful, the proposal would end more than a year of wrangling among the neighbors, City Hall and Orchards owner Ed White, who has long blamed the city for financial problems at his course.

“It looks pretty promising,” Milstead said.

White was unavailable for comment Friday, but he has long said the city opening 18-hole Eagle Bend Golf Course in 1998 was a crushing blow to his private, nine-hole course at 3000 W. 15th St. He said he would sell the property to developers.

“The reason I am selling at all is because of Eagle Bend, totally, totally,” White said in May. “Eagle Bend is what is putting me out of business.”

A deal never materialized, however.

But his efforts to find a buyer worried neighbors and city officials. The course has a stream running through it, and officials said development there would have increased the likelihood of flooding.

Memo from assistant city manager Letter from the Orchards Golf Course Neighborhood Steering Committee City bids for Orchards course (10-26-02)

The city last year offered to pay $670,000 for the nine-hole course. Neighbors, who feared Orchards would be developed — eliminating open space and creating flood problems — offered to chip in an extra $280,000.

But in late April, the Lawrence City Commission quietly withdrew its offer to buy, citing the city’s financial straits. Milstead said neighbors then began to examine conservation easements as a possible alternative.

The new proposal won’t use taxpayer money from the city budget. Instead, City Hall will levy $280,000 from the 55 surrounding property owners to pay for the easements.

White will retain ownership of the land, and Milstead said Friday she thought it would continue to be used as a golf course.

White could receive other perks, in addition to the payoff. The elimination of development potential means the market value of the land should come down — resulting in a reduction in his property taxes.

And access to the land will allow the city to take additional anti-flooding steps. Stormwater engineer Chad Voigt said a $120,000 project to reslope and reinforce the stream banks is planned.

The Lawrence City Commission will discuss the proposal at its next meeting, at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets.