fA Clay Township farm considered a prime location for development sold for more than $8.7 million Friday, breaking the $100,000-per-acre barrier.

The price may be a Lancaster County record for a large parcel of farmland, a real estate official said.

Lincoln Developers of Ephrata purchased the 85.6-acre farm, at 140 Hackman Road, for $102,500 per acre, Aaron Martin of Aaron E. Martin Auction Service said.

"That's probably an all-time high for that much acreage," said Rudy DeLaurentis, owner of Concord House Real Estate and an appraiser for Lancaster County Agricultural Preserve Board.

"That's a lot of money," he said. "I guess the building boom in Lancaster is not over."

Martin said the property is ideal for development because it is zoned R2 residential and surrounded on three sides by residential development.

In addition, the area is served by public sewer and water lines and Ephrata Area School District.

"It was basically an open piece of land right in the midst of development," Martin said.

The property, located near Route 322, includes a 2½-story brick three-bedroom house, a large bank barn, an equipment shed and a block building.

The farm had been owned since the early 1800s by the Hackman family, according to newspaper records.

It is within Clay Township's urban-growth area, which permits single-family and semidetached homes. Townhouses and apartments also could be built with a waiver from the township zoning board.

Lincoln Developers has yet to submit a development plan for the site, Martin said.

E-mail: bwallace@lnpnews.com