Whether to develop or preserve Simsbury land where Martin Luther King Jr. once worked will go to a vote after more than two decades of debate

More than 3,000 people signed petitions last weekend to force a May 4 referendum on whether the town buys nearly 290 acres along Hoskins Road as open space, farmland and playing fields, officials said. Simsbury’s Grange and land trust are supporting the $6 million deal.