2007-12-00-CPC-rpt (Needs Assessment Report)

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Town of Lexington Community Preservation Plan ®pen Space Background: Open space is one of the defining characteristics of Lexington, which is now a mature suburb. It enhances the historical aura of the town, affords opportunities for recreation and relaxation, and offers a measure of population control. The Town Conservation Commission is entrusted with promoting and developing the Town's natural resources, enforcing the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act (M.G.L. c. 131 §40) and acquiring and managing open space. The seven—member Commission is appointed for staggered terms by the Town Manager with the approval of the Selectmen. Out of approximately 10,650 acres, Lexington currently has more than 1,30Q acres of conservation land, and approximately 400 acres reserved for recreation, including parkland. Town fiscal demands and restraints associated with Proposition 2 r/z have been accompanied by the constant pressure of development resulting in an absence of land acquisition by the town during the past twenty years. (For a list of specific parcels that have been identified as priorities for town acquisition, see the Land Acquisition Planning Report attached as Appendix C to the 1997 Lexington Open Space and Recreation Plan, which can be viewed in the office of the Conservation Commission.) The CPA encourages the acquisition and protection of open space by providing funds for the outright purchase of land or for its protection through the purchase of permanent conservation or agricultural easements or restrictions. Goals: The goals for open space include, but are not limited to the following: A. Protection through acquisition or conservation easements, of parcels of highest scenic and historic character. Parcels are considered significant if they preserve one or more of the following: ➢ Historic landscapes and the visual relationships between historic buildings and their setting ➢ The visual character of the town, particularly of those areas designated as scenic ➢ Open fields and meadows visible from the road 13