Busa Land Use Proposal Committee Report 03-14-2011

Browse Search

5. Types of public access to the property for the proposed use(s); 6. Impact on the riverfront buffer area; 7. Impact on surrounding topography; 8. Financial feasibility of the use(s); 9. Impact the use(s) will have on the Arlington reservoir. • To identify desirable uses for the parcel of land known as "the Busa property' within the categories of "open space," "historical preservation," "housing," and "recreation," as defined in the Community Preservation Act, M.G.L. c. 44B with the understanding that a proposal is not required to fall into all categories; • To evaluate the possibility of multiple uses within the same parcel, whether through overlapping use of the same area(s), or by allocation of separate portions of the parcel to different uses; • In evaluating proposals, the Committee shall have access to the services of a land use planner or such other professional services and consultants as the committee may deem necessary, as authorized by the Town Manager and Board of Selectmen. These services will be funded from any amounts made available for such purposes by the 2009 Town Meeting. • To submit to the Board of Selectmen a report on the investigations and evaluations set out above, said report to include one or more proposals for allocation of the parcel to a specific use or multiple uses. The report should indicate to the Board of Selectmen the reasons that each of the proposals represents desirable uses serving identified constituencies in the Town and how each could be practically implemented. *A footnote stated that: Busa Property is defined as that parcel of land in Lexington, Massachusetts as bounded and described in the deed as well as any contiguous parcels that may be purchased by the Town within the lifetime of the committee. The Board of Selectmen requested that the Committee make every effort to submit its report to the Board no later than December 31, 2010. The Charge was approved on March 22, 2010. Discussion about the charge, recorded in the minutes, included the following: • Some suggestions from the public were included following distribution of the draft charge at an earlier meeting. • The committee can prioritize its recommendations if it chooses to do so. • The Selectmen should be kept in the loop on any spending. 1.3 Selection Process and Committee Members During Town Meeting deliberations, a Town Meeting Member proposed that a committee of neutral members, as opposed to a committee of advocates, be put together by the Selectmen to support a decision about what the Town should do with the Busa Land. In early 2010, the Selectmen agreed that the committee should be composed of neutral members, and set the number of members at seven (7). The Selectmen established the following selection process: a) Selectmen designated any appointed member of the Busa Land Use Proposal Committee as Special Municipal Employees on March 22, 2010. b) Selectmen voted the number of members on April 14, 2010. Busa Land Use Proposal Committee Report Page 7 / 52