Busa Land Use Proposal Committee Report 03-14-2011

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2. SITE DESCRIPTION 2.1 Physical Features The three parcels of land purchased in December of 2009 total 7.93 acres just west of the intersection of Lowell Street and Westminster Avenue on the Arlington town line. The frontage for the property is on Lowell Street and the parcel lies just north of the Arlington Reservoir and east of the Munroe Brook. The land contains a variety of uses, including active agricultural fields, greenhouses, and related farm buildings. As quoted from the May 2009 Special Town Meeting Article, "this parcel is key to creating a greenway corridor in East Lexington from Lowell Street to the Minuteman Bikeway via the Arlington Reservoir trail, Rindge Park and the Jerry Cataldo Conservation Area. There is an existing trail from Rindge Park to the southern edge of the parcel. In addition to its open space qualities, the parcel also has important watershed value. It lies 150 feet north of the Arlington Reservoir, and 200 feet east of Munroe Brook, both important wetland resources." The Busa Land Use Proposal Committee toured the site on July 27, 2010. Committee members walked the perimeter and interior of the parcel, looked at the existing conditions, and spoke informally with the people who were at the farm that day. The BLUPC then created a survey specification and solicited proposals from three surveying firms. The Town retained surveyors WSP•SELLS, Inc., to prepare an existing conditions and topographic survey. The farm has a high point in the center of the parcel, and then slopes to the north and south. In the southeastern corner of the property, Lowell Street is at an elevation of approximately 178.5 ft. (above sea level) and an embankment along the Lowell Street sidewalk slopes down towards the farm fields, which range in elevation from 164.0 ft. to 169.0 ft. These elevations and the open visual access provide a view across the farm towards the woodlands of Munroe Brook and towards the setting sun in the west. The southern border is the town boundary with Arlington, and there is a low stone wall with a small walking trail around the Arlington Reservoir on the Arlington side. The land contains a farm stand, a permanent (glass and metal) greenhouse and another seasonal greenhouse. Water is supplied by an artesian well and there is electricity at the site. The property has no town -owned water or sewer connection. Residential abutters are located along the northern and eastern sides of the parcel, with the eastern neighbors being most directly affected by the land use at this site. Between the Busa land and Munroe Brook, Silk Fields, LLC, owns two parcels. A reduced copy of the survey follows. Busa Land Use Proposal Committee Report Page 9 / 52