HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016-04-05-BOS-PacketSELEC T MEN'S MEETING
Tues day, April 5, 2016
Selec tmen Meeting Room
4:00 PM
AGENDA
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Pub lic c o mments are allo wed fo r up to 10 minutes at the b eginning of eac h meeting. Eac h s p eaker is
limited to 3 minutes for comment. Memb ers of the Board will neither c o mment no r respond , o ther than to
as k q ues tions of clarific ation. Speakers are encouraged to notify the Selec tmen's Offic e at 781-698-4580
if they wis h to s peak during pub lic comment to assist the Chairman in managing meeting times.
SELECTMAN CONCERNS AND LIAISON REPORTS
TOWN MANAGER REPORT
ITEMS FOR INDIVIDUAL CONSIDERATION
1.Belmo nt C o untry Club Rec reatio n Land /Right o f F irs t Refus al - Dis c us s io n with
Cons ervatio n Commission Memb er (30 min.)
4:00 PM
2.Review Draft of Bro o khaven Memo randum of Agreement fo r Artic le 45 (20 min.)4:30 PM
EXECUTIVE SESSION
1.Exemp tion 3: P o tential Litigatio n (430 C o nc o rd Avenue); and Exemp tion 6:
Cons id er P urc hase, Exc hange, Leas e o r Value o f Real Pro p erty (Belmo nt Co untry
Club ) (30 min.)
4:50 PM
ADJOURN
1.Approximate Ad jo urn Time 5:20 PM
The next meeting of the Board o f Selec tmen is s ched uled fo r Wednes day, April 6, 2016, at 7:00
p .m. in the S electmen Meeting Room, Town Office Building, 1625 Mas s ac hus etts Avenue.
Hearing Assistance Devices Available on Request
All agenda time and the order of items are approximate and
subject to change.
AGENDA ITEM SUM M ARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Belmont Country Club Recreation Land/Right of First Refusal - Discussion with Conservation
Commission Member (30 min.)
PRESENTER:
P hil Hamilton, Chairman, Co nservation
Co mmis s io n
ITEM
NUMBER:
I.1
SUMMARY:
Mr. Hamilton will d is cus s the p o s ition of the Cons ervatio n Commission regarding the Belmont Country C lub-
Mo ntes s o ri pro p erty for which the Town has a firs t-right-o f-refusal to p urc has e.
SUGGESTED MOTION:
FOLLOW-UP:
DATE AND APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
4/5/2016 4:00 P M
ATTACHMENTS:
Des crip tion Typ e
GCC Presentation to Cons ervation Commis s ion on 4/5 Pres entation
Montesorri School - Regarding Belmont Country Club Land Purchas e Backup Material
Map of Site Backup Material
KEITH OHMART, CHAIR TEL: 781-698-4580
ALEXANDRA DOHAN FAX: (781) 863-9468
MARGARET ENDERS
EILEEN ENTIN
DONALD GRANT
ROBERT HAUSSLEIN
SUSAN KENYON
PAUL KNIGHT
MICHAEL TABACZYNSKI
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
greenwaycc@lexingtonma.gov
Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
Greenways Corridor Committee
April 5, 2016
Belmont Country Club Property Acquisition
The following outline has been prepared by the Greenways Corridor Committee for presentation at the April 5
meeting of the Lexington Conservation Commission. The information included is in response to comments
collected from a public hearing of the Conservation Commission on March 22, 2016 regarding the Town’s right
of first refusal regarding the proposed sale of a 19 acre parcel of land owned by the Belmont Country Club.
1. The acquisition of the Belmont Country Club (BCC) 19 acre parcel fulfills the following Land
Evaluation Criteria from the April 1996 report of the Land Acquisition Planning Committee to the
Lexington Conservation Commission:
• Contribution to Town Character:
- Public ownership would prevent problems of development.
• Biological Values:
- Parcel contains open wetland,
- Parcel serves as a buffer for existing wildlife habitat,
• Public Access Values:
- Parcel has (or could have) a usable trail system of at least 1000 feet in length,
- Parcel provides connection to public trails or connection between two areas of public open
space (e.g. ACROSS Lexington trail system linking Dunback Meadow and DCR Beaver
Brook North Reservation with Western Greenway Trail, none of which existed in 1996)
- Parcel has good cross-country skiing trails (n.b. or could have)
- Parcel has good wildlife viewing areas,
• Wetlands Protection Value:
- Parcel has land within the 100 year flood contour,
- Property protects adjacent wetlands from siltation or non-point source pollution.
KEITH OHMART, CHAIR TEL: 781-698-4580
ALEXANDRA DOHAN FAX: (781) 863-9468
MARGARET ENDERS
EILEEN ENTIN
DONALD GRANT
ROBERT HAUSSLEIN
SUSAN KENYON
PAUL KNIGHT
MICHAEL TABACZYNSKI
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
greenwaycc@lexingtonma.gov
Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
Greenways Corridor Committee
• Of 23 parcels listed as Critical (Must be protected to preserve critical public benefits.) to protect,
6 exceed 20 acres in size (including Arlington’s Great Meadow, Wilson Farm, the Lexington
Golf Club) while the remaining 17 average just 7.7 acres in size. The Belmont Country Club
parcel at 19 acres represents a rare and significant opportunity to protect existing open space.
2. Concern – Public Access/parking: Ample street parking is available on Pleasant Street. Montessori
parents already use these spaces during school hours and for evening events. There is also the possibility
of negotiating weekend parking with Lexington Montessori School (LMS). This would provide better
parking conditions than is true for many existing Conservation properties.
3. Concern - Passive recreational value limited to trail connection: This is true for nearly all of our existing
Conservation properties, with Lower Vine Brook, Katahdin Woods, Dunback Meadow being prime
examples. All three are fairly isolated with limited access/parking and only narrow trail entry points.
This factor did not forestall Town acquisition of these properties to preserve their open space value.
More recently, the ongoing development of the ACROSS Lexington trail system is providing significant
additional public value for many of Lexington’s individual Conservation properties by promoting the
concept that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is resulting in greater utilization of and
appreciation for Lexington’s Conservation property network by the general public. (Slide – Proposed
ACROSS trail network)
4. Concern – Trail improvements within a flood plain: FEMA Flood Hazard map indicates trail route is
possible avoiding flood plain. (Slide – FEMA map)
5. Concern – Active recreation facility adjacent to or within potential Conservation land: LMS has created
a soccer field on a portion of the 19 acres and wishes to continue leasing this space should the Town
acquire this property. Present examples of shared Recreation and Conservation space include Sutherland
Woods and Garfield Park/Meagherville Conservation property. Structured recreational areas adjacent to
undeveloped open space provides for a spectrum of outdoor activities for all age groups including the
increasingly rare opportunity for unstructured exploration activities on the part of our children in
undeveloped open space.
6. Concern – Trail access along MA DOT right of way adjacent to LMS property: GCC members held an
initial meeting with MA DOT District 4 Engineering staff on March 30 to discuss trail easement
KEITH OHMART, CHAIR TEL: 781-698-4580
ALEXANDRA DOHAN FAX: (781) 863-9468
MARGARET ENDERS
EILEEN ENTIN
DONALD GRANT
ROBERT HAUSSLEIN
SUSAN KENYON
PAUL KNIGHT
MICHAEL TABACZYNSKI
1625 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE LEXINGTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02420
greenwaycc@lexingtonma.gov
Town of Lexington, Massachusetts
Greenways Corridor Committee
opportunities. District staff were very supportive but needed to refer the request to the regional Right-of-
Way Division for final consideration. Ongoing regional trail development involvement on the part of
GCC members and Lexington Conservation Stewards with MAPC’s Landline regional trail program can
attest to successful development of trail easements with other MA DOT properties.
Conclusion: The Greenways Corridor Committee (GCC) strongly urges the Lexington Conservation
Commission (LCC) to publicly support the Town’s acquisition of this parcel. If the Town fails to purchase this
parcel, the GCC strongly urges the LCC to publicly support the Town’s acquisition of a Conservation
Restriction on this property including provision for a trail easement should this be offered to the Town.
Lexington Montessori School
TO: Board of Selectmen, Town of Lexington:
Joe Pato, Chair; Suzie Barry, Michelle Ciccolo, Norman Cohen, Peter Kelley, Lynne Pease
From: Aline Gery, Head of School, Lexington Montessori School
RE: Belmont Country Club Land Purchase
Date: 4/4/2016
For 25 years, LMS has leased approximately three acres of the 19-acre property from the Belmont
Country Club (BCC) for a modest annual fee. Since BCC offered to sell us the property in
December 2013, we have been working to secure a fair price as well as identify funding
prospects, never losing sight of the opportunity to protect the land while preserving its school
functions. Over these two-plus years, we have also hoped to work with the Town of Lexington to
determine if there might be a mutually positive outcome for the land and its uses.
For LMS, these 19 acres provide an outdoor classroom to enhance our curriculum: environmental
sustainability, preservation of natural landscape, social and geological history of the land, plant
and wildlife identification, impact on land by humans. Care of the land would be integral to the
learning. To facilitate this education, we envision trails, a covered (pavilion-style) space for group
gatherings, benches for quiet reflection.
We have considered a number of other possible uses: 1) Our farming curriculum is largely done
in our greenhouse and on our current campus but could expand to the open space in the uplands
of the 19 acres. 2) A natural amphitheater for pretend play and outdoor performance would fit
into the landscape not disturb it. 3) Modest modifications or reorientation of the playing field to
provide a larger space for soccer and other field sports would factor into the plans. 4) Fencing to
mark the recess space would remain. 5) LMS would like to allow public access to nature/hiking
trails while maintaining the security of the LMS campus.
Beginning in mid March of this year LMS has reached out to members of the Greenways
Corridor Committee to explore the possibility of establishing a public hiking trail through the
property while protecting the security of the LMS campus. These discussions have included the
possibility of LMS selling a Conservation Restriction to the Town to protect the integrity of the
open space not being used by LMS for recreational purposes.
LMS hopes to purchase the 19-acre parcel and, to ensure preservation of most of the land,
negotiate the sale of a Conservation Restriction and Trail Easement with the Town. We
successfully negotiated the $1.8 million price with BCC, but paying in full for the land by
January 1, 2018 will still be a stretch for the school. Given our educational philosophy and
commitment to environmental sustainability, LMS plans to be excellent stewards of the land.
Thank you for your attention to this project.
Lexington Montessori School, 130 Pleasant Street, Lexington, MA 02421
www.lexmontessori.org
781-862-8571
WatertownStreet
ConcordAvenue
Chadbourne Road
Potter P o n d GreenLaneGreatRock R o a d Briggs Road
Ramp-WatertownStT oF r o n t a ge Rd
Concord Highway
AudubonRoadFrontageRdConnector
Crescent Road
PleasantStreetRamp-WatertownStNbToFrontageRd(R t2W b )Frontage Road
Ramp-Rt2Eb T o W a t e r t o w n S t S b
R a m p -R t s 4 S b /2 2 5 S b T o R t 2 E b
La w r e nce Lane
BelmontCountryClub
BeaverBrook NorthReservation
USGS, MassGIS
Belmont Country Club
Trails and Bicycle Facilities
The information depicted on this map is for planning purposes only.It is not adequate for legal boundary definition, regulatoryinterpretation, or parcel-level analyses.
Produced by:Metropolitan Area Planning Council60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111 | (617) 933-0700
Data Sources: Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)Massachusetts Geographic Information System (MassGIS)Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT)
March, 2016
Document Path: K:\DataServices\Projects\Current_Projects\BikePedMapping\LandLine\Project_Files\Lexington Golf Club.mxd
°0 0.045 0.090.0225 Miles
Greenway Route
Greenway and Walking Trail
Regional Walking Trail
Shared Use Paths
Shared-Use Path
Shared-Use Path, Unimproved Surface
Walking Trails
Bicycle Facilities
Footpath (paved or natural surface)
Bike Lane
Cycle Track
Marked Shared-Lane
Existing Proposed
AGENDA ITEM SUM M ARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Review Draft of Brookhaven Memorandum of Agreement for Article 45 (20 min.)
PRESENTER:
Carl F. Valente, Carol Kowals ki,
Mic helle Cic c o lo and S uzie Barry
ITEM
NUMBER:
I.2
SUMMARY:
Continue d is c us s ion: Review and rec eive Selec tmen's input o n the key p rovis io ns o f Memorand um o f
Agreement related to the proposed Bro o khaven rezo ning inc luding:
1. Tax status - to be d etermined by the Board o f Assessors
2. Contrib utio n fo r affordable hous ing. Optio ns to b e disc ussed inc lude:
Cash c ontribution equal to the d evelop ment c o s t fo r 7 affordable units , d is counted to present value o ver
20 years ;
Cash c ontribution, p aid in equal ins tallments over a 10 year period;
Bro o khaven to p ro vide 7 o f its new units on a s traight rental b as is , in a manner ac ceptab le to DHCD to
b e included in the S ubsidized Hous ing Invento ry;
Combinatio n o f land and c as h to allow To wn to c o nstruc t affo rd able units o n Bro o khaven property; o r
Contrib utio n o f land to allow To wn to c ons truct affordable units o n Brookhaven p ro p erty.
SUGGESTED MOTION:
FOLLOW-UP:
Nego tiating team will continue to d raft Agreement.
DATE AND APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
4/5/2016 4:30 P M
AGENDA ITEM SUM M ARY
LEXINGTON BOARD OF SELECTMEN MEETING
AGENDA ITEM TITLE:
Exemption 3: Potential Litigation (430 Concord Avenue); and Exemption 6: Consider
Purchase, Exchange, Lease or Value of Real Property (Belmont Country Club) (30 min.)
PRESENTER:
Carl Valente; Jo e P ato
ITEM
NUMBER:
E.1
SUMMARY:
Sugges ted motio n fo r Exec utive Session: Move th a t the B oard g o into Executive S ession to d iscu ss strateg y
with respect to litigation of 4 3 0 Concord Road (E xemp tion 3 ) a n d to consid er the p u rch a se, exchange, lease
or valu e of real prop erty (Belmonth Country C lub) (Exemption 6) and to reconvene in Op en Session on ly to
a d jou rn. Further, that as Ch a irma n , I declare that an open meetin g may have a detrimen tal effect on the
n eg otiating position of th e Town .
1 : Up d a te on 430 Con cord Aven u e zonin g violation s
2 : Up d a te on Belmont Country Clu b parcel
SUGGESTED MOTION:
NA
FOLLOW-UP:
Town Manager's Office
DATE AND APPROXIMATE TIME ON AGENDA:
4/5/2016 4:50 P M