HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-10-27-BLUPC-min
Busa Land Use Proposal Committtee (BLUPC)
Report of Forum Conducted by the Town of Arlington
Arlington Town Hall
Moderator, Carol Kowalski, Director of Planning & Community Development, for
the Town of Arlington
Date: Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Time: 7:00 p.m. – 8:50 p.m.
Members of the BLUPC in attendance: Bill Dailey, David Horton, Ginna Johnson,
Pam Shadley, Deborah Strod, and Al Zabin. Absent: Ric Fulop.
The Forum:
-There were 55± people in attendance, including 5± Lexington residents
-The purpose of the forum was to provide Arlington residents with the opportunity
to express their views regarding the reuse of the Busa land
-34± people came to a microphone and expressed their views about the reuse of the
land.
Affordable Housing:
Views expressed included:
-keep any housing far away from the edge of the reservoir [the speaker expressed
an interest in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), too]
-if there is a complex, that it allows nature to exist, too, keeping in mind the great
variety of birds in the vicinity and the existence of Munroe Brook
-consider the least dense housing as possible and away from reservoir (the speaker
really prefers no housing)
Recreation:
Views expressed included:
-no support for playing fields (density of recreational facilities there now on either
side of the Arlington Reservoir)
-do not build affordable housing there, but a farm is OK.
Multi-use:
-shared gardening space for educational use by students; educational/recreational
gardening to teach people about food/gardening
-make farm land more accessible to people using Arlington land; keep as a farm
with open space for picnics and other “passive” recreational activities
-the “Bigger Idea”: a multi-community opportunity for Arlington and Lexington
to collaborate
Open Space:
Views expressed included:
-
strongly favor keeping the land as open space, as much as possible in its
natural state, farming is OK to produce sustainable, local produce
-keep unpaved to protect water resources; keep as farm; remember to prevent
effluent from getting into water sources; prevent flooding (that housing might
create)
-create a green cemetery in combination with open space for birds and walking
-keep CSA going
-keep open space and the farm
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-if developed, think of impact on Arlington Reservoir – wildlife corridor to
Whipple Hill - maintain and enhance that corridor by not developing it
-volunteers at farm add quality to life of family, keep as community farm
-CSAs promote healthy lifestyle; community farm run by non-profit group (self-
sustaining, town not pay for operation of the farm)
-below a certain size (acreage), CSA might not be self-sustaining
-a farm will benefit community as a whole; consider its proximity and relationship
to the Arlington Reservoir; Arlington residents to work on the farm
-CSA at Busa Farm now; keep as a community farm with educational
opportunities for children; a farm correlates with state’s educational goals; would
hate to see loss of farmland to recreation
-has a CSA membership at Waltham and likes it; demand to join is huge; $600.
membership fee
-good place for adolescents to have a hands-on activity (son has worked there,
always able to find peer volunteers)
-provide people with hands-on work opportunities in an “urban” setting; benefits
to community are vast
-keep as farm and to demonstrate how food is produced; land is accessible by bike
path, reservoir, Great Meadows, bus
-customer of current farm; appreciates opportunity to bring children to farm stand;
provide educational opportunities and volunteer opportunities for adults and
children
-David White, Arlington Conservation Commission: Arlington owns land along
the farm (the reservoir)) and along Munroe Brook; loop trail that passes the edge
of the farm; favorite birding spot; change would alter experience for Arlington
residents
-need for open space and healthier lifestyles; is a “backyard farmer” with 12 plots
in Lexington; supplies fresh vegetables from small plots to people in the area;
keep as farm and preserve Lexington’s and Arlington’s farming history
-Chair of Open Space Committee: reservoir is an important resource; walking
trails; Munroe Brook nearby; natural resources; reservoir is heavily visited and
utilized; highlight of open space plan; maintain eco-system; involved with
Arlington Land Trust, coordinating with Lexington; member of Busa Farm CSA;
member of Menotomy Bird Club and walks there, see lots of birds
-person who spoke is a member of the Board of Climate Action Committee and the
Minuteman Regional Career and Technical High School Parent Association;
consider unintended consequences, such as the displacement of water; sell food to
schools(?); impact on water in Arlington and Lexington, if fields are put down
-destroy history, if you remove farm and farm stand; bring to and erect a historical
barn on the property (cost?); erect housing for the farm manager; no soccer field
-Ed Starr, Chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee: change in use of land,
be aware of traffic impact; recreation has a high impact on traffic; determine trip
generation
-Elisabeth Carr Jones, member of Transportation Advisory Committee: has been
in contact with Lexington’s town engineer regarding traffic conditions in the
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vicinity of the land, in particular, Westminster Avenue and Lowell Street; will
give us reports; Lexington to coordinate with Arlington
-birds in the vicinity of the Arlington reservoir and Busa land are ecologically
connected
-likes the farm and the continued use of the land as a farm
-Arlington residents would be prepared to volunteer on a farm
David Horton, Recorder
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