Celebrating 15 years
as a grassroots voice
for the natural environment! 

 

MASSBAY LAND SALE

 

It's complicated. Read the following articles to help make sense of it all: 

"Let's not accept a check-the-box narrative for MassBay property," Letter to the Editor,  The Swellesley Report

 

Wellesley Conservation Land Trust clarifies Boston Globe article

READ 37 QUESTIONS the Select Board has for the State regarding this project, here. 

MASSBAY VISIONING WORKSHOP POSTPONED

Read the November Select Board Announcement

MassBay has added 45 acres of land - outlined in white below - to the Surplus Land Inventory, to be sold to a developer and used through the new Affordable Homes Act (AHA)

 

This land is directly adjacent to Centennial Reservation's 40 acres, which is protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution. 

 

This is a State-sponsored project which does not go through the Town's normal zoning and approval process, such as wetlands protection laws. 

State land to be sold outlined in "white" above. 

Map is hand illustrated, lines are approximate. 

 

 

The State's new Affordable Homes Act allows "by right" zoning, and limits a municipality's ability to control the permitting. It stipulates a minimum of 180 units to be built "by right" on this 45 acre parcel. (4 units per acre), and fastracks development. DCAMM and EOHLC* have informed the Town that this project is on a fast timeline, yet we know no details about the project. 

 

*DCAMM: Department of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance

*EOHLC: Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities

  • The "top half" of what we think of as Centennial Reservation is actually owned by the State
  • Combined, these 80 acres are the largest forested lands in Wellesley - an amazing natural resource, providing clean air and water, stormwater capture, wildlife habitat, and recreation
  • Massive construction and development would erode this natural resource. 
  • Proceeds from the land sale will partially fund a new $75 Million dollar academic building on the main campus at 50 Oakland Street.
  • New location, costs and phasing of the 650 students parking spaces are unknown.
  • The sale value of the land to a developer is unknown.
  • The date for the issuance of an RFP (Request for Proposal) to developers is unknown. 

 

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Write!

Please take a few minutes to email Governor Maura Healey and other officials. Instructions below. 

 

Request that the 40 acres of MassBay Forest at 40 Oakland Street be removed from the Surplus Land Inventory List and not be sold to a private developer. Please express your feelings about why this land matters, and its importance to you. The message doesn’t have to be long. 

 

Instructions here.

 

Order a Free Sign

Sign up for a free lawn sign and it will be installed in Wellesley and neighboring communities by our team. 

Sign Our Petition

Join over 3,300 people who are asking for this land to be removed from the Surplus Land Inventory, including the Wellesley Conservation Land Trust and the Friends of Brookside. 

MASSBAY FOREST WALK

(Saturday, December 13, 10:00am)

 

Thanks, again, Wellesley Trails Committee, for leading over 50 people (and several pooches) for an informative walk through the MassBay Forest last Saturday morning. The property lines between Centennial Reservation and MassBay are now marked, but the lands are indistinguishable from each other.

 

(Over 30 residents attended the post-Thanksgiving morning walk. We appreciate everyone's interest in preserving this important land. )

 

 

Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution is a state law that protects the right to a clean environment and specifies that certain public lands, designated for conservation, recreation, or agriculture, cannot be disposed of or have their use changed without meeting strict legal requirements. The MassBay State-owned 40 acres are not designated as being protected under Article 97, unlike adjacent Centennial Reservation. 

This map from the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs evaluates this land as "Prime Forest Land." The pink lines are Hiking Wilderness Trails with a 10 meter buffer.  The map is entitled: Article 97 Natural Resource Site Evaluation. 

Visit our companion website: 
SaveMassBayForest.org

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