town moves to aquire north 40
There is peace at last for Wellesley residents following the tale of Wellesley College’s 46 acre plot of land for sale. A 35 million dollar peace -- a peace that will require months of decision making including a Town Meeting vote, voter approval, tax override, bond offering… Really the story is just starting.
Wellesley College chose to sell the North 40, the 46 acre property situated between Weston Road and Central Street, to the town of Wellesley, one out of thirteen interested buyers. On December 18, the Wellesley town selectmen signed a purchase and sale agreement with the college over the North 40. The agreement allows the town to purchase the land for 35 million dollars.
Hans Larsen, the executive director on the town board of selectmen, said the town decided to enter this agreement with the college because the North 40 is “an extremely sensitive and significant parcel of land relatively near the center of town that is integral to our community, so we want the town to be able to control it and what goes on there,” said Larsen.
Donald McCauley, head of the town’s North 40 Steering Committee, added that “The town has a lot of needs- recreational fields, schools, buildings, but the town doesn’t have that much land for this, and the North 40 fulfills that need.”
In order to purchase the plot, the question of whether to buy the land went to a town meeting on January 20. The unprecedented hour-long meeting was the shortest in memory (usually town meetings last 8 hours spread over a two day period). With only one town meeting member opposed to buying the land, the decision was nearly unanimous to pursue the purchase of the North 40.
The journey to actually closing on the property is a long one. The town has a due diligence period through April 30, meaning they have until then to fully commit to purchasing the land. In March, Wellesley town citizens will vote on a Proposition 2 ½ tax override, which if passed means taxes will raise over 2.5%. The current proposed payment plan will require taxes to increase$141 per household for the next thirty years, covering 25 million dollars towards paying for the North Forty. Another ballot question will cover the other $10 million, proposing a bond offering to draw from funds in the Community Preservation Commission, which sets aside one percent of annual tax revenue for preserving important historical, natural, and cultural parts of the Wellesley community.
The agreement with the college includes that any buildings on the North 40 must comply with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Standards. LEED ranks buildings in terms of sustainability out of 100 points across six categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation in Design. To reach a Gold Standard, a building must achieve a rating of 60-79 points. Additionally, they must follow the International Dark-Sky Association’s Dark Sky standards. These guidelines minimize unnecessary outdoor lighting at night in order to save energy as well as protect the natural environment.
Fifty percent of the land will remain “open space”, as the purchase and sales agreement states. However, that does include playing fields and even parking lots. Approximately six acres of the land lie on the opposite side of the train tracks from the majority of the property. This land is hilly and difficult to build on, so to the delight of many environmental advocates, it is likely this portion of the property will remain forest.
Additionally, the agreement confirms that the beloved community gardens growing along the border of the North 40 will stay for three more years. In terms of the rest of the property, Larsen emphasized that “No firm decisions have been made for how [the land] will be used.”
“The community will have say in rigorous public discussion as to what it is used for.” Larsen said, “because it’s part of their town too.”
Like the land which is now Sprague Fields, a former landfill which was capped and converted to playing fields, the North Forty’s landfill must be addressed before any major building or changes can occur.
The Friends of the North 40 is a group with the mission of preserving as much of the North 40 as forest as they can. "The key is to keep as much as for forest as possible while still achieving our goals," said Pete Jones, a Friend of North 40. "It's not just forest. There gardens, and deer herds."
McCauley added that it’s important for residents to remember “It’s a wonderful property”. He urged residents to take advantage of all the trails and natural benefits the North 40 has to offer. “It’s an investment, a thirty year commitment, but it really will pay off. If it’s actively used by the town, it’s a very good investment.”
Larsen furthered that saying he would like residents to “reflect on the fact that the town’s in business for the long term. Our forefathers did a lot for the town positioning us to be where we are today. Now this is our chance to give the future generations positioning.”
This article appeared in the February 2015 issue of The Bradford.
Wellesley College chose to sell the North 40, the 46 acre property situated between Weston Road and Central Street, to the town of Wellesley, one out of thirteen interested buyers. On December 18, the Wellesley town selectmen signed a purchase and sale agreement with the college over the North 40. The agreement allows the town to purchase the land for 35 million dollars.
Hans Larsen, the executive director on the town board of selectmen, said the town decided to enter this agreement with the college because the North 40 is “an extremely sensitive and significant parcel of land relatively near the center of town that is integral to our community, so we want the town to be able to control it and what goes on there,” said Larsen.
Donald McCauley, head of the town’s North 40 Steering Committee, added that “The town has a lot of needs- recreational fields, schools, buildings, but the town doesn’t have that much land for this, and the North 40 fulfills that need.”
In order to purchase the plot, the question of whether to buy the land went to a town meeting on January 20. The unprecedented hour-long meeting was the shortest in memory (usually town meetings last 8 hours spread over a two day period). With only one town meeting member opposed to buying the land, the decision was nearly unanimous to pursue the purchase of the North 40.
The journey to actually closing on the property is a long one. The town has a due diligence period through April 30, meaning they have until then to fully commit to purchasing the land. In March, Wellesley town citizens will vote on a Proposition 2 ½ tax override, which if passed means taxes will raise over 2.5%. The current proposed payment plan will require taxes to increase$141 per household for the next thirty years, covering 25 million dollars towards paying for the North Forty. Another ballot question will cover the other $10 million, proposing a bond offering to draw from funds in the Community Preservation Commission, which sets aside one percent of annual tax revenue for preserving important historical, natural, and cultural parts of the Wellesley community.
The agreement with the college includes that any buildings on the North 40 must comply with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Standards. LEED ranks buildings in terms of sustainability out of 100 points across six categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, Innovation in Design. To reach a Gold Standard, a building must achieve a rating of 60-79 points. Additionally, they must follow the International Dark-Sky Association’s Dark Sky standards. These guidelines minimize unnecessary outdoor lighting at night in order to save energy as well as protect the natural environment.
Fifty percent of the land will remain “open space”, as the purchase and sales agreement states. However, that does include playing fields and even parking lots. Approximately six acres of the land lie on the opposite side of the train tracks from the majority of the property. This land is hilly and difficult to build on, so to the delight of many environmental advocates, it is likely this portion of the property will remain forest.
Additionally, the agreement confirms that the beloved community gardens growing along the border of the North 40 will stay for three more years. In terms of the rest of the property, Larsen emphasized that “No firm decisions have been made for how [the land] will be used.”
“The community will have say in rigorous public discussion as to what it is used for.” Larsen said, “because it’s part of their town too.”
Like the land which is now Sprague Fields, a former landfill which was capped and converted to playing fields, the North Forty’s landfill must be addressed before any major building or changes can occur.
The Friends of the North 40 is a group with the mission of preserving as much of the North 40 as forest as they can. "The key is to keep as much as for forest as possible while still achieving our goals," said Pete Jones, a Friend of North 40. "It's not just forest. There gardens, and deer herds."
McCauley added that it’s important for residents to remember “It’s a wonderful property”. He urged residents to take advantage of all the trails and natural benefits the North 40 has to offer. “It’s an investment, a thirty year commitment, but it really will pay off. If it’s actively used by the town, it’s a very good investment.”
Larsen furthered that saying he would like residents to “reflect on the fact that the town’s in business for the long term. Our forefathers did a lot for the town positioning us to be where we are today. Now this is our chance to give the future generations positioning.”
This article appeared in the February 2015 issue of The Bradford.