Green Acton Statement in Support of Town Purchase of Piper Lane Parcels

August 21, 2020

Green Acton supports the Town’s proposed purchase of the Piper Lane parcels,* slated by the Acton Board of Selectmen for consideration at the upcoming Special Town Meeting on September 8, 2020. [Article 1 on the Warrant]

Last year, Green Acton took a position against the proposed 40B** residential building project on the same parcels [https://greenacton.org/green-acton-public-statement-re-proposed-piper-lane-building-project-7-9-2019/] because of the unnecessary impact the project would have on the Great Hill Conservation Area, namely, the destruction of vernal pool uplands, the destruction of acres of publicly owned trees and wetlands, the disruption of wildlife habitat, and the demolition of hiking trails. In addition, Green Acton opposed the project because it would decrease neighborhood access to greenspace, increase traffic in the South Acton neighborhood, and increase our Town’s carbon footprint, especially because the developer never committed to using renewable  energy sources, water-saving fixtures, or environmentally responsible materials for the project.

Since our 2019 statement, Green Acton has learned about additional risk to the public that would be posed by construction on the site: potentially dangerous chemicals present in the soil from the site’s former use as an orchard.***

Now that the Board of Selectmen has negotiated a price for the properties with the developer, we strongly support the purchase by the Town. Not only is the purchase price lower than the appraised price, but also, the funds would come from the Community Preservation Act Open Space Set-Aside Fund, and thus, would not impact taxpayers. Also, because our understanding is that one of the parcels has a house that can be sold or rehabbed for affordable housing, we believe the net cost to the Town could be further reduced. As we have previously stated, Green Acton is mindful of the great need for genuinely affordable housing for some of our most vulnerable residents — those with lower incomes (including some seniors) and some people with disabilities. But the 40B project, as proposed, would not provide affordable accommodation for such residents, so the Town’s purchase of the property does not deprive these residents of affordable housing.

A final reason for our support is that the Town of Acton has previously identified most of the land area encompassed by these parcels as priority conservation land acquisitions. The proposed purchase would add this land to the Great Hill Conservation Area, a long-term goal of the Town supported by Green Acton. Last year, Green Acton urged the Town to redouble its efforts to purchase the land for conservation. Especially in this time of climate emergency and tremendous biodiversity loss in our town and region, we believe that the purchase of this land would support and enhance the Town’s sustainability (and other) goals.

We congratulate Town staff and volunteers for having done this work, support the purchase of the parcels, and urge people to come to the September Special Town Meeting and vote YES on Warrant article #1.

Respectfully,

Green Acton Board of Directors
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* 4 Piper Lane, 6 Piper Lane, and 4 Piper Lane Rear parcels and a 40′ Right of Way on the eastern side of the 90 School Street parcel

** “40B” refers to M.G.L. Chapter 40B, Secs. 20–23, also known as the “Comprehensive Permit Act.” The act is a Massachusetts law that allows development of housing deemed by the act and associated regulations as “affordable” to override certain aspects of municipal zoning bylaws and other requirements. The law is administered by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.

*** http://doc.acton-ma.gov/dsweb/Get/Document-72141/ActonPiperLane_BSC_PeerReviewLtr__Summary.pdf