Last night the Governor Stoughton Trust Land Committee gave a summary of its draft report to the Board of Selectmen and solicited comments and input from the public in attendance. And the debate raged on.
The committee was appointed by the Milton Board of Selectmen almost two years ago to provide “an advisory opinion and recommendations to the Trustees regarding possible future use of the Governor Stoughton Trust Land in keeping with the charitable purpose expressed in Governor Stoughton’s Last Will and Testament.”
The land was historically a town farm that has been long out of use. It is 34 acres that is loosely bordered by Canton Ave, Gov Stoughton Lane, and Unquity Road.
Committee member David Hall presented the summary of the report which he emphasized was a draft. The final will incorporate feedback etc and be presented to the Selectmen at a future date. In short, the committee recommends a trust of $5 million be established . The report goes into much more detail and includes “findings” and appendices. The full report with appendices can be found on the town web site here.
Mr. Hall acknowledged that some might find the report “frustrating” given it does not recommend a clear course of action. A recommendation on land use is probably “what the Selectmen wanted and what the residents feared.” He went on to say that “doing nothing at all was not an option.”
Webster Collins another member rose to “close the door” on allegations that the committee had violated the open meeting law. He said that was “100% in error.” He said they worked within the confines of the regulations and that the committee acted in a way that was like Ivory soap, “99% pure.”
During the public comment portion of the evening about 22 people rose to speak. Comments generally, but not exclusively, either in favor of using the opportunity the land afforded to increase the inventory of affordable housing available in the town or adamantly against affordable housing as it would create an undo tax burden on the other residents in part due to strain that would be added to town services. As one speaker, Michael Kelly noted, it was largely “a referendum on affordable housing.” He went on to say that “affordable housing does not accommodate the poor.”
Tom Callahan, Milton resident and director of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance, advocated mixed use that would bring back the farm, include waling trails, restore existing structures and provide some units of affordable housing that “is not high density.”
Just over half the residents who spoke were in opposition.
One speaker, Martin DeMatteo, stated that a “very strange thing was going on . . .the Selectmen have brewed up some witches brew” and that they (the Selectmen) were going to “dilute the town and damage it.” Chairman Shields rose to respond. He reminded the audience that “the genesis of this was we wanted to move the dog pound.” They consulted with their contact at the Attorney General’s office who requested “a plan for this land.” The Selectmen then convened a committee of individuals with expertise in real estate etc to assess the issue and help develop a plan. He said they would be reviewing the report as written and that discussion might occur at the Selectmen’s meeting on November 19th.
Frank, thanks so much for this report. I saw the hearing on Milton Cable and my biggest concern was the lack of civility during the hearing. I was hurt to see people get heckled and booed. I totally understand that there are different opinions on this issue and it is clear that the Selectmen and the Committee are doing an incredible job with this issue. I stand to support their efforts, but I will not stand to support the lack of civility and respect that was given to certain speakers. We can always agree to disagree, but we must remember that we are all neighbors here and in the end, we all live in the same town. Thanks for this report.
We are pleased to see that some of the abutters continue to speak out in favor of affordable housing on Town Farm. Mr. Gillooly’s statement above along with Mr. Grogan’s testimony on Monday are further indication that a town-wide consensus could emerge about the best option for the property.
The Friends of Town Farm (a group of Milton residents assisted by the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance) has not endorsed a specific development proposal because more study needs to be done. It is true that we have spoken out in favor of elements of the 86 unit proposal and spoke Monday about a density that would be roughly equivalent to the density at Home, Inc or Quisset Brook. For the record, Home, Inc. has 2.59 units per acre and Quisset Brook has 1.72 units per acre. If town farm were developed with those densities in mind, the range of units on the site would be from 58 to 88.
We also would point out that the density of developments like Fuller Village and Winter Valley are more like 6-7 units per acre – a level that no one considers appropriate for Town Farm.
We believe that a consensus could be built in town for the following: 1) preserving the historic buildings; 2) restoring community farming to the site; 3) respecting the natural beauty of the landscape; and 4) including affordable homeownership opportunities as part of the plan to fulfill the will. We look forward to working with Indian Cliffs residents, town officials, and other Milton residents as we move forward.