Chapter 7 – Open Space

CHAPTER 7

OPEN SPACE

I. INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS

As described in the Land Use Inventory,110 Concord is fortunate to have a significant amount of preserved open space within its borders. According to the Open Space and Recreation Plan of 2004, 35% (5,803 acres) of Con- cord’s land is protected open space, 38% (6,277 acres) is developed, and 27% (4,470 acres) is “uncommitted.”111 Over the past 20 years, 932 acres of previously undeveloped land have been developed for residential pur- poses, increasing the total town acreage developed for residential purposes by 17%.112

The Open Space and Recreation Plan of 2004 has identified seven large swaths of natural vegetation that dominate the open landscape, as well as five large agricultural areas. The swaths of natural vegetation lie largely in the following areas:

Palumbo Farm on Lexington Road

1. Estabrook Woods Area—Harvard University’s Estabrook Woods, Middlesex School land, Bateman’s , Punkatasset Town Conser- vation land, and areas north to Carlisle

110 See Chapter 2 of this CLRP. 111 Open Space and Recreation Plan, June 2004 112 Source: 1985 Open Space Plan; Open Space and Recreation Plan, June 2004.

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2. Great Meadows and Ball’s Hill Area—Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, continuous vegetation to the north and west of

3. Walden Woods/Town Forest Area—Fairyland Pond, Hapgood Wright Town Forest, Brister’s Hill, State Reservation, Fairhaven Hill, Lincoln line to Fairhaven Bay

4. Second Division Brook Area—Old Rifle Range Town Conservation land, Musketaquid Sportsmen’s Club, Kennedy’s Pond, areas south to near the Sudbury line

5. Virginia Road Woods—Bedford Levels, Elm Brook, Pine Hill, areas north to Bedford line

6. Annursnac Hill/Strawberry Hill Road—Annursnac Town conser- vation land and woodland north of Strawberry Hill Road

7. Jennie Dugan Kames—brook, golf course and woods within Con- cord Country Club, extending eastward across the towards the Concord Land Conservation Trust’s Soutter Land

The following should be considered for the Agricultural Overlay District due to the concentration of agricultural activities in these areas:

1. Nine Acre Corner – Verrill, Taranto, and Poutasse Farms

2. Lexington Road – Palumbo Farm and National Park

3. Monument Street – Hutchins Farm

4. Harrington Avenue – Marshall Farms

5. Williams Road, Sudbury Road, Route 2 -- Mattison, Souter and Arena Farms

6. Bedford Road, Old Bedford Road – Scimone, Burke and Kenney Farms

7. Reformatory and McGrath Farm on Barrett’s Mill Road

In addition to the above 14 areas, of paramount importance to the town are the lands along the three rivers--Sudbury, Assabet and Concord, and the brooks--Spencer, Second Division, Elm, Jennie Dugan and Nashoba.

Concord has some 944 acres of rivers and , and 4,252 acres of wet- lands within its borders. Farmlands have dwindled to approximately 1,350 acres. Other open areas include the four burial grounds and cemeteries, country clubs and sports clubs, and private school campuses.

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As the forces of development intensify, Concord Approximately 971 acres of forest and recreational land must recognize the treasure it holds in the re- receive preferential tax treat- maining forests, wild meadows, and agricultural ment under Ch. 61, but have no fields scattered throughout town, both in large permanent conservation re- swaths and small pockets in more developed ar- striction. Approximately 1,320 eas. The opportunity to preserve the parcels additional undeveloped acres that have not yet been permanently conserved remain in private hands, and are subject to development. will come only once. When and if these parcels, large or small, are converted to other public or private uses – housing, schools, fire or police stations - the stock of open space is permanently diminished. Once a 100- acre farm becomes 100 houses, it will never revert to farmland, or a forest.

Throughout its history, Concord has valued its undeveloped areas. From the prehistoric dwellers, to Henry David Thoreau (who many describe as the fa- ther of the environmental movement), to the authors of the numerous plan- ning documents that have guided the town for the last five decades, empha- sis has been placed on preserving the treasured undeveloped spaces that are unique to Concord. Each of the 1959, 1972-73, and 1987 Long Range Plans, and 1985, 1992 and 2004 Open Space Plans has identified the large unbuilt patterns of open land as Concord’s principal asset. Open space remains one of Concord’s highest priorities because it provides such a range of conspicu- ous benefits to the Town and its citizens.

Scenic Vista of Spencer Brook Valley

Recognizing its open space as a treasure, Concord and its citizens, in con- junction with private conservation groups113 have been vigilant in taking the steps necessary to preserve important parcels as the opportunities arose, and these efforts should be commended. Indeed, since the last Open Space

113 Such as the Concord Land Conservation Trust, Walden Woods, and the Trustees of Reservations.

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Report in 1992, major portions of the Estabrook Woods have received per- manent protection (about 1,100 acres); 50 acres of land were acquired by Walden Woods, off Sudbury Road and Fairhaven Hill Road; 76 acres on Route 2 at Sudbury Road (Soutter land) have received permanent protection; Mat- tison Field and the Simon Willard Woods, as well as other smaller parcels, have been purchased for conservation purposes; and citizens have placed conservation restrictions on a number of other important parcels. It is im- portant that these private and public efforts be maintained and facilitated, if the town is to continue to preserve its open, historic, agricultural and wooded landscape.

As the town faces increasing demands on its open land to meet municipal needs, it is in the fortunate position not available to many of its more densely-developed neighbors. Concord has the option to fulfill its municipal land needs by following the principles of “Smart Growth,” advocated by the Office for Commonwealth Development.114 Those principles call for intensifying the use of its already built or “civilized” areas, instead of looking to town-owned open land to meet those needs. Smart Growth prin- ciples call for, among other things: 1) redeveloping first – reusing existing structures, rehabbing housing, rehabilitating underused commercial spaces (such as the Beharrell and Bradford Street areas); 2) concentrating devel- opment – supporting development that is compact, conserves land, inte- grates uses, and fosters a sense of place; and 3) restoring and enhancing the environment by expanding land and water conservation.115 Utilization of this land use planning tool would result in the recommendation that open lands owned by the Town for municipal or school purposes be converted to recreation, agriculture or other conservation purposes whenever possible, unless there are no other means to meet other pressing municipal needs.

In light of the speculation that the State may be interested in selling the 117- acre “prison farm” land at the Northeast Correctional Center, adjacent to the Route 2 Rotary, it is critical that town officials make some contingency plans so that they can be active players in any re-use of this parcel. The loss of such a visible, large tract of open space would be a significant loss to the town’s aesthetic and visual landscape, and to the farming community in gen- eral. It is recommended that Concord take steps to assure that the Town will be prepared to respond as an active and involved participant in a timely fash- ion to any decision by the State to declare the property surplus.

Acquiring or accepting donations of open space parcels is only the first step in the Town’s collective responsibility of land preservation. Maintaining these parcels so that they remain accessible to the public, both physically and aes- thetically, is equally as important. The Town’s stewardship responsibility should include the development and continued implementation of a mainte-

114 See Glossary for an explanation of “Smart Growth” 115 See Sustainable Development Principles, Office for Commonwealth Development, 2004.

118 Chapter 7 – Open Space nance plan for all its open spaces, to protect both the land and the Town’s financial investment.116

Open Space in West Concord Side Lawn of the Former Our Lady Help of Christians Church

Unprotected Open Space Off of Estabrook Road

116 Stewardship would include mowing fields, dredging ponds (such as Fairyland), developing and maintaining trails linking trails and bikepaths, etc.

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II. CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, GOALS & OBJECTIVES

Challenges • Over 2000 acres of existing forest, fields or other open landscapes are vulnerable to development. • High cost of land in Concord, and the lack of municipal resources to fully underwrite the purchase of open space for conservation pur- poses. • Agricultural land is critical to preserving the rural look and feel of Concord, but is often the most vulnerable to development pressure.

Opportunities • Zoning changes can mitigate the fragmentation of open spaces. • Partnering with private and regional conservation groups can lever- age scarce municipal resources to preserve land. • CPA funds could enhance municipal resources to preserve land. • Establishing a wider network of trails to access conservation land and connect conservation parcels will make these lands more widely available for use and enjoyment by the public, and encour- age more widespread stewardship.

Overview: The opportunity to preserve land comes only once, and the timing of these opportunities is often inconvenient. During the next ten years, owners will feel increased pressure for the disposition of most of the significant large parcels of unprotected open land in Concord, either to development for other uses, or protection of their open status. We are recommending steps to protect lands contiguous to large open space parcels, and smaller “green pockets” in Village Centers and the more densely developed neighborhoods.

GOAL OS-1: Protect more open land, both land that is within or contiguous to already conserved open space areas, and pockets of open space within Concord’s more densely developed neighborhoods.

Objective OS-1.1 Evaluate town and school-owned open land that is held for municipal or school purposes for permanently protected open land.

Action OS-1.1.1 Review list of town and school-owned open spaces, and priori- tize for possible conservation protection, parcels or portions of parcels that are contiguous to already protected large open tracts or agricultural spaces; parcels contiguous to rivers, streams or containing wetlands; and smaller parcels that receive

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high recreational use within their neighborhoods or are on the Historic Masterplan’s117 list of scenic viewsheds.

Action OS-1.1.2 Consider developing appropriate portions of town-owned open spaces held for municipal or school uses for either mixed or market housing, so as to generate resources for important town goals that otherwise would have a claim on such open lands, but could be furthered elsewhere.

Action OS-1.1.3 Incorporate the 2004 Open Space Plan in town and community decision-making regarding open space and recreation. The Plan recommends that the Board of Selectmen and Natural Re- sources Commission jointly sponsor a meeting of interested per- sons on an annual basis to consider open space issues and op- portunities.

Objective OS-1.2 Consider state and federal public lands within town borders for conser- vation or recreation purposes.

Action OS-1.2.1 Consider preservation of open vistas in any redevelopment plan of the prison farmland.

Action OS-1.2.2 Propose mutually advantageous swaps with the Commonwealth to achieve conservation or recreation purposes.

Objective OS-1.3 Support efforts to preserve privately owned large and small tracts that are contiguous to large open vegetative or agricultural areas, as iden- tified in the Open Space & Recreation Plan 2004.

Action OS-1.3.1 Use a portion of CPA funds to secure a continued source of con- servation funding apart from Proposition 2 1/2 overrides.

Action OS-1.3.2 Notify private conservation groups118 at the same time as Public Officials and Town departments when Chapter 61 lands are of-

117 217-page publication of the Concord Historical Commission, Historic Resources Masterplan of Concord, Massachusetts (2001), hereinafter referred to as Masterplan. 118 such as Concord Land Conservation Trust, Walden Woods, Trustees of Reserva- tions, Sudbury Valley Trustees, American Farmland Trust, Massachusetts Nature Conservancy, and Mass. Audubon

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fered to the Town, in order to allow maximum time for private fundraising and collaboration.

Action OS-1.3.3 Accept as many conservation restrictions as possible by private landowners. If immediate public access is not offered by the landowner, consider the overall conservation values represented by keeping the parcel open, when balancing the public benefit served by the restriction.

Action OS-1.3.4 Identify neighborhoods, determine their passive and active rec- reational opportunities and needs, and inventory open spaces and small green pockets within or near each neighborhood that would address these needs.

GOAL OS-2: Remove barriers or disincentives to protection of open spaces.

Objective OS-2.1 Review assessment practices as they affect land under permanent conservation restrictions.

Action OS-2.1.1 Charge the Board of Assessors with development and refine- ment of assessment policies that relieve tax burdens on re- stricted open land to the greatest extent possible under state law. Data on the practices of neighboring towns should be con- sidered in formulating such policies.

GOAL OS-3: Promote use of and access to exist- ing open space resources.

Objective OS-3.1 Develop a system of trails and bike paths connecting open spaces.

Action OS-3.1.1 Increase the number of trails that connect conservation lands to individual neighborhoods.

Action OS-3.1.2 Prepare a comprehensive map of trails and bike paths that are open to the public throughout town – on federal, state, town, and privately held land – and make it accessible to the public.

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Objective OS-3.2 Enforce those existing conservation restrictions that allow public ac- cess.

Action OS-3.2.1 Employ a part- or full-time field ranger to monitor restrictions and coordinate work of volunteer stewardship committees.

Objective OS-3.3 Work with regional towns and agencies to identify and protect common wildlife, water and human corridors.

Action OS-3.3.1 Maintain present level of functioning corridors and increase co- operation with other towns, while keeping needs of Concord in the forefront.

Action OS-3.3.2 Open the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail linking Concord to Sudbury and Acton.

Action OS-3.3.3 Work through regional agencies such as the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, HATS, SUASCO, River Stewardship Council and neighboring towns to address watershed issues and issues of regional importance (e.g. Hanscom Field, Bay Circuit Trail, etc.).

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Maplewood Farm – Minute Man National Historic Park – Lexington Road

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