Open Space – Page 7 – Belmont Citizens Forum

A Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Thursday

Historic Preservation, Open Space, Staycation Comments Off

Aug 042016

A Belmont Staycation Postcard from a Thursday

This is a postcard from my trial Staycation in July — Check out the shorter postcards on our Facebook page, and post your own there! Hi, Today I was really looking forward to visiting two old favorites: Belmont Farmer’s Market: I picked up some salad fixings from several different vendors, enjoyed cheese offered at State Senator Will Brownsberger’s table, and listened to a brass band. I chatted with the manager and a couple of neighbors. I heard vendors talking about the drought. I always feel a sense of community at the Farmer’s Market, as well as a greater connection with [READ MORE]

Clay Pit Pond Walking Path Gets Funded

Historic Preservation, May 2016, Open Space Comments Off

May 202016

By Jim Roth, Mary Trudeau, and Margaret Velie On May 2, the Belmont Community Preservation Committee (CPC) approved the application by the Belmont Conservation Commission for $228,350 for the construction of the Intergenerational Walking Path and its entrances. Town Meeting approved the funds on May 4. Golf is often described as “a good walk spoiled.” Those traversing the often muddy path around Clay Pit Pond in front of Belmont High School echo a similar sentiment. Recreational walkers, joggers, dog walkers, cross-country skiers, and the high school crosscountry teams all use the well-worn earthen trail, even though it is often impassible due to [READ MORE]

A Tribute to Judith K. Record’s Legacy

January 2016, Newsletter, Open Space Comments Off

Jan 132016

By Heli Tomford For many years, social scientists calculated generations as twenty year intervals. By that estimate, it was a generation ago that a January 1996 Boston Globe headline stated: ”McLean may quit Belmont campus to reduce costs.” McLean fortunately did not quit its campus, a decision its trustees made half a year later. Instead, the hospital and the town of Belmont embarked on a long, arduous journey to reach an agreement on how McLean’s 238 acre campus would be used–a journey that was significantly influenced by Judith K. Record. While Belmont’s Selectmen initially chose a cautious wait-and-see approach, many [READ MORE]

What is the Future of McLean’s Open Land?

Historic Preservation, July 2015, Newsletter, Open Space Comments Off

Jul 102015

What is the Future of McLean’s Open Land?

By Sue Bass Piece by piece, the remaining open land in Belmont is being protected—or developed. The Belmont Uplands were bulldozed. The town’s last farm has been saved, protected by Lydia Ogilby and her family with an agricultural restriction. A dozen houses are filling what used to be two six-acre estates off Concord Avenue on Belmont Hill. But nearby open space is covered by conservation restrictions, thanks to descendants of the Claflin-Atkins family that once farmed the land, particularly the late Anne Allen. The fate of two major open areas remains undetermined. Officers of the Belmont Country Club insist that [READ MORE]

Mugar Site Plans May Mean More Flooding

July 2015, Newsletter, Open Space, Stormwater Comments Off

May 122015

Along the north side of Route 2 in East Arlington lie seventeen acres of wetlands almost entirely in the 100-year floodplain. Despite its potential for flooding, this parcel has been the subject of various development proposals over the years. Recently Oaktree Development of Cambridge showed Arlington town officials a preliminary sketch of a proposed 219-unit housing development on the parcel owned by the Mugar family and adjacent to the Alewife Reservation. The Oaktree developer intends to invoke the state Chapter 40B statute to circumvent certain local permitting processes and bylaws by including a certain percentage of affordable housing in the [READ MORE]

Path Neighbors Can Choose Trees For Privacy

Bike Paths, May 2015, Newsletter, Open Space Comments Off

May 122015

Path Neighbors Can Choose Trees For Privacy

By Meg Muckenhoupt Community paths allow more people to travel without using cars—and a lot of people want to do just that. It is estimated that more than 2 million people walk, run, and bike the Minuteman Bikeway in Cambridge, Arlington, Lexington, and Bedford each year. Understandably, neighbors living in homes abutting new paths are often concerned about the effects of having so many visitors passing by their yards. Different communities have varying approaches to living with bike trails. Today, 22 years after the Minuteman Bikeway officially opened, about a quarter of properties abutting the Bikeway in Arlington have no [READ MORE]

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