Photo credit: Dan Brody, Newton Conservators

Off Hammond Pond Parkway, Chestnut Hill, MA Newton Centre, MA 02467; north of state Dept. of Conservation & Recreation Hammond Pond Reservation, abutting City of Newton Webster & Cohen Conservation Areas accessed from Warren & Elgin Streets, Newton Centre, MA 02459.

Resources

• City of Newton project webpage (under High-Interest Projects, Planning & Development Department)
• Newton Conservators
• Friends of Webster Woods on Facebook

Goals

Protect the open space character of this property and ensure public access for passive recreation by acquiring approximately 17.4 acres of undeveloped, wooded land west of the existing building at 300 Hammond Pond Parkway.

Funding

Planning / Pre-acquisition

Acquisition

Proposal Review & Appropriations

2018 - Pre-acquisition Professional Services

• 3 July 2018 - Pre-proposal
• September 2018 - Full proposal
  • Community letters (in addition to those in proposal)
  • Presentation to Newton CPC public hearing
• 24 September 2018 - CPC funding recommendation
• 15 October 2018 - City Council order (appropriation)

2019 - Acquisition

• 7-25 October 2019 - Full proposal (may load slowly)
  The full proposal includes the funding request and an appraisal summary, as well as:
  • Photos and maps
  • Brief site history
  • Letters of support solicited by the proposal sponsor
  • See only the maps included in this proposal (Maps may load slowly.)
• 19 November 2019 - Community letters received to date about this proposal, including maps of approximate address locations (This file may load slowly.)
  • Letters solicited by the proposal sponsor are included in the full proposal above.
• 6 November 2019 - Proposal sponsor presentation at CPC public hearing
• 18 November 2019 - CPC funding recommendation
• 2 December 2019 - City Council orders (for eminent domain acquisition, CPA funding, and acceptance of community donation)
• Spring 2020 - Bond Sold for Webster Woods project. The City received a $637,000 premium on the sale, which reduced the bond amount from $15,000,000 to $14,363,000.  The Annual Debt Schedule includes information on overall and annual project expenditures over 30 year life of the bond.

2020 - CPA Funding Recommendation Revision

• January 17, 2020 - CPC Funding Recommendation
• March 2, 2020 - City Council Order (for approval to increase the bond by $740,000 to cover the legal and professional expenses of the acquisition)

Project News

• August 2017 - Appraisal of 300 Hammond Pond Parkway for the City of Newton
• March 2018 - Mayor's Advisory Panel for 300 Hammond Pond Parkway
• 24 December 2019 - Notice & order of taking by eminent domain (recorded at South Middlesex Registry of Deeds)

Project Background

• 1650s-1970s - Webster & Cohen Conservation Areas land use & ownership timeline
• 1874-1953 - Hammond Pond Parkway area maps; see 1917 map (also displayed below) for land then owned by Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) prior to construction of the Parkway
• August 1954 - 300 Hammond Pond Parkway sold by MDC to Congregation Mishkan Tefila (deed, restriction)
• October-November 2015 - Support for open space preservation at 300 Hammond Pond Parkway:
  • Newton Conservation Commission letters to Mayor, Board of Aldermen, CPC
  • Newton Board of Aldermen resolution 195-15(2)
• May 2016 - 300 Hammond Pond Parkway sold by Congregation Mishkan Tefila to Boston College (deed)
• July 2018 - Map of trails on this parcel, from Newton's Geographic Information System

190 Elgin Street
Newton Centre, MA 02459

Goals

Acquire as an addition to the Cohen Conservation Area 30,514 adjacent square feet in Newton Centre and expand existing conservation restriction to include the entire property.

Funding

Proposal Review & Appropriations

• 29 October 2002 - Proposal
• 30 April 2002 - Appraisal, commissioned by property owner
• 14 January 2003 - Original conservation restriction & deed (site plan on final 2 pages)
• 3 February 2003 - Revised proposal
• 11 February 2003 - Independent appraisal, commissioned by CPC (large document, may load slowly)
• 13 May 2003 - Site plans
• 7 April 2003 - CPC funding recommendation
• 7 April 2003 - Board order (appropriation)

Project News

• 19 December 2001 - Original conservation restriction
• 23 December 2004 - Amended conservation restriction (S. Middlesex Registry of Deeds, book 44360, pages 422 and 413)