Marlborough presents draft 2025–2032 open space and recreation plan, seeks public feedback

Marlborough conservation and sustainability staff on April 7 presented a draft Open Space and Recreation Plan for 2025–2032 to the City Council's Open Space Committee and solicited public and council feedback before the document is finalized and returned to the council for approval.

Priscilla Ryder, the city's conservation and sustainability officer, told the committee the plan is the city’s "ticket to funding," noting many state and other grants require an up-to-date open space plan. Ryder said the plan inventories the city's conserved land and remaining unprotected parcels, reviews trails and recreational facilities, and sets measurable goals and a seven-year action plan.

The presentation summarized accomplishments since the prior plan, including renovated recreation facilities with roughly $400,000 in grant funding, a new boardwalk at Lake Williams, creation of a community garden, completion of the Panther Trail and Burrows Loop Trail connections, and acquisition of about 145 acres through purchases and open-space developments. The draft plan also maps regional connections including the Assabet River Rail Trail and the planned Central Mass Rail Trail.

Ryder described conservation priorities identified by the committee: large unprotected parcels in the South Street Swamp/Shoestring Hill area, Fort Meadow, and Robin Hill; remaining farms and farmland protection; and wildlife corridors between Elm Street and Berlin Road. The plan calls for a 30-foot wetland buffer zone in certain areas and recommends native-planting guidance for developers and city landscaping to support pollinators.

Committee members and councilors asked questions and suggested additions. Councilor Navin and others asked that the plan explicitly show the MWRA aqueduct trail connections and ensure maps reflect trail openings. Councilor Preciado asked about school safety routes and adding bike routes; Ryder said the plan includes walking-school-bus routes and that bike-route ideas could be considered. Councilor Furtillo urged improvements to local recreation fields (including the Whitcomb softball field) and asked about the status of a trail easement through the Boston Scientific parcel; Ryder said an easement exists and the city maintains portions of that trail.

Councilors and Ryder discussed funding tools and next steps. Ryder said the city previously set aside a portion of building-permit fees for open-space funding and suggested revisiting that approach. Councilors also asked about the Community Preservation Act; Ryder said Marlborough previously considered it but did not adopt it and that it remains an option. She said the draft plan is posted on the city's conservation website and that the committee will collect public comments and include them in the final plan. The draft includes a checklist-style action table listing measurable steps such as forming an open space committee, meeting frequency, and updating the plan for the next cycle.

Ryder asked committee members to mark three priorities on a map as part of an exercise; councilors identified pocket parks and downtown community gardens, Concord Road sidewalks, the landfill-to-park conversion, and protections for Robin Hill and other large parcels among their priorities. The committee chair said the draft will be filed and returned to the council with any corrections and that Ryder will send a final document to the City Council for approvals.

No formal committee vote to adopt the plan occurred during the meeting; the item remains a draft open for public comment and revisions before formal council action.