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City plans to use grant and CPA funds to buy 103 Guild Street parcel for trail connection and flood storage
Summary
Planning staff and the applicant described a 25‑acre multi‑town perimeter plan; Framingham will buy roughly 11 acres using CPA funds and a $215,000 MVP grant to protect upland contiguous to the Upper Charles Trail and allow flood storage.
Framingham planning staff and a property representative described on March 20 a perimeter plan for roughly 25 acres that the city intends to acquire, including about 11 acres inside Framingham and additional parcels in Ashland and Sherborn.
The property owner’s representative said the purchase was made possible in part by a $215,000 MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) grant from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. City staff said Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds will pay for the portion of the property located in Framingham. The perimeter plan submitted to the board covers land in three towns and will require approvals or endorsements from each town’s planning board, the Framingham City Council and the applicable select boards, plus conservation commissions for required conservation restrictions.
Applicant Michael Stady, who identified himself as the owner and applicant, said the parcel contains about 1.5 acres of upland at the center of the site, existing trails, and Beaver Dam Brook. He said the parcel is contiguous with the Upper Charles Trail corridor and that the acquisition would permanently protect roughly 25 acres (11 acres in Framingham) with a conservation restriction while allowing managed flood storage on the site.
Stady described title and heirship issues in portions of the land in Ashland: his team discovered unclear ownership and “heirs unknown” claims that reduced the acreage they could acquire. The original grant application had sought funding for 38 acres; deed research reduced the buildable/ownable acreage. The city will proceed with the purchase of the Framingham portion using CPA dollars and the MVP grant; Stady said he expects to present final, signed plans to the Framingham planning board and the other municipalities before the planned June closing.
The board voted to endorse the perimeter plan for 103 Guild Street (the motion was moved and seconded and approved by voice vote). Planning staff advised the applicant that each town must record its approvals and that the conservation commissions must approve conservation restrictions. The applicant said the project will require coordination among Framingham, Ashland and Sherborn, and he asked the board for endorsement to allow closing on the Framingham acreage by June.
The board’s endorsement does not itself authorize any construction; it recognizes the perimeter plan that will be used to close the acquisition and secure conservation protections.
