Taunton commission accepts deed restricting 745 John Hancock Road to conservation

The Taunton Conservation Commission voted Jan. 13 to accept a deed conveying 745 John Hancock Road to the commission and restricting the roughly 36‑acre parcel to conservation use in perpetuity.

Attorney Matt Kosta of the Taunton Law Department told commissioners the parcel — identified in presentations as the Attleboro Junction site off John Hancock Road Extension — has a long municipal history and is now being offered to the commission with a deed that would constrain future use. "It's good in perpetuity," Kosta said of the draft conservation deed, adding that the conveyance would be subject to the protections of Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution.

The deed package and discussion matter because Article 97 requires a two‑thirds vote of the state Legislature and replacement land of equal conservation value before conserved land can be converted to another use, a procedural barrier Kosta described as "very onerous" and one that makes removal from conservation…