Uxbridge Open Space Committee begins inventory of town parcels, flags wetlands and dumping at 275 East Street

The Town of Uxbridge Open Space Committee on Wednesday reviewed a new checklist-based inventory of municipally owned parcels, agreed to use GIS habitat and wellhead layers when scoring sites, and flagged a large, wet parcel at 275 East Street where neighbors are reportedly using the lot to dump lawn waste.

"People in the neighborhood are using it to as a dump site, for lawn waste," said Steve Croto, a committee member, describing what he found at 275 East Street. Members said the parcel contains wetlands and that runoff from the street is adding silt to the site.

Chair Russ Holden said the committee is working from a printable list of town parcels exported from the Uxbridge GIS and using a scoring form that currently treats every checked criterion as one point. "It doesn't automatically score them," Holden said; "you have to count up." Members discussed adding weights to better reflect town open-space priorities, with groundwater protection cited as a top priority under the town plan.

The committee agreed members should consult mapping layers — including wellhead protection areas and BioMap priority-habitat overlays — when checking boxes for endangered-species occurrence, floodplain resilience and other ecological values. Holden demonstrated how the MAS Mapper/BioMap layers show priority-habitat hatching and where to look for wetland buffers.

Small parcels also drew attention. Members suggested a tiny roadside plot on Cherry Street could be used as a pollinator garden and educational gateway, but noted any planting plan would require coordination with the Department of Public Works because DPW manages roadside maintenance. The committee excluded cemeteries from the inventory because those parcels are already overseen by the town’s cemetery committee.

Members photographed old mill foundations and identified historic features on several parcels, discussed connectivity to existing trails, and noted properties near Route 16 and Coopman’s Lumber that include a brook and associated wetlands. Several parcels were identified as already conserved and not under development threat.

The committee agreed to continue field visits, refine scoring (including adding weights), and perform desktop research on soils, zoning and development threats before prioritizing acquisitions or stewardship actions. Holden and Croto said they would consult additional GIS layers and town records to confirm wellhead and ownership status.

The committee did not take formal acquisition action at the meeting; members framed the work as an inventory and assessment step to guide future priorities and outreach.