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Select Board to decide whether to match $1.4M offer on Chapter 61B parcel at 46 Taylor Road
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Summary
John Manjurati told residents the town received notice on a Chapter 61B parcel at 46 Taylor Road; the purchase-and-sale submitted to the town lists a $1,400,000 price and the Select Board will decide in early April whether to exercise the town's 120-day right of first refusal to buy the land, a purchase that would likely require CPA support and two-thirds voter approval at town meeting.
Town Manager John Manjurati described 46 Taylor Road, a parcel subject to Chapter 61B open-space tax status, and explained the right-of-first-refusal mechanics: when a purchase-and-sale is filed the town has 120 days to decide whether to match the offered price.
"The purchase price is $1,400,000... You either have to pay the $1,400,000 that that developer was gonna pay or you say no," Manjurati said, adding the property abuts the arboretum and residents voiced preservation and access arguments during recent Select Board hearings.
Why it matters: If the town exercises its option and buys the land, it could expand arboretum access and protect open space, but the acquisition would likely rely on Community Preservation Act funding and requires a two-thirds vote at town meeting.
What happens next: The Select Board has publicly discussed the parcel and will decide in an early-April meeting whether to exercise the right; if the board votes to proceed, funding support (CPC/CPA or other sources) and town-meeting approval would be required. Manjurati said the warrant printing deadline (April 14) sets an internal timeline for any decision.
Manjurati did not present a town expenditure plan or confirmed funding source at the forum; he noted the CPA is a possible source but warned CPC funds are competitive and not all town projects receive support.
