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Ashland CPC approves warrant article to pursue Collins property acquisition, including eminent domain language
Summary
The Ashland Community Preservation Committee voted 4-3 to place a warrant article to acquire the 11-acre Collins property at 41 Lincoln Road, authorizing eminent domain language and allocating funds for demolition, conservation restriction and ADA parking.
Aaron Ladd, chair of the Ashland Community Preservation Committee, moved on Feb. 17 that the committee place a warrant article to acquire 11 acres at 41 Lincoln Road (the Collins property), including authority to use eminent domain; the motion passed on a 4-3 roll-call vote.
The warrant article as described by guest Rob St. Germain of the Town Forest Land Committee would also include line items of $20,000 for conservation restrictions, $20,000 for demolition of an existing house and $40,000 for an Americans with Disabilities Act–compliant parking area near the Lincoln Road cul-de-sac. St. Germain told the committee a second appraisal would strengthen the town’s application for state grants and said he could “complete a second appraisal remotely,” noting the parcel’s narrow width.
Committee members questioned appraisal accuracy and the use of eminent domain. Owen Ackerman asked whether a second appraisal would be accurate without on-site access; St. Germain said the property is only about 400 feet wide and that the appraiser could “see all the way thru.” Scott Pelletier said he was not in favor of using eminent domain. Joanna Sorenson asked whether the owner or executor had provided a counteroffer; St. Germain said no counteroffer had been made.
Ladd’s motion directed that the appropriation be taken from the Community Preservation Fund balance with unexpended funds to be returned to their funding source by Dec. 31, 2029, and to place the land in the care, custody and control of the Town Forest Committee; the motion named the Select Board to enter into a conservation restriction if the purchase proceeds. Gretchen Bravacos seconded the motion; the committee conducted a roll-call vote and approved the warrant article 4-3.
The committee’s approval places the issue before the Spring Town Meeting warrant process; St. Germain said a second appraisal and the inclusion of eminent-domain language would support applications for grants from state agencies such as the Massachusetts EEA. The committee did not record names tied to the individual yes/no votes in the transcript excerpt.
