Select Board halts action on Pleasant Street property as neighbors propose raising money for purchase

A last-minute attempt by neighbors to stop a developer from building homes on a 12.4 acre Pleasant Street property had the Select Board pause negotiations with the buyer, which had offered to donate 6.5 acres adjoining conservation land to the town if it passed up its right of first refusal on the property.

Select Board member Doreen DeFazio said she had talked with the Pleasant Street group, which had a petition signed by more than 80 residents asking for the entire property to be preserved as open space. While Temporary Town Administrator Carter Terenzini warned that the unnamed developers may withdraw their offer if the town didn’t act, DeFazio retorted that she was elected to serve voters, not developers.

The parcel at 59 Pleasant Street, now owned by Joseph, Walter, and Gary Wasiuk, falls under Chapter 61A, which offers preferential tax treatment for agricultural land. In return, the town is offered the right of first refusal if the land is offered for sale — in this case, if it matches the $650,000 the buyer has already offered.

Neighbor Wendy Pope, representing the residents, suggested that the group may be able to raise the funds for the town to purchase the property. She stressed that the land is home to wildlife, noting that deer scat is often seen in the 5.6 acre hay field (seen above outlined in blue) where the developers propose to build homes.

“I’ve heard a lot of ‘I’m in favor of housing, but…” said Select Board member Ed Prisby, who has advocated for affordable housing in the town. “We’re in a housing crisis. People need places to live.”

The town is also in a position where it will receive more than half of the property for no money at all, Select Board Chair Peter Carlson said.

“I think this is the best of both worlds,” he added. “What we’re getting here tonight is half and half.”

Select Board member Colleen Roy noted that it was the third time the Select Board had met about the property and expressed concern that the board delaying the decision could take the buyer’s offer off the table.

Both Prisby and Roy voted to have the town exercise its right of first refusal on the property in exchange for the 6.5 acres of conservation land (outlined in red on the map above). DeFazio, Carlson, and Select Board member Mathew Often voted against.

Often expressed some reservations about the timeline, given that the town has until March to decide. He said a plan that is “substantial and vetted” should be offered by the neighbor group before the next meeting on March 2.

The group has until February 22 to turn in their proposal

“I have some minor concerns about this, but the opportunity to get the whole chunk of land… I think the developer can wait another couple weeks,” Often said.

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