LYNNFIELD — A virtual public forum on the “A Vision for Willis Woods” project will be held on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
The forum will feature a community conversation about the project, which, when completed, will offer new and protected open space and recreational opportunities on up to 700 acres of land along the Ipswich River at the intersection of Lynnfield, Middleton, North Reading and Peabody.
Director of Planning and Conservation Emilie Cademartori said preservation of this land is a rare opportunity for the creation of a large, interconnected wooded-trail network, which will offer improved access to the river.
Town Administrator Rob Dolan said an added benefit to Lynnfield is the protection of the town’s water supply, as well as protection of its habitats and wetlands.
“Our four communities, and clearly the larger region, increasingly depend on these open spaces to safeguard our natural resources and strengthen our climate resiliency,” Dolan said. “Our town is truly grateful for this opportunity to work collaboratively with the towns of Middleton and North Reading and the City of Peabody to preserve this vast area of undeveloped forest,”
These four communities, the Ipswich River Watershed Association and Greenbelt, Essex County’s Land Trust, are partners in the project.
During the forum, attendees will hear about the project and have the opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas. Ella Wise of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) and Cademartori will provide information and answer questions about the project.
In August, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) awarded a technical assistance grant to the Town of Lynnfield for the development of “A Vision for Willis Woods,” a regional effort to create a vision, and ultimately a work plan, for hundreds of acres of open space at the intersection of these four communities.
This aggregate area includes various conservation-owned properties, municipal water district lands, large privately-owned parcels that are all adjacent to the Ipswich River, and two miles of the former Salem-Lowell rail line.
The vision plan focuses on perpetual protection and increased passive-recreational opportunities on contiguous open space. The vision project has recently come into focus with the current activity surrounding the pending private sale of 20 acres of forested land in Lynnfield, known as Richardson Green. It is one of the last unprotected parcels, and a possible keystone to this larger area.
The town holds a right of first refusal on the property at the contract price of $2.71 million. Lynnfield has been awarded a $1.6 million Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Action Grant to help fund the town’s acquisition; Dolan said the funding represents “one of the largest MVP grants he has ever seen.”
The Lynnfield Conservation Commission has also pledged $200,000 toward the town’s acquisition of Richardson Green. The Essex County Greenbelt Association pledged another $300,000 toward the project.
Combined, those funds leave a gap of approximately $571,000, which could be funded from the proceeds of the town’s $3.8 million federal stimulus funds award.
The Select Board also held a public hearing to consider the purchase or assign the right to purchase the property on Monday, Nov. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Al Merritt Center, 600 Market St.
To learn more about “A Vision for Willis Woods” please visit: https://www.town.lynnfield.ma.us/willis-woods.
