NAHANT — New boundary lines are set to be assessed and possibly redrawn between the borders of Nahant and Lynn.
Town Assessor Sheila Hambleton, a member of the Planning Board, said the discussion of the boundary line between the two municipalities came about when bike lanes were being added to the Lynn-Nahant rotary area.
Hambleton said a stone marker that marks the Lynn-Nahant line does not match where the original road — and therefore the historic boundary — once ran. She said town officials are now looking to correct the maps and records so they reflect that historic line.
The new boundary would formally change where the Lynn-Nahant line runs through the filled land near the rotary so the town map and legal boundary match. It could give Nahant and possibly Lynn more taxable land on paper, but doesn’t take existing land away from Lynn since the area was created by state fill and is owned by the Department of Conservation & Recreation. Currently, there is a stone marking the Lynn-Nahant boundary.
“You don’t want to have a wrong boundary, right?” Hambleton said. “Me being the assessor, I’m always looking for taxable property. Wherever it is, is it more valuable? Do we have a little more land? And it’s only because it’s filled. It’s not like we’re taking Lynn’s land, right? It’s just that it’s land that’s been filled in. It wasn’t there before. That’s the only difference. So it actually gives us more square footage.”
Hambleton said she is trying to arrange a visit with Nahant’s Department of Public Works and the Lynn assessor to inspect the stone boundary marker, after which any change to the boundary line would require a formal vote by the Nahant Select Board and approval from Lynn’s City Council, noting that it’s more complex than redrawing maps because state rules and regulations govern how municipal boundaries can be changed.
“There are state rules and laws and regulations, and you have to abide by those,” she said.
Before the existence of the Lynn-Nahant rotary, the area was a straight road. Before Nahant was its own municipality, it was a part of Lynn. The street leading into town, now known as Nahant Road, was Washington Street, according to Hambleton.
