Bare Cove Park Land Swap for Senior Center Approved by 2/3 Majority
Key Points
- - The vote authorizes a land swap to allow the Center for Active Living to be built at Bare Cove Park.
- - The town will seek state approval to remove Article 97 protections from the 5.4-acre project site and apply them to a 7-acre parcel on High Street.
- - Opponents argued the swap would result in a net loss of protected, valuable habitat within an Area of Critical Environmental Concern.
- - The measure passed the required two-thirds majority in a standing vote.
Following the approval of design funds for a new Center for Active Living, Hingham Town Meeting took the necessary next step by approving a crucial land swap under Article 16. The measure, which required a two-thirds majority, passed by a standing vote of 366-174. The vote authorizes the town to petition the state legislature to remove Article 97 conservation protections from approximately 5.4 acres at Bare Cove Park, the proposed site of the new center, in exchange for placing those protections on a larger 7-acre parcel of town-owned land on High Street.
The swap is a legal requirement before construction can begin on land protected under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution. Proponents, including Special Real Estate Counsel Susan Murphy, explained that the National Park Service had reviewed the proposal and found its environmental impacts would be low. They also noted that the High Street parcel was chosen for its conservation value, incorporating sensitive wetlands and areas near the Plymouth River.
However, the debate from the previous article continued, with residents voicing strong opposition to developing any part of Bare Cove Park. Hillary Hosmer described the park as "one of Hingham's treasures, full of wildlife," and argued that no other parcel could be equivalent to the protected bird sanctuary. Anita Ryan disputed the idea that the town was gaining conservation land, stating the High Street parcel is already a school forest trail that would not be developed anyway. Concerns were also raised about potential contamination from the site's former use as a naval ammunition depot, though counsel assured the meeting that remediation costs were included in project estimates and the Army Corps of Engineers had given the land a clean bill of health regarding unexploded ordnance.
Motion: To authorize the Select Board to petition the General Court to change the use of approximately 5.387 acres of land at Bare Cove Park from recreation to use as a Center for Active Living, and to place approximately 7 acres of land at 200 High Street under Article 97 protection as replacement land.
Vote: Passed 366-174