A unanimous vote at the Nov. 3 Board of Selectmen meeting has ended negotiation for a 30-acre property on Mass Ave., known as the Getty land. Selectmen were interested in acquiring the land to provide for future needs, such as for a school or other municipal use.
“The board did not like the price” offered by landowners, board chairman Ron Ricci said last week. Ricci would not rule out future negotiations, but said the vote concluded discussion for the near future.
In fact, the town retains its statutory right to first refusal on the parcel, a right conferred by the parcel’s tax status as forest land under Mass. General Laws Chapter 61, Classification and Taxation of Forest Lands and Forest Products. The right kicks in when owners remove the land from the tax program, which reduces property tax in exchange for keeping the land as open space in forestry, agriculture, or recreation.
The Mass Ave. property, roughly across the street from the school’s water processing facility, includes an 11-room home and is on the market for $2,475,000 through TP Hazel Sotheby’s International Real Estate.
