The scope of the mandatory review is broad. It requires, for example, that the hospital analyze alternative site layouts for the development that would reduce its impact on the environment, including at least one alternative that avoids the demolition of historic structures. (Under the current plan, eleven buildings dating from 1890 to 1927 will be razed.) McLean also must conduct archaeological examinations of two sites in the R&D zone that, according to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, "may provide significant information regarding the Native American history of the Belmont area."

Other topics that require further study are wetlands protection, wastewater disposal, traffic mitigation and improvements to the pedestrian environment, conservation of agricultural land, the loss of vegetation due to construction, the impact of blasting during construction, and the way in which the project fits into local and regional growth plans.

The hospital had requested an abbreviated review process focusing mainly on hydrology issues. Town Administrator Mel Kleckner wrote a letter on behalf of the Board of Selectmen, who voted 2-1 in support of the hospital's request, saying that the town and its consultants were already analyzing many of the issues normally considered in a draft Environmental Impact Report. The town planner, Tim Higgins, and the chair of the Belmont Historic District Commission, Richard Cheek, also sent letters outlining steps the town has taken to address wastewater and stormwater issues and to preserve historic structures and landscapes.

But Durand's office received nearly seventy other letters in support of the traditional full MEPA review, which involves a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) and a public comment period, followed by a final EIR that addresses the public's concerns. Comments were received from the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the Charles River Watershed Association, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, State Representative Anne Paulsen, the Belmont Conservation Commission, the Belmont Land Trust, the McLean Open Space Alliance, and the Belmont Citizens Forum, as well as many individual residents of Belmont and surrounding towns. 

Comments were detailed and varied. They ranged from concerns about high levels of E. Coli in the intermittent stream above Pleasant Street to the effect of outdoor lighting on sky brightness to the need for regular shuttle-bus service to the Alewife T.

The President of Watertown Citizens for Environmental Safety wrote: "Although there have been meetings on the subject of McLean's plans within Belmont, there has been little or no notification of the surrounding communities of Watertown, Waltham, Lexington, Arlington, or Cambridge."

"The impact of a project of this magnitude does not stop at the Town line," wrote one Arlington resident. "Failure to engage the surrounding municipalities in the comment process from the beginning is in my opinion a significant omission."

The MEPA review process is expected to take months. When the draft Environmental Impact Report is completed, it will be made available to the public at the Belmont Public Library. A copy may also be obtained directly from McLean's consultant, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, on a first-come, first-serve basis.

-Sharon Vanderslice