Belmont – Page 6 – Belmont Citizens Forum

Farewell to Royal Road’s Dirt Jumps

Bicycles and bike paths, January/February 2023, Newsletter, Open Space Comments Off

Jan 032023

By Vincent Stanton, Jr. In late July 2022, the town dismantled the dirt bike track built by Belmont teens on town land between Royal Road and the Fitchburg Line (see “Whither the Royal Road Woods?” BCF Newsletter, January/February 2022.) The bike track, originally constructed in 2020 shortly after the parks were closed because of the pandemic, was expanded in 2022 by a different group of teens. After winter and spring storms, which eroded the earthen jumps, it needed a complete rebuild. The 2022 bike track network at one point extended across the wetlands at the bottom of Royal Road (a [READ MORE]

Preserve Belmont’s Leafy Leviathans

Environment, January/February 2023, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Jan 032023

By Fred Bouchard Tawny branches reach skyward around its diminished crown like a monk’s tonsure. Strafed by ligneous crows’ feet and tagged with a bowie knife by ”Oliver” (World War veteran?), its trunk is knobbled with rusts and growths. Golden wreaths of lichen encrust its bolus. The copper beech standing sentinel opposite the stone rail trestle in Belmont Center bears silent witness to a century and a half of local history. It was a mere sapling, perhaps part of the project when H. H. Richardson’s firm rebuilt the Unitarian Universalist Church in 1890. Wellington Station marked the adjacent train stop [READ MORE]

School Claims Parking is “Educational Use”

Climate Change, Construction and Housing, Environment, January/February 2023, Open Space, Parking Comments Off

Jan 032023

School Claims Parking is “Educational Use”

By Justin Roe Belmont Hill School submitted their long-awaited plan for the Belmont Hill woodlands area to the planning board in October. The response from Belmont’s residents was instantaneous and overwhelming in opposing the proposal. Within three weeks, Belmont’s Select Committee and Planning Board have received hundreds of letters voicing town opposition to the project. A petition in opposition has attracted over 2,200 signatures, and hundreds of lawn signs and banners are popping up in every district in Belmont. School action groups from Lexington and Waltham are taking an active role. All within a few weeks. The school presented its [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Zoning Should Reflect Actual Use

Construction and Housing, January/February 2023, Newsletter Comments Off

Jan 032023

Belmont’s Zoning Should Reflect Actual Use

By Max Colice The intensity and use regulations of Belmont’s zoning bylaws don’t reflect how most land in Belmont is actually used. Changing the bylaws to match how land in Belmont has been developed and used would reduce the burden on town officials, promote growth while preserving character, and lead to fairer, more predictable outcomes for homeowners looking to renovate or expand their homes. It would also preserve open space, allow for small-scale development of more affordable housing, and remove obstacles to small-scale commercial development. Belmont’s zoning bylaw divides the town into different zones or districts; it permits varied uses, [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Zoning Needs Rethinking

Construction and Housing, January/February 2023 Comments Off

Jan 032023

By Chris Arthur The current Belmont zoning bylaw produces inconsistent and haphazard results. It requires vastly different paths to get a permit, and those paths produce vastly different results. Changes to the zoning bylaw can produce more consistency, greater fairness, and be in line with neighboring towns’ zoning bylaws, which have been updated over the past 10 years. Cleaning up the Belmont zoning bylaw to create more consistency and clarity will also help the town’s coffers by reducing the hours that the Belmont Planning staff spend on special permits and Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) projects, so that there is [READ MORE]

Letters to the Editor: Belmont Hill Plans, Bike Trails

Bicycles and bike paths, Bike Paths, Climate Change, Environment, November 2022, Open Space, Parking, Plants Comments Off

Oct 312022

To the Editor: New England in the fall is renowned for its beauty—the trees are blazes of color, birds, squirrels, and other animals are busily preparing for winter, and the occasional whiff of woodsmoke floats in the air. Driving up Prospect Street, one is met with the pleasant sight of the pristine lawns and stately brick buildings of the Belmont Hill School—a self-described educator of “men of good character,” where “boys are expected to collaborate and become part of something larger than themselves.” Which is why it’s such a shame that the Belmont Hill School is apparently ignoring its own [READ MORE]

Why Care About Removing Invasive Plants?

Environment, November 2022, Open Space, Plants Comments Off

Oct 312022

Why Care About Removing Invasive Plants?

By Joseph Hibbard and Jeffrey North The Belmont Citizens Forum Newsletter has been printing articles about the perils and poisons of non-native invasive plant species on these pages for years. Readers have learned that garlic mustard changes the chemistry of the soil to gain an advantage over other plant species in forest and edge areas. Our article on black swallowwort described that plant’s deadly toxicity to Monarch butterfly larvae that mistakenly consume it instead of nourishing native milkweed. We have described how Asiatic bittersweet rapidly climbs native trees, blocks the sunlight, and eventually topples the tree while changing our viewsheds. [READ MORE]

Have You Read the Collins Center Report?

Newsletter, November 2022, Town Committee Meetings Comments Off

Oct 312022

By Jeffrey North Belmont is a relatively affluent community. Massachusetts Department of Revenue figures in FY2022 show that Belmont’s income per capita was $98,942. This figure is very close to the average income for residents of six comparable towns and significantly higher than the Massachusetts per capita income of $46,062. Yet Belmont is the 10th most expensive place in Massachusetts to own a home, while per-capita incomes ranked only 22nd in the state. The average Belmont homeowner can expect to pay $15,568 annually in property taxes, or approximately 15.73% of Belmont’s per-capita income. Among 12 comparable towns, Belmont has the [READ MORE]

MBTA Zoning May Change Belmont

Construction and Housing, Newsletter, November 2022 Comments Off

Oct 312022

By David Chase Belmont is an MBTA community. A new state law (Section 3A of MGL c. 40A) requires MBTA communities to have at least one zoning district of “reasonable size” and a minimum gross density of at least 15 units per acre within half a mile of commuter rail, subway, ferry, or bus station. The law specifies various formulas based on population and area that attempt to quantify “reasonable.” The zoning district must not have any restrictions that would make it unsuitable for families with children. Belmont must have an Action Plan complete by January 31, 2023, and submit [READ MORE]

Belmont Goes Electric! Will You?

November 2022, Solar Power Comments Off

Oct 272022

By Claire Hlotyak I had the chance to attend the Belmont Goes Electric Home & Garden Event in September. Presented by Belmont Light, the Belmont Energy Committee, and Sustainable Belmont, this event showcased options including electric vehicles, heat pump systems, and native plant gardens, and the Stihl company presented battery-operated yard equipment. I spoke with a few members of Healthy Lawns Belmont about the importance of biodiversity in our lawns and gardens. One of the main issues with lawns is that they are a monoculture, meaning there is only one type of plant in a particular area. Healthy Lawns Belmont [READ MORE]

How Belmont Can Switch to Electric Vehicles

Climate Change, Newsletter, November 2022 Comments Off

Oct 272022

How Belmont Can Switch to Electric Vehicles

By Roger Wrubel and Brian Kopperl If Belmont is to reach its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 80% of 2007 levels by 2050, all sectors of the community must do their part. The Belmont Energy Committee has proposed an “EV First” policy requiring the town to consider electric vehicles (EVs) for all lightweight vehicle purchases. The policy allows for exemption requests by departments if EVs do not meet their needs or are too expensive. We collected data on the concerns of town staff in transitioning to EVs. We analyzed each of these concerns: lack of EV charging infrastructure, [READ MORE]

Belmont’s Invasive Species: Ailanthus

Environment, Lone Tree Hill, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Sept/Oct 2022 Comments Off

Sep 102022

By Jeffrey North Tree-of-heaven (Ailanthus altissima), typically called ailanthus, is a rapacious deciduous tree native to China. It was first introduced into the United States when it was imported as an ornamental plant to Philadelphia in 1784 and later to New York in 1820. On the West Coast, immigrants brought the plant from Asia and planted it in California in the 1850s. The tree was initially valued as a fast-growing ornamental shade tree that was tolerant of poor soils and a broad range of site conditions. It tolerates vehicle exhaust and other air pollution quite nicely. It was widely planted [READ MORE]

Letter to the Editor, September 2022

Construction and Housing, Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Sept/Oct 2022 Comments Off

Sep 092022

To the BCF editor: Anne Paulsen’s recent column [“Do We Need a High School Parking Lot?” BCF Newsletter, July 2022] argued that if parking were eliminated west of Harris Field, then there would be “plenty of room for tennis courts and some open space as well.” Whether tennis and a rink could both fit has been studied intensively by numerous informed parties: the High School Building Committee, a sports architect from Perkins+Will, rink architect Ted Galante, the Select Board, the School Committee, and the Preliminary Rink Design Committee. None of these efforts found a layout that could accommodate a rink, [READ MORE]

Regionalization Could Boost Services

Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2022, Town Committee Meetings Comments Off

Sep 092022

By Aaron Pikcilingis and Paul Rickter Providing high-quality town services amid budgetary constraints requires us to use every strategy at our disposal. The Structural Change Impact Group (SCIG) was charged with evaluating potential strategies that could reduce costs, improve efficiency, or improve the quality of service for our town. Of the strategies we evaluated, regionalizing town services is one of the most promising. Belmont already participates in several regional arrangements, but the SCIG identified new opportunities for consideration. Benefits of Regionalized Town Services Reduced costs Regionalized municipalities can benefit from group purchasing because individually, smaller municipalities don’t buy enough [READ MORE]

Alewife Brook, Little Pond Get D Grades Again

Environment, Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2022, Sewers, Water Quality Comments Off

Sep 092022

Alewife Brook, Little Pond Get D Grades Again

By Meg Muckenhoupt In 1972, the Clean Water Act called for all waterways to be “fishable and swimmable” by 1983, and for all pollution discharges to end by 1985. That still hasn’t happened, as is shown by the new annual water quality report card issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Mystic River in July. All of Belmont’s brooks received a D or D+ grade because they failed to meet state E. coli bacteria standards for boating in 45% to 55% of samples taken in 2021. Site 2021 2014 Grade Total Grade Total Alewife Brook D 47% D [READ MORE]

Spare a Thought for Lone Tree Hill

Environment, Lone Tree Hill, Newsletter, Open Space, Plants, Sept/Oct 2022 Comments Off

Sep 092022

By Dean Hickman and Leonard Katz Between Pleasant Street and Trapelo Road to the south, Concord Avenue to the north, and Mill Street to the west, Lone Tree Hill wraps around McLean Hospital and sits above Belmont, providing us with a peaceful and secluded mix of woods and meadows where we can escape the hustle and bustle of suburban life down below. It is also Belmont’s gateway to Rock Meadow on the other side of Mill Street as well as to the more secluded trails of the Western Greenway which head west into neighboring Waltham and Lexington. Anyone looking for [READ MORE]

Town Plans Sustainable Library

Newsletter, Open Space, Parking, Sept/Oct 2022 Comments Off

Sep 092022

By Marty Bitner and Clair Colburn The proposed new library, designed by Oudens Ello Architecture, is an all-electric, highly sustainable building, but what are those sustainable features? What is the process of designing a holistically sustainable building? Right-Sizing Buildings contribute to 40% of global energy consumption and 33% of greenhouse gas emissions. Since heating buildings is the largest source of carbon emissions in Belmont, the first goal in sustainability is to make sure that our new library is no larger than it needs to be. Having the right size building means that space is not being unnecessarily heated and cooled [READ MORE]

Wicked Hot Mystic Maps Summer Heat

Air Quality, Climate Change, Environment, Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2022 Comments Off

Sep 092022

Detail of a map of surface temperatures recorded by Wicked Hot Mystic, a collaborative project of the Museum of Science, Boston, in partnership with the Resilient Mystic River Collaborative (RMC), Mystic River Watershed Association, and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council. On August 12 and 13, 2021, over 80 volunteers joined MOS and MyRWA in measuring ground-level air temperature, humidity, and air particulate matter using special sensors mounted on cars and bikes. This data was collected August 12 at 3 pm. Note that the McLean conservation land is 10F cooler than surrounding areas. For more information see www.mos.org/explore/public-events/wicked-hot-mystic

Why We are Running a Pro-Development Piece

Newsletter, Sept/Oct 2022 Comments Off

Sep 092022

By Vincent Stanton, Jr. Long-time readers of the Newsletter may be surprised to see an article proposing more intensive development in Belmont. The Belmont Citizens Forum was created in 2000 by a group of residents who opposed the scale of development proposed by McLean Hospital on its Belmont Hill campus—initially over 1,000,000 square feet. Much of that development has not transpired, as commercial property developers have not found the McLean location attractive. The McLean development proposed in the late 1990s came with the promise of substantial new revenue. Specifically, in 1999 the town’s financial impact consultant estimated that the McLean [READ MORE]

Belmont is Sitting on a Fiscal Cliff

Construction and Housing, Newsletter, Open Space, Sept/Oct 2022, Town Committee Meetings Comments Off

Sep 092022

By Max Colice, Elizabeth Dionne, and Dan Barry Belmont is effectively insolvent. It cannot pay its operating expenses and pension debt without one-time federal aid. Compounding this problem, Belmont’s operating expenses are rising faster than its revenue. Unless Belmont increases its revenue, the town may have to cut services drastically. Like every other town in Massachusetts, Belmont’s revenue comes mainly from property taxes. The Board of Assessors assesses each property’s value, then computes the property tax by multiplying the property value by the property tax rate. Even though Belmont’s property tax rate is relatively low, its single-family property tax bill [READ MORE]

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