WESTFIELD – The City Council voted at its first December meeting to allow the owners of the East Mountain Country Club to “withdraw without prejudice” its petition for a bond order to place a conservation restriction on 120 acres of the golf course.
The Community Preservation Committee voted to recommend funding the conservation restriction, which would have prevented any type of development because the golf course is in the Barnes Aquifer overlay zone and in close proximity to two city wells. The restriction would have limited the types of fertilizer and chemicals applied on the course.
The CPC submitted a $758,000 appropriation to the City Council; $750,000 would be paid to the family and the remaining $8,000 for administrative, filing with the register of deeds and to pay for a survey which would be attached, as part of the conservation restriction, to the deed for that land.
The motion to allow the Perez family to withdraw without prejudice came from the City Council Legislative & Ordinance Committee after the Finance Committee gave a 2-1 negative recommendation for the bond order before referring the issue to the L&O.
Finance Chairman Christopher Keefe said at the November 6, 2014 City Council session that he has no opposition to the land being developed for a subdivision. Ward 5 Councilor Robert A Paul Sr., who is a Finance Committee member, also voted against the bond.
Ward 6 Councilor Christopher Crean was the only Finance Committee member to endorse the bond, a vote based upon the fact that the country club is in his ward and his record of supporting businesses within the city.
“I don’t have an issue with it being developed because there is other subdivision in that area over the aquifer,” Keefe said at that time. “I think that 38 houses on 120 acres of land would have a minimal impact, if any.
“If this is truly about protecting the aquifer, then the money should be coming from the Water Resource Department,” Keefe said. “I don’t think this is an appropriate use of Community Preservation Act funds.”
At-large Councilor David A Flaherty opposed the bond order. Flaherty said at that session that he also does not oppose development of a subdivision on that property.
“I’m concerned about what we are giving up,” Flaherty said. “If that land was developed as a subdivision or as a senior housng project it would generate $430,000 a year in new tax revenue.”
At-large Councilor Brian Sullivan, chairman of the L&O, said that the motion to withdraw the bond order without prejudice allows the Perez family to consider its options and perhaps submit a restructured request to the CPC.
Sullivan said that one of the options the family may act upon is to create three building lots, using land now used for the driving range that has adequate frontage on East Mountain Road, to go the Planning Board approval not required (ANR) process. ANR petitions are reviewed by the board to ensure they have the required frontage and area for the zone in which the land is located. Building lots in the Barnes Aquifer Protection overlay zone are required to be two acres in size.
