SECTION 1 – PLAN SUMMARY
A. Plan Summary
Over the last 50 years, Natick has evolved from a town with a moderately industrial core – shoe, baseball, and truck factories – and a rural, agricultural surrounding area with orchards, fields and farms – into a suburban residential community. In the past decade, close to 100 acres per year have been developed, primarily for new housing. The town’s few remaining unprotected open areas, both public and private, are facing intense development pressure.
Virtually all of the town’s water supply comes from ground water, with most of Natick’s aquifer recharge coming through open land in Natick and surrounding communities. There is also pressure to develop new recreation areas as Natick’s population of school-aged youngsters has increased substantially while the net number of athletic fields has not changed substantially (some new ones have been added but others have been lost).
Finally, there is a growing interest by Natick’s residents and a desire to be educated in the value of open space: as active and passive recreational amenity; as a positive factor in the community’s character; as wildlife habitat; and for trails and transportation.
The next five years will be critical to the development of Natick. The Open Space Committee believes that the following Open Space and Recreation Plan will provide the groundwork for providing a balance between development and protecting critical open space resources. As the town approaches full build-out, this Plan will provide guidelines for its boards and commissions in making these critical decisions.
B. Plan Foundation
After a considerable public participation process, including numerous public meetings and surveys, the Natick Open Space Advisory Committee recommends the following goals and objectives:
· Protect Natick’s open spaces, including lakes, rivers and streams, and woodlands in a natural state that can be enjoyed by future generations. Open space provides a broad range of positive values to the community, both tangible and intangible – resource protection, recreation, “town character,” property values – and does not add to the tax burden. Future development proposals must be looked at carefully with these factors in mind.
·
Preserve and protect the town’s water supply. Our
groundwater is our only source of water and must be protected. Open space that
supports our water supply is a top priority, according to our surveys and
hearings.
·
Provide a system of walking and bicycle trails that
connect our open spaces and provide a way to travel throughout the town. A
significant obstacle to recreation opportunities in Natick is the lack of a
formal pedestrian and bicycle transportation network. While substantial work
has been done on a number of possible trails, this work needs to be continued
and coordinated into a unified trail system.
·
Ensure that playing fields and other recreational
facilities support the needs of the population. Since the last Open Space
Plan, the population participating in youth sports as well as the number of
sports played has substantially increased, putting tremendous pressure on
existing facilities. While some new fields have been developed, others (at
several recently re-developed schools) have been lost. Existing fields cannot
be maintained in the face of this pressure and youth sports activity may have
to be curtailed.
·
Increase residents’ awareness of Natick’s open
spaces, trails, natural resources, and recreational opportunities. One of
the things that came through loud and clear in the surveys was that Natick
residents, both new and old, would like more information about Natick’s
existing open spaces. Any successful Open Space and Recreation Plan must rely
on the support of the town residents.
·
Develop an organizational structure to enable
achievement of Open Space Goals. In the past there has been no single group
within the town advocating for open space preservation and maintenance. As a
part of the development of this Open Space and Recreation Plan, the Selectmen
appointed the Open Space Advisory Committee on a temporary basis. We recommend that
the OSAC be made a permanent, standing committee of the Town. We recommend also
that a management plan, including an operating budget, be developed for the
maintenance of all Town-owned open space.
SECTION 2 - INTRODUCTION
A. Statement of Purpose
As the Town of Natick nears full “build-out” (which means that when achieved all currently available land has been either protected or developed), it struggles to maintain a balance between the rights of private and public property owners and the need to preserve and protect its remaining open land, where that land is needed for natural resources protection, recreation or to maintain the town’s quality of life.
In the past, Natick’s residents took their scenic areas and recreational opportunities for granted. This is no longer the case. As the population grows and the open spaces dwindle, citizens are increasing awareness of the need to preserve the resources that we have before they are gone forever.
This plan is organized to allow one to see the impact of future development in the context of the past. It provides the cultural and natural context for what has taken place to date. It provides an inventory of open land, both public and private, protected and unprotected. It develops goals and objectives and finally recommends specific actions that can be taken to meet this balance.
After reviewing the prior update to the
Natick Open Space Plan, the Natick Open Space Advisory Committee felt that it
was important to do a complete revision of the Plan rather than an update. Much
of the information was outdated or incorrect, and the Plan as a whole was not
organized in accordance with current Massachusetts Division of Conservation
Services guidelines. So, although it has been more than a year-long process, it
was critical to go through all the steps of that process so future versions of
the Open Space and Recreation Plan will have a solid base on which to build.
B. Planning Process and Public Participation
Natick’s Open Space and Recreation Plan was developed in several stages over a period of time.
Johannes Wagner, of Weston and Sampson Engineers, Inc., was hired by the Town as a consultant to develop an initial assessment of community needs and prepare recommendations. He was hired specifically to update the Natick Open Space and Recreation Plan, Section 1, Plan Summary, Section 2, Introduction, and Section 9, Five-Year Action Plan. Mr. Wagner met with the Conservation Commission, the Recreation and Parks Commission, as well as with several other town boards. An Open Space Forum was held on April 26, 2000 at the Cole Recreation Center, attended by about 15 people, which generated extensive discussion and a lot of ideas. On June 10, 2000, a public meeting of town boards and committees took place in Town Hall to discuss open space. A summary of comments from these meetings is included in Appendix A.
Following Mr. Wagner’s first draft, the Conservation Commission held a public hearing on October 19, 2000, at which the public commented on the draft. Mr. Wagner provided detailed recommendations for each neighborhood of Natick, and this portion of his final report is included as Appendix B. The primary recommendation was the appointment of an Open Space Advisory Committee.
The Board of Selectmen voted on May 21, 2001 to establish an Open Space Advisory Committee, and on July 9, 2001 appointed seven members to serve on the committee. The Open Space Committee immediately determined that a more substantial reworking of the Open Space and Recreation Plan than that done by Mr. Wagner would be necessary to meet the requirements of the Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services. They also determined that a more intensive public participation process was needed.
In September, the Committee developed a one-page questionnaire, which it distributed to two groups of Natick residents. On September 15, 2001, the public was invited to fill out surveys at the Open Space Committee’s booth at Natick Days, a free, public outdoor event on the Natick Common. The committee was overwhelmed by the interest in its booth, and 258 survey forms were collected. On October 4, 2001, survey forms were handed out at Town Meeting, where 55 surveys were completed. The two surveys, providing two different samples of Natick residents, were analyzed independently. Results of the surveys are presented in Appendix C.
Based on this input, the Committee developed its statement of goals and invited the public to provide further comment at a public hearing on February 27, 2002. This forum, which received substantial publicity in the local papers, was attended by about 40 persons, including environmentalists, recreational users, developers, and residents. The Committee gave a PowerPoint presentation summarizing its process to date, and solicited comments on the draft Vision statement and on Goals and Objectives. These comments are summarized in Appendix A. The presentation was also posted on the Committee’s new web site at http://natick.info/open_space/, and three persons submitted comments by mail or e-mail. Comments from the forum and from the survey were used to help develop the Community Vision and Analysis of Needs sections of this Plan.
A draft Natick Open Space and Recreation Plan was produced in June 2002 and was made available on the Committee’s web site, http://natick.info/open_space/, and at Town Hall (Community Development Office), the Morse Institute and Bacon Free libraries, and at the Recreation and Park Commission office at the Cole Center. The draft plan was presented for comments to the Recreation and Parks Commission (June 3), the Board of Selectmen (June 17), the Planning Board (June 19) and the Conservation Commission (June 20). The draft was also presented to the public at a public forum on June 26. Comments from all of these public meetings are summarized in Appendix A. Copies of the Plan were sent to various town boards community organizations, listed in Section 10 of this plan. Based on the comments received, additional refinements were made in this Open Space and Recreation Plan.
SECTION 3 – COMMUNITY SETTING
A. Regional Context
Nestled between the upper basin of the Charles and Concord Rivers in Middlesex County, Natick provides a mixture of suburban residential and industrial land use. Local and regional commercial districts are situated along its major highways, reflective of its location within an easy commute to Boston, Worcester, and Providence. Its three major transportation arteries are the Massachusetts Turnpike, Route 9, and the Boston and Albany Railroad, all of which connect Boston with western Massachusetts. Natick owes much of its growth to its location on these major east-west corridors. Routes 27 and 135, major collector roads, cross in the center of town and provide connections to Framingham to the west, Wellesley to the east, Wayland to the north, and Sherborn to the south. Route 16 goes through South Natick, connecting Wellesley and Sherborn. See Map 1A (Regional Context) and Map 2A (Orthophotograph).
Natick is within the jurisdiction of Boston’s Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC), and participates in regional planning efforts as part of the MetroWest Growth Management Committee, a sub-region of MAPC. Natick’s Open Space and Recreation Plan supports the four major goals described in the land resources element of MAPC’s regional development plan, known as “MetroGreen.” These include the protection of critical land resources, shaping of growth to appropriate areas, preserving community character, and providing increased recreational opportunities.[1]
Natick’s two largest and most popular open spaces are shared with neighboring towns.
· The Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary, owned by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, consists of 624 acres plus another 165 acres under conservation restriction.[2] More than two-thirds of this area is within Natick, the remainder in Sherborn.
· Cochituate State Park, managed by the state’s Department of Environmental Management, consists of over 1100 acres, including Lake Cochituate itself and the land surrounding the lake. Two of the lake’s three “ponds” are located in Natick, while the northern pond lies in Framingham and Wayland.
The Natick Open Space Advisory Committee sees opportunities and needs for cooperative effort between the Town of Natick and neighboring towns to preserve and manage a number of current open space projects:
· Natick recently completed a municipal golf course, Sassamon Trace, on land that is partly in Natick and partly in Sherborn.
· Natick is currently working with the Town of Framingham to find a way to preserve the 22-acre Arthur Morency Woods, which is owned by the Town of Framingham but lies mostly within Natick
· The Natick Open Space Committee has been discussing two old aqueducts that go through Natick and have the potential of providing trail links to neighboring towns.
· The Natick Open Space Committee would like to ensure that there remains continuous open space between Union Street, in Natick, and Lake Waban, in Wellesley, of which portions (nearly 200 acres) are currently under conservation restrictions.
B. Natick’s History[3]
The town’s original residents were Native Americans and English settlers. Natick Plantation was established in 1651 along the Charles River by the first and largest Praying Indian colony, which became a model for others in Massachusetts. Reverend John Eliot, the great missionary, converted them to Christianity and on October 14, 1651 successfully secured a charter from the Legislature granting them two thousand acres of land, part of the original “Dedham grant”. Natick was known as the Indian town because the Indians had established their own government based on the English model, held town meetings, and elected their own town selectmen and other officials before the English settled in the town. The 1658 grant of the northwest piece of Dedham enlarged Natick to six thousand acres. Dedham’s objections to this grant were only partially appeased by a substantial grant of land in Deerfield; Dedham’s continuing resentment resulted in numerous boundary disputes affecting Natick.
King Philip’s War (1675-1677) began with the discovery of the assassination of the Natick praying Indian John Sassamon. He had learned how to read and write English in Natick and provided much help to the settlers. He was assassinated because he warned the Governor that Philip was making plans against the English. Wampanoag Chief Metacomet (who was called King Philip) went to war against the settlers. As a result, Natick’s Indian population was forced to resettle on Deer Island, despite John Eliot’s protests and assurances that the Natick Praying Indians posed no threat. Most of Natick’s Indians perished from the cold and lack of food and medical care while on Deer Island.
When English settlers began migrating to Natick center, they rebelled at having to travel to and support the Indian church in South Natick. The resulting “Meeting House Dispute” was resolved by a successful petition to the General Court in 1761, attaching northern Natick to Needham (formerly Dedham – which suffered its own rebellion resulting in the town of Needham splitting from Dedham). This “Needham Leg” extended west to Lake Cochituate and included downtown and all but a sliver of land at Natick’s northern boundary. In February of 1781, Natick became a town, and in 1797 the “Needham Leg” was restored to Natick. As a result, Natick has been in Suffolk County, Norfolk County, and Middlesex County, presenting a challenge to those who are researching their genealogy or property ownership.
During the colonial period Natick was predominately agricultural, containing numerous orchards, lumber, grist and other mills. In 1835, the Boston and Albany Railroad was built through Natick, causing a rapid industrial expansion. Natick’s growing shoe industry became the third largest shoe production community in the country, with 23 shoe manufacturers by 1880. In 1858, the H.H. Harwood Baseball factory, another “cottage industry,” began producing the first center-wound balls with figure-eight-stitched horsehide covers, setting the standard for baseballs and producing Official League Baseballs.
In 1874, a great fire destroyed almost all of the buildings in downtown Natick. The wooden buildings were replaced with predominately three-story brick buildings. That, and the depression of the railroad tracks below street level, dramatically changed Natick’s appearance.
Natick at one time boasted an airport, an automobile factory, and was also widely known for its great greenhouses located in East Natick. Only the De Rosa greenhouses, with their world-renowned orchids, survive today. Walnut Hill School, a school for artistically gifted students established on the site of the Harwood estate, attracts students from around the world. Natick resident Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, may have had as its inspiration Natick’s reputation as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Natick’s Henry Wilson, Vice President from 1873-1876 under Ulysses S. Grant, was against slavery, and wrote the 3-volume “History of the Rise and Fall of the Slave Power in America” (1872-77) (the final volume was published posthumously by his estate).
Natick experienced a rapid population growth in the 1880s, with immigrants from Ireland, England, Nova Scotia, Italy and Armenia. By the beginning of the 20th Century, the shoe industry was declining, and Natick slowly changed from a major manufacturing town to a commuter suburb of Boston. The population increased dramatically after World War II, with the economic stimulus of new high technology firms developing within Natick itself, and, to a greater extent, within an easy commute along Route 128 and Route 495. The establishment of two commuter-rail stops in Natick and West Natick provided easy public transportation to Boston. In the 20-year period between 1940 and 1960, Natick’s population more than doubled, from 13,851 to 28,831. The “baby bust” dip in the birth rate (born late 70s and early 80s) created a dramatic decrease in the number of people per household and an overall loss in population. However, during the same period, Natick experienced a dramatic increase in new construction and significant loss of open spaces. With the 5% rise in population from 30,510 in 1990 to 32,170 in 2000, Natick once again reached its 1970 peak population, increasing its population density to 2132 per square mile.
C. Population Characteristics
In the 2000 Census, Natick had a population of 32,170, an increase of 5 percent since 1990. The predominant race was white, with 92.0 percent of the population, followed by a small, but growing Asian population (3.9 percent, up from 2.3 percent in 1990). The remainder are blacks (1.6 percent), American Indian 0.1 percent), Pacific Islander (0.1 percent), other (0.8 percent), and two or more races (1.6 percent). Hispanics constituted 2.0 percent of the population.
As the Baby Boom children had their own children, the
number of children under 18 has risen by 22 percent (from the 1990 to 2000
census), to 2,370. At the same time, there has been a 9 percent increase in the
median age of Natick’s population to 38.2.
These demographics may explain the rapidly increasing use of the town’s
recreation fields, as well as the growing interest in trails and other forms of
“passive” recreation.
Natick is an economically vibrant community, with a low unemployment rate and nearly full occupancy rate for its commercial, office, and residential buildings. As a testament to the desirability of Natick, many major employers have chosen to locate their world or national headquarters in Natick: TJX, Cognex, The MathWorks, Boston Scientific, BJ’s, edocs, Micro Technology Group, ServiceSoft, Sage Research, ZweigWhite, ViaTech, Imark, I-Ray, among others.
That may account for Natick’s lower unemployment rate, historically lower by at least one-third than the statewide rate. In 2000, the Department of Employment and Training recorded 291 unemployed (1.5%) in Natick, compared to the state-wide rate of 2.6%. In 2000, Natick’s total labor force was 18,979, and its average annual wage was $45,508. The majority of its workers are employed in the trades (8,928), and services (8,972), with a distant 2,037 for government and 2,032 in manufacturing.
D. Growth and Development Patterns
1. Patterns and Trends
Natick’s commercial center began in the south and shifted north in several stages, based on the latest transportation system. In the early 1600s, Natick was settled on the Charles River, in what is now South Natick. In the mid-1800s, the railroad hastened development of what is now downtown Natick. With the advent of the automobile in the 20th Century, commercial activity moved further northward to Route 9 and finally toward the Massachusetts Turnpike’s Exit 13.
From Natick’s founding in 1651, settlement was located near the banks of the Charles River. The river provided power for saw and grist mills, and most of the residents owned small farms. By the mid 1700s, farms had spread to other areas of the town. The earliest town map, published in 1750 by Samuel Livermore, shows houses spaced fairly evenly throughout.
In the 19th Century, in Natick and throughout Massachusetts, the economy shifted from agricultural to industrial. Natick’s geography was dramatically changed in 1835, when the railroad connecting Boston and Worcester was built through the geographical center of town. The area around the train station became known as downtown Natick, which quickly surpassed South Natick in population and economic activity. The railroad made downtown Natick an ideal site for new factories, and housing for the workers sprouted up nearby. South Natick experienced some of this type of growth, although to a much lesser extent. Maps from the late 1800s show Natick as two distinct communities – downtown Natick and South Natick. In other areas of Natick, abandoned farmland reverted back to woods. Between 1800 and 1900, Natick’s population increased tenfold, from about 900 to 9,000. In 1900, nearly 2,000 persons were employed in manufacturing, and only 123 in agriculture.
In the 20th Century as manufacturing declined, Natick became a commuter town. By 1950, two-thirds of Natick’s full-time workers were employed outside of Natick, including Boston. Workers could live in downtown Natick and easily commute by train or car to their jobs. In the 1930s, Route 9 was built as the state’s first divided highway, allowing easy automobile access to Boston or to Worcester. In 1957, the Massachusetts Turnpike was constructed along the old aquifer right-of-way, with Exit 13 at the Natick-Framingham border. The Turnpike, along with the existing Route 9, gave commuters access to Boston, as well as new high technology jobs located along Route 128 to the east and Route 495 to the west
Post-WWII housing for the returning soldiers and their families was built in East Natick, North Natick (known as Wethersfield), and West Natick. These areas have retained their friendly neighborhood character and affordability, and they continue to be sought out by young families. During this time, Route 9 became a regional commercial center. In 1952, Shoppers World was built, just across the Framingham line, as New England’s first regional shopping center, followed by the Natick Mall and Sherwood Plaza in the 1960s. The housing and commercial developments during this period used up the majority of buildable land in the central and northern parts of town. Only South Natick escaped this round of development, primarily because it was less accessible to the major transportation routes.
The area within walking distance of the West Natick train station experienced another building boom in the early 1970s and 80s, with a large subdivision of homes built on the site of a former golf course on the northern side of Route 135, and large condominium and apartment complexes, Natick’s first experiment with “cluster zoning” were built on the southern side of Route 135 on former open space. This is where Natick’s highest population density is located, and it abuts some of neighboring Framingham’s highest density affordable apartment complexes.
The MetroWest area has the highest percent change of vacant housing units from 1990-2000 with vacancies down 46.6%. Natick has a low vacancy rate of 2% with 71% of the housing being owner-occupied. Although the number of housing units has increased, there is still a need for additional apartments and low-income housing.
Route 9’s commercial development, which began with Shopper’s World, expanded into what is known as the “Golden Triangle,” an area defined by Route 9, Route 30, and Speen Street, although the commercial activity extends considerably beyond these streets. This area is about half in Natick and half in Framingham. Although the vacant land in this area is long gone, the density of activity continues to increase, as single-story structures and parking lots are replaced by tall office buildings and parking garages. The land closest to Exit 13 off the Massachusetts Turnpike has become the most desirable location for office buildings and retail space.
The latest residential building boom has occurred in the formerly unspoiled areas of South Natick and the northeast corner of Natick. Now large, expensive houses are replacing former woodland and open space. The pattern of development in recent years can be seen on Map 7 (EOEA Buildout Map: Absolute Constraints).
The rate of development of Natick has been increasing over the last ten years. In the context of the dwindling inventory of un-developed parcels, this is especially disconcerting. The graph below shows the total acreage by year that was developed using information provided by the town’s assessor. For this graph, only vacant (no structures whatsoever) lots that were developed were including. As a result, it reasonable to believe that if re-development and increased development, especially on larger parcels were included, the picture would be bleaker.
Using the full data from the period of 1995-2000, it is clear that this slice of development activity alone is consuming over 60 acres per year. The Inventory of Open Space presented in Section 5 of this Plan shows less than 300 acres remain of privately owned, unprotected (i.e. developable) open space). Taken together, these two statistics point to the urgency of planning now for Natick’s future.
2. Infrastructure
a. Transportation System
Natick is served by multiple transportation modes including major highway systems (Massachusetts Turnpike and Route 9), local and collector systems (Routes 135, 27, and 16), and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) rail system. Interstate routes 95 (state Route 128) and 495 divide the region into transportation corridors connected by numerous “spokes” providing access to Worcester (25 miles), Boston (18 miles) and Providence, R.I. (35 miles), numerous inter-state train and bus facilities, and six airports within 40 miles (Boston, Manchester, N.H., Bedford, Worcester, Providence, and Norwood).
The MBTA provides commuter-rail passenger service to Boston and Worcester and is one of the fastest growing commuter rail lines in the Boston Metropolitan area. The Natick Neighborhood Bus system connects with the bus station located at Shopper’s World in Framingham. The two Neighborhood buses, subsidized by the Town of Natick and MBTA’s Suburban Transportation Program, follow fixed routes through Natick once per hour.
The state has redesigned Route 135 (the east-west highway through the center of town, between the Framingham and Wellesley borders), and will soon begin reconstruction of the highway prior to turning the highway over to the town. The redesign provides vastly improved safety vehicular safety at intersections, improved crosswalks, better sidewalks, and bicycle lanes.
b. Water Supply System
The current water supply for Natick is drawn from a public water supply system of several wells, two reservoirs, and a distribution system of water mains located throughout the town. Problems identified with the existing water supply system include high manganese content, which is common in New England. According to the Water Dept. Superintendent, Cypress Wells at Evergreen and the Springvale wells have had a volatile organic compound problem in the past. The Town of Natick has installed an effective filter treatment system at the Springvale site, which handles all of north Natick's volatile organic compound problems adequately and effectively.
Town groundwater resources are protected through the town’s Aquifer Protection District (APD). Projects proposed within this district must comply with the Bylaw.
c. Sewer Service
Natick sewer service, for the most part, is tied into the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) sewer extension, which carries the waste to a treatment facility at Deer Island in Boston Harbor. Many older homes still have septic systems and have not tied into the public sewer system. As additions and new construction continues, the Town Health Department and Conservation Commissions urge residents to “hook-up.” The MWRA has recently been renovating the old MWRA system through Natick the last few years.
3. Long Term Development Patterns
Natick’s zoning map is attached as Map 1B, and an aerial view of Natick is attached as Map 2A. Until recently, most of Natick’s single-family housing was built in areas with zoning requirements ranging from 12,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet. The most significant recent developments have taken place in South Natick in residential zoning of 40,000 square feet (one acre). Most of these subdivisions have opted for the Cluster Development provision, which allow a greater number of total units, in exchange for leaving at least 30 percent of the total land area as preserved open space. In recent practice, the Planning Board has negotiated as much as 50 percent preserved open space.
Natick’s commercial and industrial zoning is concentrated in two parts of town: The “Golden Triangle” area, defined by Route 9, Route 30, and Speen Street, is zoned for commercial or industrial uses. Additional commercial zoning continues east along Route 9 to the Wellesley border. The second area is downtown Natick, which constitutes a “Downtown Mixed Use District.” This zoning allows a mixture of uses, including single and multi-unit residential, commercial, and offices. Additionally, on the downtown’s north edge are two small industrial zones, in which lie some of the remaining brick factory buildings from Natick’s industrial past.
The trends in Natick are to develop buildable uplands, and developers are scrambling to acquire any remaining buildable lots, which are highly vulnerable and threatened. The demand for housing in Natick continues to be strong, making building on questionable lots economically feasible. Another trend is to tear down and infill, particularly in the compact downtown areas, which provides housing for the large number of commuters – primarily train riders. Downtown Natick has few dimensional or other restrictions on residential housing, which makes building on the relatively small lots financially feasible.
Natick also is a prime location for large commercial businesses. The recent developments of commercial complexes at Apple Hill (MathWorks, etc.), and on Route 9 just east of Route 27 (Cognex, Whitney Place) and further west (Natick Mall, Jordan’s Furniture) show no indication of abating. TJX has nearly doubled its already large building on Route 30, on the Natick-Framingham line, across from Cochituate State Park. A high-rise apartment complex has been proposed at a location at the top of the rise on Speen Street between Route 9 and Route 30, a stone’s throw from the massive Home Depot home improvement warehouse store, across from Natick’s newest Courtyard by Marriott hotel. Boston Scientific has recently been successful in obtaining a helicopter landing permit for a commercial-sized Sikorsky helicopter, and TJX has indicated its desire to follow suit.
Many recent losses in open space have been partially mitigated by the activism of the neighborhoods and the town boards’ efforts to preserve portions of the open spaces that neighborhoods have enjoyed for generations.
· In northeast Natick, the Friends of Winter Street Open Space objected to a proposal to develop a 23-acre section of woodlands and wetlands. After numerous public hearings and a lawsuit, approximately half of the land was preserved because of wetlands and vernal pools, and the town purchased 4 acres, known as Winter Woods, to add to existing town conservation land.
· In May 2000, the Town established a Municipal Surplus Property Committee to consider selling town land to help finance a new middle school. One of the properties under consideration was the Natick Community Organic Farm, a resource that is enjoyed by hundreds of community residents. The farm users were successful in saving the farm from being sold, although the farm still does not enjoy permanent protection status.
· In South Natick, neighbors protested the proposed construction of 21 houses on a 23-acre parcel on Eliot Street. The final plan approved by the Planning Board allowed 6 house lots, and the owner gave 13 acres, mostly wetlands, to the town as the Mary E. & Herbert E. Sherman Nature Preserve. Currently in negotiation, the town may acquire two of the lots along Eliot Street to add to the Nature Reserve.
Current concerns include:
· A 55-acre parcel on Route 27 by the Sherborn line, proposed to be rezoned to accommodate 98 units of age-qualified housing and a large country club;
· The 12-acre “Arthur Morency Woods” in West Natick on the North side of Rte 135 at the Framingham line, site of the long-abandoned Framingham sewer beds;
· A 20-acre farm off Rockland Street, site of cider mill for generations.
These projects will continue to deplete the amount of available open space, particularly interconnecting greenways necessary to biodiversity. Natick’s Planning Board and Conservation Commission work with developers to preserve interconnecting stretches of open space and trails.
On December 3, 2002, Natick Town Meeting adopted a Zoning Bylaw, developed by the Planning Board with the active participation of the Open Space Advisory Committee. This Bylaw provides developers with a Comprehensive Cluster Development option, which would permit them to build more housing units in large parcels, in exchange for providing 10 percent of the units as affordable housing, and leaving 50 percent of the land as protected and publicly accessible open space.
The Executive Office of Environmental Affairs’s buildout analysis[4] (Map 8) shows 1534 acres of developable land, the vast majority of it with residential zoning. If all this land were developed, according to the analysis, Natick would have 4,034 additional residents – a 13 percent increase.
According to our Inventory of Lands of Conservation and Recreation Interest (Section 5 of this Plan), Natick has several categories of land that might be developed.
· The most likely to be developed are about 300 acres of privately owned land with no protection.
· The town has a considerable amount of privately owned land with minimal protection – land that might not be protected in the future. One of the Objectives in this Plan is, to the extent possible, to seek to improve the protection levels of these parcels and make the protections permanent.
· Finally there are major parcels of land used by town, state or federal government land that might be declared surplus property at some point. These provide the Town of Natick with an opportunity to obtain the land before it is developed.
SECTION 4 – ENVIRONMENTAL INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS
A. Geology, Soils and Topography
1. Essential Structure
Natick is dominated by low elevation terrain, which is generally less than 200 feet above mean sea level. The topographic map of Natick (Map 2B) shows the major high and low points in town. Uplands vary from the broad, dominant slopes of Pleasant Hill, Carver Hill, and Drury Hill to the low, rolling areas of Natick Center and West Natick. Elevations range from roughly 135 feet along the Charles River and Lake Cochituate to 410 feet at Pegan Hill, the highest point in Natick. From Pegan Hill, a series of four hills with elevations of 300 feet or greater run along the eastern side of the town up to Route 9. These hills include Carver Hill (300 feet), Broad Hill (312 feet), Train Hill (300 feet), and Pleasant Hill (313 feet). Drury Hill and Tom Hill (both with elevations of 300 feet) are the only dominant slopes in western Natick.
Water bodies and wetland areas cover approximately 13.5 percent of the town's total area. A nearly continuous chain of lakes and wetlands extends through the town, from north to south. The water bodies comprising this chain include Lake Cochituate, Fisk Pond, Dug Pond, and the Indian Brook drainage. This chain continues through the southern portion of Natick along the Charles River corridor. The northeastern corner of Natick is dominated by the low-lying Sunkaway area and Nonesuch Pond. The Sunkaway is a low area that crosses and frequently floods Route 9, and at one time was subject to continual sinking despite the constant filling and shoring up of the area. Many smaller low-lying areas are scattered throughout the town.
A 1968-69 U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service soil survey has been updated. In addition, Coffin and Richardson (1979) provide information on soil characteristics. See Table 4‑1 (General Soil Association), Map 2C (Soils). and Map 2D (Subsurface Geology).
Natick is covered by a variety of glacial soils. The soils are generally mixed glacial drift on the drumlin hills; (i.e., Pleasant Hill, Broad Hill, Carver Hill, and Tom Hill); sandy to rocky soils on the outwash areas; (i.e., the gravel pit on Oak Street, Little County Road, and the U.S. Army Natick Labs area); and peats and organic mucks in the wetland areas (i.e., the Sunkaway, Davis Brook, and Indian Brook drainage). Covering almost one-half of Natick are well-drained, permeable, and usually stone free Hinckley soils, which have good agricultural potential and can produce large volumes of water from deep wells, but can also easily absorb sewage effluent. Their coarse substratum provides little filtering action and the water in wells can be polluted if located near a source of contamination.
Most of the underlying bedrock in Natick is covered by surficial deposits, although bedrock outcrops are common. The largest area of rock outcrops occurs in the region between Indian Brook, Dug Pond, Everett Hill, and Davis Brook. Stratified deposits of well compacted glacial till are the dominant geologic feature in both the Charles River and Sudbury River watersheds. This till is largely the result of two deglaciation lakes (Lake Charles and Lake Sudbury) that left these deposits as the glacier receded.
A large preglacial valley is carved into the bedrock between the Sunkaway, Morses Pond, Coolidge Hill, Indian Brook, and the Charles River. The till deposits in this area are generally less than 20 feet thick and are comprised of gravel and sands with some clay combined in a poorly sorted mixture. Several of the town’s water supply wells are located in this large, water-bearing region.
Table 4-1
General Soil Association
|
|
Acres |
Percentage |
|
|
|
|
|
Hinckley-Made Land
Association |
4,704 |
46 |
|
Woodbridge-Paxton
Association |
2,050 |
20 |
|
Hollis Association |
1,740 |
17 |
|
Windor-Deerfield
Association |
810 |
8 |
|
Muck Association |
480 |
5 |
|
Canton-Muck Association |
450 |
4 |
|
|
|
|
|
TOTAL |
10,234 |
100 |
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture-Soil
Conservation Service
2. Effects on Development, Drinking Water and Wastewater
a. Development
Most of the “easy” (and inexpensive) land to build on has been developed already: the upland farms and fields. As housing prices have gone up and developers have focused on more upscale housing, recent developments have focused on more marginal sites: those with substantial ledge or involving wetlands. One recent development has actually taken the top off of a hill, setting up a rock processing quarry in the process. We expect this process to continue.
b. Drinking Water
Natick relies on groundwater for its drinking supplies. Glacial soils provide the primary medium by which the aquifers are recharged.
c. Wastewater
Because Natick is on the MWRA wastewater system, future development will be tied into that system. While this will not contribute to problems because of septic systems, it will continue the drawdown and removal of water from Natick aquifers through the MWRA system, possible contributing to future shortages of water.
B. Landscape Character
See Map 3 (Unique Features Map)
Natick has a great variety of landscapes – from open rolling farmland with active farming occurring at Marino’s Lookout Farm, to forested hilltops. The highest point in Natick is Pegan Hill, 410 feet above sea level on Pegan Lane, owned by The Trustees of Reservations. West of the entrance to Pegan Hill is an early New England Forestry Foundation educational forest. To the north are Train Hill, Broad Hill, and Carver Hill, all nearly three hundred feet high. Natick has many lakes, covering 621 acres, which form a necklace of water running from Lake Cochituate, originally called Long Pond, in the north to Dug Pond in the south. A two-minute walk takes you from the frenetic activity of the Natick Mall to the shores of Lake Cochituate, where fishermen, boaters and bathers peacefully co-exist in their recreational pursuits.
The one hundred acres donated by the Hunnewell family for the town forest descends from Walnut Hill to Route 9 at the Sunkaway.
In South Natick, the Charles River cascades over the falls and under a historic stone arch bridge, as canoers and a variety of birds share the water, after passing through a large Audubon Society preserve, where deer can be seen grazing in the early morning mist or twilight evenings. One particularly extraordinary vantage point with incredible views of Boston is where the Barberry Homes development has been built.
Natick is pleasantly laced with several lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, dotted here and there with small forests and open agricultural lands. The new “Sassamon Trace” golf course, on Route 27 and West Street, abuts a large expanse of Sherborn open space and the Natick High School recreational fields.. Across West Street is a town forest and an additional ball field. A short drive south on Rockland Street to Everett Street brings you past a cider mill and out to Route 16 across from Audubon’s Broadmoor Sanctuary. Heading east toward South Natick village, the views to the south of the Charles River and the large undeveloped expanses of woodlands on the opposite shore are exquisite, topped only by the turn down past the historic Bacon library and South Natick waterfall. A right on Pleasant Street brings you to Marino’s Lookout Farm, a large working farm, part of which is protected by an agricultural preservation restriction.
Northeasterly Natick, with a large number of wooded areas, is being infilled with newer Development.
There are numerous trails that are being preserved that partially connect these areas.
C. Water Resources
See Map 4 (Water Resources)
1. Watersheds
Natick is divided in half with two watersheds; the Charles River, which drains the eastern and southern portions of the town, and the SuAsCo (Sudbury-Assabet-Concord), which drains the western and northern portions of town. The watershed boundaries are shown on Map 4. These drainages are classified as Class B waters under Massachusetts regulations (314 CMR 4.05). The Charles River passes through the southeastern corner of Natick. Major sub-basins within the Charles River watershed consist of Indian Brook (including Dug Pond), Davis Brook, and Jennings Pond (which includes the Sunkaway region and Pickerel Pond). Natick's portion of the SuAsCo watershed includes Lake Cochituate and Fisk Pond, with their tributary basins of Beaverdam Brook, Course Brook, Pegan Brook and Snake Brook. Below is a list of all resources under each watershed area:
Table
4-2
Water
Resources
|
SuAsCo Watershed |
Charles Watershed |
|
Lakes Cochituate |
Charles River |
|
Little
Roundy |
Nonesuch Pond |
|
Fisk Pond |
Pickerel Pond |
|
Course Brook |
Mud Pond |
|
Meadow Pond |
Jennings Pond |
|
Beaverdam Brook |
Morses Pond |
|
Snake Brook |
Dug Pond |
|
Pegan Brook |
Indian Brook |
|
Wildwood/Speen Pond |
Davis Brook |
|
|
Saddlebrook Pond |
|
|
MacArthur Pond |
|
|
Bacon Pond |
|
|
Grist Mill Ponds |
2. Surface Water
Water bodies and associated wetlands in Natick comprise a total of 1,287 acres, approximately 13.5 percent of the town’s gross acreage. The largest water body is Lake Cochituate, which covers roughly 440 acres within Natick. A complete list of ponds and brooks is given in Table 4-2 above.
Town staff and volunteers secured a grant from Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection through the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Management for the purpose of reducing heavy loads of sediment into Snake Brook and Lake Cochituate.
3. Aquifer Recharge Areas
The Aquifer and Recharge areas are shown on Map 4. The main aquifer generally stripes the town’s subsurface from North to South, links to the north with Wayland and stretches over to Weston, to the east to Framingham then south, to Sherborn. The recharge areas are typically found in the second concentric circle around the aquifer area, but often sporadically shifting. From the information on Map 4, it appears more land in Natick is aquifer or recharge area than not.
4. Flood Hazard Areas
According to the Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) for Natick (community Panel Numbers 250207 000l B to 007 B), dated February 1, 1980, several areas within Natick are located in Zone A (i.e., areas subject to the 100-year flood). Narrow bands of Zone A are associated with Lake Cochituate, Fisk Pond, Dug Pond, Nonesuch Pond, and Morses Pond. Areas of Zone A also border the Charles River, Indian Brook, Bogle Brook (Jennings Pond area), and Snake Brook. A narrow to wide (greater than 1,000 feet) band of Zone A borders Davis Brook from Rockland Street to the Charles River. An extensive area of Zone A is located along the Natick-Sherborn line between Indian Brook, West Street, Windsor Avenue, Sylvester Road, and Cochituate State Park. Maps may be viewed at the Natick Community Development Office. The Wetlands Maps coordinate with the Assessor’s Map and include 100-year flood plane lines on them.
5. Wetlands
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts designates official wetlands in the state. Natick has this information located on maps with scales of 1”=100’ that also includes flood plain information and transition zones. Any activity within this 100 feet and/or within 200 feet of River or perennial stream is subject to the discretion of the Conservation Commission, as per the Wetlands Protection Act (Chapter 131, section 40), River’s Protection Act (1996- 310 CMR 10.58), Wetlands Regulations 310 CMR 10.00, Stormwater Management Policy and Natick’s new Wetlands Protection Bylaw.
The Wetlands Protection Bylaw, Article 30, section 2 of the Natick Bylaws, passed Town Meeting on April 27, 2000, and took effect the following August 24th. The new Bylaw increased the restrictions placed on wetlands in town by providing a larger buffer area or transition area where poisons, toxins, etc. could be filtered out prior to entering the resource area. In addition, it provides corridors to critters and specific species. It also provides stormwater management controls by providing additional storage area for access water. This Article can be accessed at the Natick website: www.Natickma.org under Conservation Commission- 4. Wetlands Bylaw.
In addition, the Charles River in Natick is protected by the Massachusetts Rivers Protection Act, MGL Chapter 131 Section 40, adopted in 1996. More information is available at:http://www.state.ma.us/dep/brp/ww/files/riverqa.htm.
D. Vegetation
Vegetation within Natick is typical of the eastern Massachusetts region. Upland areas are dominated by a mixed deciduous and coniferous tree line, while the low-lying wetlands are predominantly red maples. The undeveloped open fields in Natick have combinations of upland grasses, goldenrods, and asters with scrub shrubbery dominated by roses and brambles. Wetland communities form combinations of trees, shrub, and herbaceous layers, which are listed below. Some wetland areas exist as either shrub swamps or herbaceous marshes. A large portion of the Sunkaway is an Atlantic white cedar swamp, which is much less common than red maple swamps.
Several years ago, a field survey was conducted at various locations within the town (i.e., The Sunkaway, Pegan Cove Park, Indian Brook, and the Bacon Street Water Supply Area) to identify representative vegetational communities. The more common species observed in Natick's uplands and wetlands are listed in Table 4-3 (Common Plant Species)
Table
4-3
Common
Wetland and Upland Plant Species Observed in Natick
|
Upland Vegetation |
Wetland Vegetation |
|
|
|
|
Tree Layer: |
Tree
Layer: |
|
Red Oak |
Red Maple |
|
White Oak |
Ash |
|
White Pine |
|
|
Gray Birch |
Shrub Layer: |
|
Black Cherry |
Alder |
|
|
Sweet Pepperbush |
|
Shrub Layer: |
Highbush Blueberry |
|
Honeysuckle |
Swamp Dogwood |
|
Witch Hazel |
Arrow-wood |
|
European Buckthorn |
Swamp Azalea |
|
Multiflora Rose |
Withe-rod |
|
Bramble |
|
|
|
Herbaceous
Layer: |
|
Herbaceous Layer: |
Sedges |
|
Upland Grasses |
Common Cattail |
|
Goldenrod |
Cinnamon Fern |
|
Club Moss |
Skunk Cabbage |
|
Common Dewberry |
Hydrophilic Grasses |
E. Fisheries and Wildlife
1. Inventory
The topography in Natick encourages plant diversity and in the undeveloped areas, and in turn creates cover and food for birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. For most species, the best habitats are found in areas that are well watered, have abundant understory vegetation, and are relatively free of human intervention. For some game species, such as white-tail deer or beaver, the size of the contiguous range is important. Recently, sightings of moose, coyotes, beaver, turkeys, minks, river otter, red fox have become more common. White tail deer frequent the town. Specific wildlife data for Natick are not readily available; however, based on the Charles River Corridor Plan, Charles River Watershed Association, the presence of species listed in Table 4-4 (Wildlife Species in Natick) can be inferred.
Table
4-4
Wildlife
Species in Natick
Birds
Migratory/songbirds: bunting, sparrow, towhee, cardinal, goldfinch, oriole, vireos, and warblers (some rare)
Birds of prey: hawks and owls
Waterfowl: geese, ducks and teal
Marsh and rium birds/waders: rail, woodcock, bittern (rare), and heron
Upland game birds: grouse, quail and pheasant
Great Blue, Black-crowned Night, and Green Herons are common along the Charles River.
Reptiles/Amphibians
Frogs, salamanders (some rare), snakes, toads and turtles
Small Mammals
Beaver, chipmunk, fox, muskrat, otter, rabbit, raccoon, skunk, squirrel, weasel, mink, fisher, and coyote
Large Mammals
White tailed deer
Source: Charles River Corridor Plan, Charles River Watershed Assoc.
Fishing is a very popular recreational activity in Natick. Largemouth bass, yellow perch, bullheads, pickerel, sunfish, and white suckers are the primary warm-water species caught. Few of the streams in the Charles River watershed, however, are capable of supporting natural populations of cold-water fish. The region relies on stocking of several streams and ponds to support a “put-and-take” fishery for rainbow and brown trout. For example, a total of approximately 300 rainbow, brown trout, bass, salmon, and tiger muskie are released into Lake Cochituate, Dug Pond, and the Charles River annually. The fish-stocking program is managed by the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. For updates on the stocking program, go to: http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dfw/dfwrec.htm
In addition to the fish stocking programs, the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, in conjunction with other state and federal agencies, have begun a program to restore anadromous fish runs in the Charles River. It is anticipated that the once abundant shad, alewife, and blueback herring populations will begin to increase once the construction of fish ladders along the Charles River has been completed, and sixty miles of the Charles River will again be open to anadromous fish.
2. Vernal Pools
The Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) certifies vernal pools among communities. Presently, there exist 12 certified vernal pools in Natick. The program certifies application submitted to them based on a list of criteria and information submitted to their program. The application identifies the vernal pool by its location, project description and gives it a number shown below:
Table
4-5
Certified
Vernal Pools:
|
1. |
#2777 |
109 Pleasant Street |
|
2. |
# 905 |
Winter Street |
|
3. |
# 906 |
Winter Street |
|
4. |
#2023 |
Brandon School |
|
5. |
#2413 |
15.5 Oakland St |
|
6. |
#2713 |
46 Rathbun Rd |
|
7. |
# |
West Street |
|
8. |
# |
Fairview Avenue |
|
9. |
#7121 |
132 Everett Street (east/west) |
|
10. |
#1982 |
#1 –South of 12 Front St |
|
11. |
# 1983 |
#2- Southwest of 12 Front |
|
12. |
#1984 |
#3- North of 12 Front St. |
|
13. |
#1985 (decertified) |
#4- (Decertified) |
3. Corridors for Wildlife Migration
The Charles River, which offers a natural wildlife corridor, supports great blue herons, black-crowned night herons, and green herons (Ron McAdow: http://www.tiac.net/users/rmcadow/ChasRiverHTML/ChasR04.html), as well as a large number of more common waterfowl.
4. Rare Species
The Massachusetts Natural Heritage Program has identified the rare plant threadfoot (Podostemum ceratophyllum), a State-listed Species of Special Concern, as occurring within the riverine habitat of the Charles River. The extremely rare plant sandplain gerardia (Agalinas acuta) is a species of highest protection priority and has been historically recorded in Natick. The rare plant whorled pogonia (Isotria verticillata) was historically recorded in the region and is likely to be found in the semi-acid woodland soils of Natick as well.
The Natural Heritage Program has recorded the Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter Cooper II); Spotted Turtle (Clemmys Guttata); Mystic Valley Amphipod (Crangonyx Aperrans) (a crustacean); and the Turret Snail (Valvata Sincera Boreal) as present in Natick. http://www.state.ma.us/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/townn.htm
Two uncommon animal species are likely to occur within the town. The rare blue spotted salamander (Ambystoma laterale) and the ecologically sensitive spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) have been sighted ten times in Natick between 1979 and 1981. The Massachusetts Natural Heritage Program suggests that protection of streamsides that provide habitat for the salamanders would benefit both of these species.
F. Scenic Resources and Unique Environments
(See Map 3 – Unique Features)
1. Scenic Landscapes
The Massachusetts Audubon Society’s Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary is a large and well-maintained natural area located along the Charles River in South Natick and neighboring Sherborn. Broadmoor includes woodlands and meadows, but is best known for its water. A boardwalk traverses Indian Brook and its wetlands areas, giving the public, and particularly schoolchildren, a first-hand knowledge of the functions and importance of wetlands.
Lake Cochituate consists of three interconnected ponds, all within the Cochituate State Park. The park is enjoyed as many as 200,000 visitors each year, many from urban areas in and around Boston. They come to enjoy swimming, boating, and picnicking. Although houses surround most of the lake, the state park owns a strip abutting the lake, providing natural scenery for park visitors.
The Hunnewell Town Forest has several large strands of White Plines and Hemlocks, and is entered by a path along Little Jennings Pond, a scenic wetlands area.
Lookout Farm offers a pick-your-own fruits and a farm store. Lookout is one of several remaining farms in South Natick offering picturesque vistas of open space in a relatively quiet, undisturbed section of town.
The new Sassamon Trace golf course, formed from the capping of Natick’s landfill and abutting former apple orchards in Sherborn, and surrounded by school recreational fields and wetlands, presents an imposing feature, part of a broad expanse of open lands in both Natick and Sherborn.
Natick has a number of designated scenic roads: Winter and Frost streets in the northeast corner of town; Bacon and Walnut streets north of the town center; and many streets in the more rural southern part of town: Cottage Street, Dover Road, Everett Street, Farwell Street, Glen Street, Glenwood Street, Pegan Lane, Pleasant Street, Rockland Street, South Street, Union Street, and Woodland Street.
Town departments and community groups are working at connecting all of these wonderful places to each other, to conservation lands, to other towns, and even to the Natick Mall and businesses whose employees use or would like to use alternative means of transportation. These efforts are positive steps at preserving and utilizing to its best advantage the invaluable open space remaining in Natick.
2. Major Characteristic or Unusual Geological Features
Natick’s geological features have already been discussed in prior portions of this Plan, particularly section 4.A (Geology, Soils and Topography) and section 4.B (Landscape Characteristics).
3. Cultural, Archeological and Historic Areas
Natick’s origins as a praying Indian town means it is also rich in archeological sites throughout the town. One of numerous Indian burial grounds is located on Pond Street within a block of downtown. Recent improvements to the intersection of Route 16, Union Street and Pleasant Street unearthed Indian remains and artifacts, as did the construction of the Massachusetts Turnpike ramps at Route 30. Several residential building projects either unearthed similar archaeological materials, or were suspected of doing so. The Legislative grants to the Natick Indians of thousands of acres of land in South Natick and around Long Pond (now Lake Cochituate) make it extremely likely that many more such sites exist.
In addition to its natural attractions, Natick has a number of areas of historical interest. The John Eliot Historic District, in the center of South Natick, is the site of the original Praying Indian settlement of 1651. This area is still has the character of the early 19th Century, with Colonial, Federalist, and Greek Revival architecture. The Henry Wilson Historic District, running along West Central Street in downtown Natick, preserves a number of houses from the mid-19th Century, as well as the cobbler shop once owned by Henry Wilson, 18th Vice President of the United States. Downtown Natick also includes Main Street, dominated by three and four-story brick buildings built immediately after the Great Fire of 1874.
One of these buildings, the Old Fire House, is currently being renovated by The Center for Arts in Natick (TCAN) as a regional center for visual and performing arts. TCAN is currently operating out of a temporary storefront on Main Street, around the corner from its permanent location. Performances of plays, poetry, music, and exhibits of artwork, quilts, sculptures, etc. are scheduled daily.
The Town Common becomes the town gathering-place during warm months, with weekly outdoor concerts at the bandstand, farmer’s markets, flea markets, and holiday festivals for families. The entire downtown area has been revitalized in recent years by the new municipal complex and library, along with restaurants such as the Dolphin, Dah Mee, Bakery on the Common, and Park Street Ice Cream.
Walnut Hill School, which holds performances and exhibits and also supplies talent to TCAN, is world-renowned as an educational facility for high schoolers gifted in the arts. Natick’s downtown historic Morse Institute Library has been more than doubled in size, with the new addition architecturally sensitive to the old, as provided in Mary Ann Morse’s will. South Natick’s historic Bacon Free Library, overlooking South Natick Dam, also houses the Natick Historical Society and its collection of Natick’s history and natural history.
4. Unique Environments
Natick has no areas designated as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. However, there are important ecosystems. The area including Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary appears on the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife’s BioMap,[5] showing an important area for biodiversity based on the occurrence of rare species. Broadmoor provides critical habitat for many species that can be observed by walking the many trails that thread through the sanctuary.
Additionally, the Charles River corridor provides a habitat for the “threadfoot” plant, as well as animals including waterfowl, white-tailed deer, mink, and otter. A unique Atlantic white cedar swamp is located around Mud Pond in the “Sunkaway” area. More information on plants and animal species, and ecosystems with Natick are found elsewhere in this section.
G. Environmental Challenges
Risks for Natick’s Water and Recreational Resources
Natick depends entirely on well water from its underground aquifers, which are overlaid, in most areas, with residential and commercial development. Thus there is the ever-present risk that an oil spill or other hazardous waste spill will endanger the town’s water supply and/or the town’s recreational resources in Lake Cochituate, Dug Pond and other recreational facility.
This is not just a theoretical possibility. During the last 15 years in Natick, hazardous materials have been released to the environment at about 306 locations. Of these, 270 have been releases of oil, 11 have been releases of oil and hazardous materials, and 25 have been releases of just hazardous material. State Department of Environmental Projection records show that 250 of these sites have already been cleaned up to the satisfaction of the Department.
Twenty of the remaining 50 or so sites are relatively new and have not yet been reviewed by the state. Of the remaining 30 sites, the state has classified two as extremely important (Tier 1A):
· The Army Research facility off Kansas Street, which involves the substantial release of a variety of hazardous materials.
· The Clean Corporation, a dry-cleaning establishment off North Main Street, which involves the discharge of large volumes of hazardous cleaning fluids.
Both of these sites are being cleaned up but they both still endanger Natick’s water supply as well as the recreational resources of Lake Cochituate.
The state has classified an additional three contaminated sites as significant importance (Tier IC):
· The Lilja School oil leak (off Oak Street). This oil leak endangers Natick’s water pumped at the Morse Pond well. It is being cleaned up but it does not yet meet state standards.
· The Industrial Corp. is site located in the East Natick Industrial Park. This site involves the discharge of oil and is under substantial control.
· The Microwave Development site is also located in the East Natick Industrial Park. This site involves hazardous materials and is in substantial control.
The approximately 25 remaining sites, which are classified as of moderate concern (Tier II) by DEP, are being cleaned but in most cases still require monitoring.
The major issue for Natick appears to be, not so much the historic hazardous waste spills, but monitoring existing residential development and commercial developments to make sure that all reasonable precautions are being taken to avoid additional spills. For the last twenty years the Planning Board has imposed Aquifer Protection District controls on all new or redeveloped commercial and industrial sites located over or near the town’s aquifers. Each of these permits mandates a variety of specific requirements that each property owner must abide by. It is not clear, however, that any official in the Town of Natick is inspecting any of these sites to make sure that the Planning Board’s requirements are being met.
Another concern is the town’s stormwater drainage systems. Most of these drain in to major water bodies or streams, and as a result contaminants placed in remote culverts can soon find their way into Lake Cochituate or the Charles River. There may well be a need for the regular monitoring of these drainage systems so that contaminant spills located far from any water body can be quickly identified.
Natick is already taking a leadership role in helping to forestall pollutions spills from Town-owned facilities and from Town operations. Last year the Selectmen hired an Environmental Control Officer who reports directly to the Town Administrator. He is currently engaged in training all Town officials as to how they can dramatically reduce and control waste spillage. It is entirely possible that he could take the initiative in developing other types of monitoring for private commercial and residential developments located above Natick’s aquifer.
Landfills. The Natick Landfill on West Street just off Rte 27 has recently been transformed into a 75-acre golf course located in both Natick and the Town of Sherborn.
Chronic Flooding. The town is undergoing a study of flooding on the south and west sides of Walnut Hill.
Ground and Surface Water Pollution. To reduce the deleterious effects of non-point-source pollution on water bodies (and the human bodies that use them), the US EPA recommends that catch basins be cleaned out twice yearly. That is much more than has been the local practice. Natick’s streams and ponds are also in need of attention.
Impaired Water Bodies: Lake Cochituate. Water quality in Lake Cochituate, the major recreational lake in eastern Massachusetts (and Boston's first public drinking water reservoir, 1848-1931), remains good enough for swimming, and some of its fish are safe to eat by some people. Several projects are underway to repair the damage:
· Snake Brook 319 Project: Starting in 2002, this multi-year project will remove NPS pollution that grows thick weeds and algal mats in the mouth of Snake Brook, on the Natick-Wayland town line. Similar projects are anticipated for other impacted parts of Lake Cochituate.
· Metropolitan Area Planning Council has begun a mapping project of the Lake Cochituate watershed. It is designed to coordinate with and support the Snake Brook 319 Project
· U.S. Army Natick Laboratories (SBCCOM, or "NLabs") has been conducting an ongoing multi-million-dollar CERCLA (SuperFund) groundwater clean-up project since 1989. It involves various pollutants, potentially affecting both Lake Cochituate and the Springvale Pumping Station (Natick's primary drinking-water wells). Extensive measurements and restoration activities are closely coordinated with environmental agencies, and provide a wealth of useful data
The Department of Environmental Management is completing a Management Plan for Cochituate State Park that details that park’s natural and historical resources and provides guidelines for land stewardship.[6]
Pegan Cove Park. Pegan Cove Park is 22 acres of choice, wooded shoreline property on the South Pond of Lake Cochituate, close to downtown Natick. It is the historic site of the Pegan Brook Filter Beds (1893-1947), which once removed NPS pollution from Pegan Brook before it entered the lake system. This property was taken as part of U.S. Natick Army Laboratories when it was established about 1955, and was taken back from the Army in 1974. It is owned by Cochituate State Park (Mass. DEM), and is leased to Natick under the joint administration of the Conservation and Recreation commissions; a second 25-year lease was renegotiated in March 2000. As part of that lease, the town and state are working together to identify and eliminate sources of pollution.
SECTION 5 – INVENTORY OF LANDS OF
CONSERVATION AND
RECREATION INTEREST
This section provides an inventory and map of areas that are important to Natick due to their current open space value and/or recreational use. Private as well as public sites have been included. Though continued open space or recreational use is not guaranteed on those private sites identified, these parcels nonetheless are important to the Town. Undeveloped private lands provide aesthetic amenities, maintain the community’s rural character, and assist in protecting the Town’s natural resource base.
The inventory is divided into two overall categories based on Massachusetts Division of Conservation Services definitions: protected and unprotected lands.
· Protected lands are private, public, or semi-public parcels that are permanently committed for conservation purposes (which is not true for all public land). Public land dedicated to open space or recreation falls under the protection of Article 97 of the State Constitution. Private and semi-public land (such as Mass. Audubon’s Broadmoor Sanctuary) is protected by a conservation restriction. (For information on conservation restrictions and other methods of land protection, see Appendix E.)
· The unprotected lands category is a mixture of Town-owned and other public and private land (including all land enrolled in MA General Law Ch. 61, 61A & B and other private lands which due to low intensity of use add to the quality of open space in the Town). The unprotected lands are divided into five sub-categories that are: park and recreation land; multi-purpose open space land; Chapter 61B private recreation land; Chapter 61 forest and wooded land; and Chapter 61A agricultural land.
The owner (for public land), street address (for private land), acreage, and map parcel is noted for each site. Ownership and assessment information is based on fiscal year 2000 assessor’s records. The parcels are also included on Map 5 (Open Space Map).
As part of the Inventory, Gwen Kermode, Director of Human Services for Natick, conducted a survey of accessibly of town open spaces, based on the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA Access Self Evaluation is included as Appendix F.