CCB MEDIA FILE PHOTO
At a meeting earlier this summer, Leonard Johnson, who is on the board of The 300 Committee, a local land preservation group, says 31 acres of vacant land on Route 151 contains an important wildlife corridor and should be preserved as open space.
FALMOUTH – Thirty-one acres may seem like a lot but it is not large enough for the number of uses proposed for a long-vacant lot in Falmouth.
The Cape Cod Commission held its second planning session this week on the 31-acres at the intersection of Route 151 and Route 28. The commission is helping the town to determine what the community would like to see on the privately-owned parcel.
James Preisig is a leader of the group Falmouth Aquatics that would like to build a nonprofit pool and wellness center on the property.
That suggestion has come up on top in polls asking the community what they want to see on the parcel.
“Recreation activities, indoor and outdoor in general, and very specifically the aquatics and wellness center were very well-received and were very supported by everyone who took the poll,” Preisig said.
But there have also been other suggestions for the acreage.
“Workforce housing, a hotel—there was a support for that—limited retail, in particular a grocery store. There were a lot of potential uses for the site that there was some support for,” at this week’s planning session, Preisig said.
Community members have also expressed concerns about the site, he said. “Not surprisingly traffic and safety were top concerns regarding that site. There were also concerns about the preservation of the wildlife corridor that runs through the site,” he said.
The owners of the property are CLSV partners, who also developed part of Ballymeade. They are looking to work with the town to develop the land. The town of Falmouth has a right of first refusal on the lot.
At Wednesday’s planning session, Preisig said participants were asked to use maps of the land to see what uses could fit on the property.
“How far 31 acres actually goes when you have to lay things out is something the community has to keep in mind. You can’t put everything on that parcel,” he said.
But Preisig said his group is interested in continuing with the planning process.
“We’re looking forward to continuing to work through the process and hear the public input and then take the work that we’re done over the past three and a half years to create a sustainable center and mix that all together and come out with something that really works on this parcel,” he said.
The last thing this town needs if more development. I propose creating a cutting edge state of the art community garden complex. Create hundreds of vegetable garden plots that could be raffled off each season. Install wind turbines to power wells and greenhouses. Plant an orchard and hire a master gardener to help people grow their own food. It would be a win for the environment, the residents, a model for other communities to follow, a learning center, a win for sustainability and good health. It would produce energy not consume it. It would preserve the land that once paved is gone forever. It could perhaps even generate income for the town with a farmers market, festivals, music in the summer, and other activities that would draw paying tourists. To give it over to a supermarket, hotel or pool would be a total waste and environmental insult. Do something constructive and educational. Create a model for other communities to follow. Don’t pave it.