Policy Order Resolution

O-4
AMENDED ORDER
IN CITY COUNCIL

July 28, 2014

COUNCILLOR CARLONE

WHEREAS: The Silver Maple Forest is the site of a controversial development project along Acorn Park Drive in Cambridge; the forest is located at the intersection of Cambridge, Belmont, and Arlington; and

WHEREAS: The 15.6-acre Silver Maple Forest is a small-river floodplain forest and is an integral part of the Alewife Reservation ecosystem, home to deer, coyote, mink, river otter, red fox, fishers, and some 90 species of birds, including hawks, wild turkey, blue heron, swans, cat birds, hummingbirds, and goldfinches; and

WHEREAS: Local advocates and noted hydrologists continue to assert that the current proposal does not adequately meet the needs for storm water management in the 25, 50, 75, and 100 year storm scenarios, all of which are expected to increase in severity as a result of climate change; and

WHEREAS: According to a report prepared by the hydrology firm Horsley and Witten, the proposal to clear the Silver Maple Forest would result in significant loss of vegetation and associated evapotranspiration; these losses would elevate the current water table, inundating the proposed underground storm water storage basin and compromising the integrity of surrounding infrastructure and the safety and property of nearby residents; and

WHEREAS: Development of the Silver Maple Forest would directly impact the capacity of the surrounding area to withstand the effects of climate change; and

WHEREAS: Development of the Silver Maple Forest would also add additional traffic to an area where traffic congestion has become a major issue for many Cambridge residents; and

WHEREAS: Representatives from the Trust for Public Lands, a national organization with a respected track record of brokering deals in similar situations, have been making attempts to contact the developer, Mr. J. Brian O'Neill of the O'Neill Properties Group of King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, in an effort to secure an option to purchase the Silver Maple Forest; and

WHEREAS: On Saturday, June 28, 2014, more than 150 local residents gathered at the Alewife T satiation and paraded up Acorn Park Drive to the Silver Maple Forest in an effort to raise awareness and promote the preservation of this important community resource; the event featured participation from members of the City Council, the Belmont Board of Selectman, the Massachusetts State Senate, the Massachusetts Sierra Club, Green Cambridge, Friends of Alewife Reservation, the Mystic River Watershed Association, the Cambridge Residents Alliance, the Fresh Pond Residents Alliance, TROMP, Lesley University Division of Science and Mathematics, the Green Sanctuary Team, the Coalition to Preserve the Belmont Uplands, Belmont Citizens Forum, Belmont Land Trust, Sustainable Belmont, Sustainable Arlington, Occupy Arlington, and many other local organizations; and

WHEREAS: Over the past fifteen years, the City Council has adopted no less than twelve policy order resolutions in support of the Silver Maple Forest, now therefore be it

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to work with staff to convene a meeting with Town Administrators from Cambridge, Arlington, Belmont, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to discuss all possible options for the preservation of the Silver Maple Forest, including funding commitments from other communities; and

ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on this matter.

ORDER ADOPTED AS AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTION ON A ROLL CALL VOTE OF 8-0-0-1