On Wednesday, Feb. 11, the Select Board held a special meeting to hear from citizens on the option of the Town purchasing 46 Taylor Road. On February 3, the owner of the 5.8 acre parcel notified the town boards of their intent to sell to a local developer for $1.4 million. According to the purchase and sale agreement, the town is granted the “first right of refusal” – meaning the town can choose to buy the property at the same price as is in the purchase and sale agreement. This parcel is adjacent to the Acton Arboretum conservation land and has been a priority on the town’s Open Space and Recreation Plan and the Friends of the Arboretum for possible expansion if it ever came up for sale. The parcel is forested land with no structures on it.
After a private executive session to discuss the matter, the Select Board opened the meeting to hear public opinion on the purchase and visions for use of the land. Approximately 20 people spoke in favor of the town purchasing the parcel. They spoke of the value of the Arboretum as a place to commune with nature, walk a dog, or meet neighbors. The lawn and formal gardens are a popular site for picnics, weddings, and photo shoots, while the woodsy trails offer natural landscapes and wildlife sightings.
In a letter to various town boards, the board of the Friends of the Acton Arboretum wrote that they “strongly recommend that the Select Board support and advocate to acquire this parcel of open space for permanent protection.”
The current owner of the land is Dr. Mary Donald who, in 2002, donated 12 acres to the current arboretum and served for 20 years on the board of the Friends of the Acton Arboretum. The letter suggests adding a few parking spaces to help fulfill the common request for additional parking at the Arboretum. Preserving the land would also protect some historical stone walls and a public access trail that the Donald family has allowed across their property. Protecting this parcel by adding it to the Arboretum conservation land is an opportunity that the majority in attendance endorsed.
One speaker supported the purchase but acknowledged the purchase price could be hard for the town to match. Another speaker asked about using Community Preservation Commission (CPC) open space funds for the purchase. Since this opportunity just recently came up, the Select Board does not yet have a plan for funding the purchase.
One citizen pointed out that much of the land is wetlands and a developer would only be able to build on a small portion along the road. This would possibly leave the majority of the parcel undeveloped, even if the land is sold to a developer. There is no plan from the developer to review and no confirmation that it is possible to develop the whole parcel.
The wetland map in the town GIS system is outdated, but recent wetland surveys, performed for the Town by Oxbow Associates in 2024 and 2025, that were provided in the meeting packet, show a stream running through the property and vegetated wetland borders. The Town’s Wetlands Bylaw has a 50-foot “no disturb” buffer and a 75-foot “no build” buffer around the designated wetlands that could, in theory, limit the area of the parcel that can be developed.
The property record in the Town’s GIS system shows the land is zoned R-2 Residential, although there is no structure currently on the property. The appraised value of the 5.8 acre parcel is $429,800.
The purchase and sale agreement shows the intent of DECA Corporation of Westford, MA, a builder of residential and non-residential structures, to purchase the property for $1.4 Million. The right of first refusal gives the town of Acton 120 days to exercise their right to purchase the parcel at the same price the developer is offering. This will likely require an article at town meeting that will need to pass with two-thirds of town meeting members approving the purchase.
The Select Board will continue the hearing on this potential property purchase on Monday, March 2 and is expected to provide more details at that time.
Tom Wolf is an Acton Land Steward with knowledge of Acton’s conservation lands, and a volunteer writer for the Acton Exchange.
