Surprise new bid for farm

WINCHESTER -- After a week of turmoil and uncertainty, Town Meeting members will return tomorrow night to decide the future of the historic 20-acre Hamilton Farm.

Voters were expected to take up the issue last Monday, but angrily adjourned the meeting after the Board of Selectmen unexpectedly introduced not one, but two plans for the property, which was purchased by the town this year for preservation and partial redevelopment. The farm is on the National Register of Historic Places and is the last working farm in Winchester.

Town Meeting members chastised members of the board, with one calling the latest development in the farm saga a "bait and switch."

"I, myself, have known about this for less than 45 minutes," Precinct 6 Town Meeting member Nathaniel Brooks said at last week's meeting. "That's just not enough time. It's just plain wrong."

The board said it was forced to reconsider its original choice for the developer after Fire Chief John Nash questioned the emergency-vehicle access to the site in the plan chosen by the board.

That plan, submitted by Abbott Development of Boston, aimed to build a three-story building on the northwest hillside of the farm. Seventy condominiums for seniors would be contained on 5 acres, leaving 13 acres as open space and 2 acres designated for future development opportunities for the town. Abbott agreed to pay $10.5 million for the land, as well as to make a $700,000 contribution for off-site affordable housing.

Neighbors have decried the development as too large and too dense, but selectmen say the Abbott plan made the most financial sense.

But last Monday, just minutes before Town Meeting was called to order, the board changed course and said a second developer, Taurus Investment Holdings, should also be considered.

In the run-up to Town Meeting, Taurus increased its bid to $10.3 million and threw in $600,000 for off-site affordable housing and amenities. Taurus said it would build a less-intrusive complex of 39 two-story town houses on 5 acres and allow the town control over the remaining space.

The selectmen asked that Town Meeting designate Taurus and Abbott as finalists, which would allow them to continue negotiations. Selectman Tom Howley said the board will return to Town Meeting in the fall to unveil the final plan both for the housing and open space.

"I don't think that it's that complicated," said Selectman Peter Haley. "I know that the board wishes that it could have narrowed the choices down to this sooner. I know that the process could have been smoother, but I think it's hard to argue the degree of good faith and sincerity the board has brought to this process."

Bob Johnson, an abutter to Hamilton Farm who represents many of the farm's neighbors on Edwards Drive, said he was relieved that the Abbott proposal was no longer the only option. Johnson, who has been to every selectmen's meeting regarding the redevelopment, made an impassioned plea against the Abbott plan, saying the three- or four-story design, by some estimates 53 feet high, would dwarf his neighborhood.

Of the latest twist in the process, Johnson, who has been a Town Meeting member for 30 years, said neighbors are anxiously looking for answers and are skeptical about the selection process.

"We're all in a state of confusion," he said. "Hopefully, this will all get sorted out quickly. I think we're all just waiting for the dust to settle."

Hamilton Farm has been on the National Register of Historic Places for 24 years and was named one of the "10 Most Endangered Historic Resources" by Preservation Massachusetts, a nonprofit statewide organization. It is the closest intact early 19th-century farm to Boston, and its sprawling landscape and rolling hills have been home to, among others, pioneer settler of Canada Philemon Wright, Revolutionary war veterans, and 175 years of farming families.

Earlier this year, Winchester voters overwhelmingly approved a $13.6 million debt exclusion override to buy the farmland and block a 260-unit development proposed by national developer Avalon Bay. As part of that vote, the selectmen pledged to sell portions of the property for no less than $7 million, while preserving the historic barn, farmhouse, and as much open space as possible.

Besides designating the two finalists, articles to be presented at tomorrow night's Town Meeting would create a seven-member board to oversee how the open space will be maintained and used by the town and set the minimum sale price at $10 million. The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Winchester High School.

Melissa Beecher can be reached at mbeecher@globe.com.