220-acre land gift presents dilemma

In 1930, widow Mary P. Cummings donated to Boston about 220 acres of land on the Burlington-Woburn border, hoping the city would find a way to create a ''public pleasure ground" for Boston residents.

Today, 75 years later, this parcel is virtually untouched and nowhere close to being developed for recreation.

A good 20 miles from Boston, it is too far from the city to make its use as a public park practical, Boston officials say. Burlington and Woburn would gladly take the land and build sorely needed baseball or soccer fields, but it's not theirs to use.

Now Boston has opened talks with Burlington officials about selling the property to a developer. The parcel is said to be worth more than $22 million, according to an appraisal done several years ago. The money would be funneled into a fund that would pay for maintenance costs for the Rose Kennedy Greenway and other new parks being created in or near the path of the old Central Artery.

Boston officials say they want a solution that is acceptable to all the communities since there is some question about what the Cummings's deed allows the city to do with the property, and they don't want Burlington and Woburn to challenge any sale.

Jeffrey Conley, executive director of the Boston Finance Commission, said the idea of selling the property to a developer seems the best solution. Boston officials lament the fact that the valuable parcel is not benefiting the city.

''The city has had this land in trust for 75 years now," said Conley. ''That's a long time. The city gets no use out of it today. We think the location might be suitable for something like a golf course and perhaps a hotel facility. Right now, though, we're just talking" with Burlington.

The talks so far have involved Burlington officials because most of the land, about 180 acres, lies in Burlington off Blanchard Road. Burlington Town Administrator Robert Mercier said the town has been receptive to Boston's overtures but has not committed to anything.

''The property is a big dilemma," said Mercier. ''It's a wonderful parcel of open space. There would be many uses that could benefit Burlington, but it's not our land. But whatever Boston decides to do with the land is of major interest to us since it would have an obvious impact on Burlington."

Burlington recreation officials approached Boston about using a portion of the property for ball fields in 2003.

''Our offer was to lease space, on a short-term basis for five years, for ball fields," said Kevin Sullivan, chairman of the town's Recreation Commission. ''It's a great site. Open space that was accessible. It's hard to find property like that, but Boston didn't sign on to any agreement so the idea didn't move forward."

Woburn Mayor John C. Curran said his city also has a stake in the fate of the Cummings property, though only 40 acres of the parcel are within its borders. He said Woburn would be opposed to any major development, particularly residential or commercial, that would increase density in the area. He said he didn't want to comment on the possibility of a golf course and hotel until he sees a proposal.

Curran said the land is adjacent to Cambridge Road (Route 3), which already suffers from high traffic volume generated by a shopping mall and an office park. A development company, Archstone Communities, has proposed building a 420-unit apartment complex on an adjacent 75-acre parcel on Cambridge Road, near Bedford Road. The developers want to designate 20 percent of the units as affordable under the state's Chapter 40B law.

''The prospect of any development on the Cummings Trust property would raise concerns in Woburn," said Curran. ''We already have traffic problems, which are related to aggressive development in that area of the city. We don't want to see anything that would make things worse."

Boston officials concede it is unclear whether Cummings's will allows the city to sell the land since the intent of the trust was that it be used as a recreational asset for city residents.

''It's not a black or white thing," said Conley. ''As things stand now, there is no practical way to use the land to benefit the City of Boston, so there is no way to fulfill the intent of the trust. In a situation like this, you look for viable alternatives."

Conley said the golf course/hotel alternative would bring tax revenue to Burlington and Woburn without the problems associated with residential or commercial development.

''We're hoping for a solution that would benefit all three communities," he said.