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WOODLAND HEATH
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
20 GLENOE ROAD CHESTNUT HILL, MA
woodlandheath@aol.co
COMMUNITY
NEWSLETTER
DECEMBER
2001
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Over the past few months the Woodland Heath Neighborhood Association steering committee has been actively following and participating in a number of neighborhood issues. We would like to bring you all up to date. |
approval process, new commercial
develop-ment, and greenery. We welcomed the master plan exercise and
urged that one focus be the intersection of Hammond Street and Route
9. |
The South Brookline Forum held Oct. 17, 2001 at the DPW Municipal Service Center.
The Planning Department of the Town of Brookline held a South Brookline Neighbor-hood Forum to present their concept of a comprehensive plan for the next ten years, and to solicit neighborhood participation. Our association, like others, mentioned various specific needs and concerns, from traffic flows and pedestrian safety to housing projects in the |
We emphasized that piecemeal development was straining an already overburdened area and that a comprehensive plan along the lines of recent MIT studies is required in order to satisfy a range of concerns simultaneously in a coherent, reinforcing manner. We pointed out that a comprehensive plan for Hammond St.
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- Route 9 has the potential to go beyond mere
coping with a difficult situation to building enduring assets for the community (for example, sinking Route 9 to permit creation of a Chestnut Hill Village center and open-air mall with new facilities and green space to complement improved traffic flows). |
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A traffic light is scheduled to be added to the Heath Hammond intersection in 2002
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The Overhead Cables Mess
Recently Brookline has permitted an upgrade to existing electrical and cable utilities that has resulted in numerous new lines being strung along our streets and roads townwide. Along Heath Street there are double telephone poles and heavy dropping cables. They look ugly and interfere with the street trees.
In Brookline there are currently areas that have always required underground services – Hammond Street, Washington Street and the |
Inappropriate Sidewalk Changes –
as at 150 Woodland Road
We are very concerned with the recent change in the streetscape along Woodland Road at Glenoe. The owner of Nos. 150 received permission from the town to take down two street trees. In the process he also took out a section of ledge, flattening the roadside edge and his own property to create a manicured sidewalk and planting. We feel that both Woodland Road and Heath Street are historic ‘rural’ roads that reflect the character of our neighborhood. We are very sorry to lose the woodland feel, which gives the Woodland Heath neighborhood its pleasant and attractive character.
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Cottage Farm area for example. There is a state law that permits towns to require underground services, but this same legislation allows the service providers to recoup costs through surcharges on utility bills. To convert all of Brookline to under-ground service would be expensive, but we feel the cost/benefit analysis to the Town should take into account both the added comfort and health provided by street trees, the scenic advantage of no hanging wires and, in our climate particularly, less storm/ice related repairs. To that effect we are in the process of writing a warrant article for the next town meeting May 2002. We will need signatures. Please contact us if you are supportive of this measure, or if not, please present your views.
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ARTICLE ____To ask the Town to authorize and empower the Board of Selectman to require all future utility additions and replacement of wire, cable and related equipment, be located underground. |
We are trying to explore how to prevent
similar developments in the future.
A section of Woodland at the corner of Laurel is being sold to
a developer who could decide to flatten his frontage as well.
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The present state of utility service townwide is an unsafe, uncontrolled and unsightly proliferation of poles, cables and wires that:
1. Disfigure Brookline’s street trees
2. Create ugly and cluttered town streets
3. Require frequent storm damage repair
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Dane Park Friends Group
The Friends of Dane Park had their first public meeting on Tues. Oct. 9 at 7:30 at the Municipal Service Center. Abby Coffin is heading up this group with a goal of transforming Dane Park. The park needs to be cleaned up and new paths delineated. There are interesting geological formations that will be labeled in the future.
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Park Place and The Hammonds
Both Park Place (Ron Simons) and The Hammonds (Jack Sullivan) developments have been given the go ahead with future landscaping to be reviewed. At Park Place (9 units) the rear building is under construction and the Hunter house has been renovated. Two more townhouses are designed to be built along the Hammond Street edge.
The Hammonds is a two-part site with 23 units on the east side on Heath St.(where demolition has started) and 49 units on the west side (McNeilly Olds site). Both these sites have an affordable housing component – 2 to 3 for the east side and 8 on the west. It is important that neighbors continue to attend DAT (Design Advisory Team) meetings to be sure the final buildings and landscaping follow the accepted design.
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Chestnut Hill Village Alliance
The CHVA is in the process of producing a brochure for the neighborhood summarizing the contents of the three MIT studies they funded two years ago. They are very interested in the concept of sinking Rt.9 under Hammond St. at the intersection – something that would be a major improvement for our neighborhood – as well as facilitating the state highway department mandate to improve the flow-through rate of traffic. |
The Woodland Heath Neighborhood Association Steering Committee meets once a month at a member’s house to discuss concerns for the neighborhood. Anyone interested in attending our meetings is welcome. |
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Chairperson
Marjorie Greville
20 Glenoe Road
Vice Chairperson
Daniel Burnes
359 Heath Street
Treasurer
Richard Hawkins
296 Heath Street
Clerk
Robert Yelton
72 Pine Road
Andrew Braun
Helen Braun
462 Heath Street
John Field
28 Glenoe Road
Harry Mellins
Judy Mellins
385 Heath Street
Carol Stuart
50 Glenoe Road
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WOODLAND HEATH
NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION
20 GLENOE ROAD CHESTNUT HILL, MA
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