Northwest Hill Property to Be Conserved

By Tammy Daniels
06:51AM / Tuesday, November 27, 2007

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David Ranzer takes the oath to serve on the Williamstown Zoning Board of Appeals.

WILLIAMSTOWN - The Selectmen have given their endorsement for a plan that will conserve a tract of land on Northwest Hill Road that had once been eyed for a housing development.

They also on Monday night appointed David Ranzer to a vacant position on the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Some 37.6 acres, bounded by Hopkins Forest and Buxton Brook, was purchased by abuttors Joseph and Theresa "Tracy" Finnegan as part of a nearly 50-acre package for about $1 million. Another 10 acres was purchased by Williams College for $250,000. Six acres was donated to the Williamstown Rural Lands Foundation and a small fifth lot was used to straighten a neighbor's property line.

The board approved a conservation restriction on the 37 acres, which will be managed by the Williamstown Rural Land Foundation. The plan was presented to the board by attorney Elisabeth Goodman, representing the Finnegans.

Developers Duncan Brown, Foster Devereaux and Donald Westall, who had been doing business as Buxton Lane LLC, had hoped to build eight homes on the property but ran into development difficulties and abuttors' opposition. Negotiations over the summer ended with the sale of the property with an eye to restricting its development.

Leslie Reed-Evans, executive director of the Rural Lands Foundation, said the reason for preserving the parcel was the vernal pools it contains.

While the pools are actually on the Williams College parcel, the wooded habitat on the adjacent parcel is important to the life cycle of the fauna that breed in the seasonal waters.

"If you preserve the pools but you don't preserve the area in which they spend most of their lives, you're sort of only doing part of the job," she said.

The property also provides a link between Williams College's Hopkins Forest and open space land owned by the town.

The 37 acres, described as the "upland area," will be open for educational purposes through the foundation and will be monitored by it to ensure the restrictions are being met. The so-called exclusionary parcel on the lower area, would be monitored along the boundaries.

Reed-Evans said two parcels owned by the foundation between the Finnegan's property and Hopkins Forest would probably be transferred to the Finnegans at some point and a conservation restriction placed on them.

The Finnegans have reserved the rights to two more housing lots on the parcel on which their house now stands.

Williams' L-shaped parcel will become part of Hopkins Forest, which surrounds the Finnegans' property. College officials have said the vernal pools will be used in the academic studies now done in the forest. While the forest is not under a conservation restriction, it is primarily used for study and recreation.

"It was really our goal in the beginning if we were able to get the land to keep it the way it is," said Joseph Finnegan. "It's a beautiful piece of land and we want it to stay that way."

Goodman said the plan must be approved the Conservation Commission on Thursday before it gains final approval by the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The board approved the restriction unanimously. The board also approved a conservation restriction on 2 1/2 acres along the Green River owned by Williams College.

Attorney Jamie Art said the town had given the OK on the restriction earlier this year but the state's Energy and Environmental Affairs was not happy with some of the language and wanted more clarification.

For example, some of the wording made it sound like the restriction was to preserve pastureland because the caretaker pastures a horse on it rather than for the crooked-stemmed aster, which is on the state's threatened list.

The language was changed, the crooked-stemmed aster is doing quite well and the board OK'd the restriction unanimously. It, too, now goes to the Conservation Commission.

ZBA Appointment

Ranzer has been a part-time resident since 1982 and full time since 1995. He was financial consultant and adviser for 37 years with Merril Lynch, retiring as first vice president of investments. He also was president of Congregation Beth Israel for five years and chose its current location on Lois Street in North Adams.

"I've been very fortunate in my life and I think it's time to pay back," he said."I really think I can bring a balance between looking out for the town and its residents.

"I'm really delighted that Dave applied for this position," said Selectman Ronald Turbin. "It's just what the town needs, what the Zoning Board of Appeals needs."

The board has been operating with a vacant seat and only one alternate who's often out of town. Town officials have been concerned that such a crucial board has been making decisions with one member lacking. A super majority, required in some decisions, meant applicants would need a unanimous vote of four to go forward - an unfair situation, said officials.

At the last meeting, board members had discussed how to get citizens to apply for several vacant town seats, including the ZBA. They considered "an act of desperation" - sending a letter to another resident who had been rejected for a different board - but instead decided they each should call possible candidates.

Ranzer was appointed unanimously by the four selectmen present (Selectwoman Jane Allen was absent) to a term to expire June 30, 2009.

In other business:

  ● The board also renewed alcohol, common victualer and music entertainment licenses to a number of restaurants and package stores.

  ● Approved a change of manager for Richard Ruether Post 152 American Legion from Gary Walsh to George D. Sylvester.

  ● Set a public hearing on the proposal by Williams College to install an above-ground 10,000 gallon diesel fuel tank on Heating Plant Drive for Monday, Dec. 10, at 7:05 p.m.

  ● Decided it will meet with the town auditors on Dec. 10.