Kesseler Woods May Be Preserved

Today, State Representatives Ed Coppinger (D-West Roxbury) and Frank Smizik (D-Brookline) along with State Senator Mike Rush (D-West Roxbury) announced that they recently filed House Docket #4467, An Act Relative to the Saw Mill Brook in the Counties of Suffolk, Norfolk and Middlesex. If passed, this bill will call for the Saw Mill Brook to have a riverfront area of 1000 feet in any area that is undeveloped, providing, however, that the 1000 foot riverfront area shall not apply to parcels of land developed prior to December 30, 2004.

The Saw Mill Book runs through Kesseler Woods, which is an area of undeveloped land bordered by West Roxbury, Brookline, and Newton. This bill strives to conserve the part of the Saw Mill Brook in Kesseler Woods that is not currently considered to be conservation land. The three legislators filed this bill in response to rising concerns from West Roxbury and Brookline residents about the proposed development project by Chestnut Hill Realty on the piece of property in Kesseler Woods that was previously owned by Cornerstone Corporation.

When this land was initially purchased by Cornerstone Corporation, a building design was agreed upon by the city of Newton to ensure the natural features of the land, including plants and wildlife, were not completely destroyed by future development. Therefore, the proposed residential building was designed to host 62 condominium units with 131 bedrooms and 146 parking spaces. When the property was purchased by Chestnut Hill Realty, the plans were expanded to include 80 units in the building with 136 bedrooms and 160 parking spaces, a 20% increase in occupancy from the Cornerstone plans. Furthermore, the new development plans call for a building with 3 1⁄2 stories compared to the original 2 stories in the original Cornerstone design. This increase in building scope presents concerns over the destruction of the currently undeveloped land, which is surrounded by wetlands.

When asked about this bill, Representative Coppinger stated, “Any and all development that takes place in our community has to take into consideration the natural environment they are in. This bill will help ensure the waterway and neighborhood will not be affected.”

“Developers need to know that we value nature as an integral part of the health and well-
being of our communities,” said Representative Smizik. This bill will ensure that the entirety of the Saw Mill Brook is protected if a residential building is constructed on the Kesseler Woods property.”

Photo credit: Newton Conservators