Town Meeting Approves Forbes Hill Land Purchase

NORWOOD, MA — Town Meeting members have given the town approval to purchase the 27 acres of land that make up the Forbes Hill property.

At last week's meeting, members voted 99-47 to buy the land for $13 million. The vote came despite a recommendation from the finance committee to indefinitely postpone the article.

Leading up to the meeting, some selectmen said the purchase would allow the town to decide what can go on the land, instead of leaving it in the hands of a developer.

"We're not throwing $13 million out the window. We can control the property and determine what we want on the property. We can sell the property and get our money back," Selectman Paul Bishop said at a recent meeting.

The original Forbes Hill project called for 260 apartment units. The unused land, about nine acres, would have became town property and undeveloped for 10 years. Instead, the town will own all the land.

Upkeep of the land is projected to be more than $230,000 a year based on information from the current owner. Capital improvements could cost as much as $1.5 million, according to a presentation by selectmen Chairman William Plasko.

Now that the land sale has been approved, the next steps for the town are to set up a task force to study the various uses and consider other uses that may address town goals.

Opponents of the sale were concerned about the price.

Image: File Photo