Peabody To Purchase 80 Acres For Open Space Preservation: Mayor

PEABODY, MA — Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt announced Monday night that his administration had reached an agreement in principle to purchase 80 acres of open space next to Spring Pond, Cedar Grove Cemetery and the Meadows Golf Course.

Bettencourt said during his Mid-Term Inauguration speech that the purchase will stop development plans to build hundreds of units of housing on a portion of the land near Marlborough Road at the Peabody, Salem and Lynn borders.

"This area of our city is already heavily developed," Bettencourt said. "Additional housing would severely impact traffic, tax our water and sewer system and further stress the already-limited capacity of our school classrooms."

He said the purchase would allow the land to be preserved as open space in perpetuity with an option to use a small portion of the land to increase the cemetery's capacity.

Bettencourt said that once the agreement is finalized it will be brought to the City Council to authorize a purchase-and-sale.

The land acquisition was one of several new initiatives Bettencourt unveiled during Monday night's address.

He cited the Central Street corridor rebuild set to begin later in 2023 as one that will "certainly create some headaches for drivers, pedestrians and our downtown business community. Once finished, however, will provide traffic flow, and accessibility and improve the safety and quality of life for our residents."

"It's going to be a real difference-maker for our city and our downtown," the said.

Bettencourt also announced plans for a feasibility study on a new public safety facility.

"A 21st-Century law enforcement and public safety relies on the very latest equipment and technology," he said. "It is time Peabody had a state-of-the-art complex to serve as administrative headquarters to the Peabody Police Department, the Peabody Fire Department and Emergency Management Services."

He said local revenues came in about $500,000 higher than projected spring levels and are almost back to pre-pandemic levels, while cash reserves have rebounded to the July 2018 levels and also touted recently completed water restoration work and the opening of the new North Shore Children's Museum this past fall.

"I am committed to maintaining Peabody's affordability while maintaining infrastructure and delivering the high level of municipal services that residents expect," he said.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)