HomeMy WebLinkAboutConCom Draft Letter of Support.Hinckley property 564 & 0 Rt 6A W Barn
September __, 2024
Felicia Penn, President
Town of Barnstable Town Council
367 Main Street
Hyannis MA 02601
RE:LETTER OF SUPPORT - SANTUIT WOODLAND LAND PROTECTION PROJECT
Dear Town Council President Penn,
On ___________, 2024, the Conservation Commission voted unanimously, authorizing me to prepare and submit this letter of support for the Orenda Wildlife Land Trust Inc. (Orenda) application
to the Community Preservation Committee (CPC) for the Town’s proposed purchase of a Conservation Restriction on 5.5 acres of wildlife habitat, floodplain, streambank and wetlands buffer
zone at 564 & 0 Route 6A (Main Street) in West Barnstable along Smiths Creek (so-called Hinckley property).
The property is partially in the Barnstable Harbor/Sandy Neck Area of Critical Environmental Concern, includes two acres of floodplain, is wholly within the state BioMap Core Habitat
and Critical Natural Landscape areas and is within the Old Kings Highway Regional Historic District. Orenda owns land nearby on Meadow Lane at the mouth of Smiths Creek that serves as
important Diamondback Terrapin (a State Threatened Species) nesting habitat. This land acquisition would satisfy many Town planning and CPC goals related to scenic, wetlands and natural
resource protection.
The Conservation Commission has reviewed the proposed Conservation Restriction to be granted to the Town of Barnstable and The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc.and recommends
Town Council acceptance and approval of the document, subject to approval by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, who may make minor revisions thereto.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this proposal.
Sincerely,
Fat Piu (Tom) Lee, Chair
Conservation Commission
cc:Charles Bloom, Town Council Liaison
Mark S. Ells, Town Manager
Lindsey Counsell, Chair, Community Preservation Committee
Kathleen Connolly, Town Attorney