Guest Commentary: Another Paul Revere Ride

An architectural rendering of the proposed Paul Revere heritage site, depicting a renovated rolling mill and barn

By Paul A. Schneiders, attorney for Canton Holdings, LLC

Almost 250 years ago Paul Revere made his famous ride to Concord to warn that the British were coming. Twenty-five years later he rode out to Canton to construct North America’s very first copper mill on a 35-acre site on what is now Revere Street.

At last year’s town meeting the town overwhelmingly supported a redevelopment of the site that will preserve the iconic rolling mill and a barn built by the Revere family.

Over the past nine years the current owner of the site, Canton Holdings, has proposed numerous “mixed uses” for the property. These uses would be primarily residential and small businesses. In every proposal the rolling mill and barn were preserved.

After hundreds of meetings with town officials, an agreement was finally reached that would result in 272 residential units, 14,000 square feet of commercial area, and approximately nine acres of open space for town use. That park space, which comprises about 25 percent of the site, will include the revered rolling mill and barn.

Plan for the Plymouth Rubber site circa 2007

A primary goal of the owners from the day they purchased the property was to preserve the mill and barn. Canton Holdings even offered to relocate the barn to a site agreeable to the town. A rendering dated November 19, 2007 shows a proposed development with the rolling mill and barn.

At the risk of omitting many deserving parties, some of the people who spearheaded this successful venture should be mentioned.

Canton Holdings and its representatives Rick Brandstatter, Brian Napleton, and Bernie Plante certainly deserve credit for not giving up despite substantial opposition over eight long years. For the past two years, Plante has put thousands of hours into shepherding this project through to fruition. Various town officials such as Victor Del Vecchio (Board of Selectmen), Jeremy Comeau (Planning Board), Lisa Lopez (Community Preservation Committee), John Bonnanzio (School Committee), and Wally Gibbs (Historical Commission) helped the owners’ dream become a reality. They are just a few of the many town officials who should be commended.

Once this project is well underway, Canton Holdings and town officials may direct their attention to a related development — the so-called “emerald necklace” first proposed by the famous landscape architect firm the Olmsted Brothers.

This “necklace” would be a pathway beginning at the Paul Revere site near Canton Junction and progressing all the way along to Forge Pond to Bolivar Street.

The Olmsted firm first proposed this emerald necklace (similar in concept to the Jamaica Way) at the 1945 Canton town meeting. The owners of the Revere site resurrected the idea in 2007 when they purchased the land. Local developer John Marini actually constructed a portion of this walkway when he developed the Forge Pond complex about six years ago. At the suggestion of Greg Pando, a zoning board member, Canton Holdings recently submitted a copy of the Olmsted Report and landscaping plan to various town officials, including Del Vecchio, Lopez, and the Planning Board. James Roache, past president of the Canton Historical Society, provided Canton Holdings with the Olmsted Report and plan. A party who owns land on Bolivar Street at the furthest end of the proposed walkway has offered to include a portion of his property to complete the walkway.

Canton Holdings and the town have taken the initial steps by agreeing to construct a walking trail along the waterways in the proposed Paul Revere Heritage Park. If completed, this emerald necklace will further enhance Paul Revere’s legacy and the town of Canton.

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Posted by Guest on Mar 11 2016. Filed under Featured Content. Both comments and pings are currently closed.