Comm. Preservation Act at a glance
By Guest
A recent photo of the Paul Revere Heritage Site courtesy of the CCPC
Submitted by the Canton Community Preservation Act Committee
Since project funding commenced in 2014, the Canton Community Preservation Committee (CCPC) has recommended and town meeting has approved a total of 40 open space, recreation, historical resources and community housing projects to the tune of nearly $5.8 million. While the vast majority of funding has gone to applications for open space and recreation, valuable and exciting projects across all three funding categories permitted under the CPA statute have been undertaken in Canton. With the application review process for the next round of grant funding about to get underway, it seems like an opportune time to highlight some of the community improvements, made possible by the CPA, that Canton residents have likely witnessed, visited or heard about over the last few years.
Open Space: The effort to preserve and protect portions of the former Plymouth Rubber site (now known as the Paul Revere Heritage Site) has engaged a number of different stakeholders. The initial acquisition of nearly seven acres of open space — funded by a 10-year bond issued this year — was the result of a joint proposal from the Planning Board and Conservation Commission in 2015. In subsequent years, CPA funds were awarded to install a copper roof on the Rolling Mill (2017/Historical) and to design and install signage highlighting the site’s historical and natural assets (2019/Open Space).
Recreation: The Canton Playground & Recreation Commission has been making a concerted effort to replace the many aging playgrounds throughout the town. In 2017, they successfully pursued CPA funding to demolish existing structures and install new equipment at both the Tilden and Devoll playgrounds. The majority of the $401,300 grant was used at the centrally located and heavily used Devoll Playground where the Recreation Department hosts its free summer playground program.
Historical Resources: Canton is blessed with an abundance of historical buildings, sites, textiles and documents as well as a devoted and passionate group of residents who put great effort into preserving and sharing this history. Both the Historical Commission (town board) and the Canton Historical Society (private, not-for-profit) have successfully applied for CPA funds to advance historic preservation projects. One recently completed conservation endeavor is the Crane’s Guard Militia Flag, a hand-painted, silk flag dating back to 1823 that has been meticulously repaired and preserved and is currently on display at the Canton Public Library. CPA funds have also supported ambitious restoration efforts at both the Canton Corner Cemetery (the oldest, continually operating public cemetery in the nation) and the Olde English Burying Ground. The largest funding commitment under the historical resources category was a $414,000 grant for the preservation of the David Tilden house (2015). Under the management of the Canton Historical Society, the “Little Red House” is being restored using construction techniques that would have been employed when the house was constructed in the early 1700s. Phase I of the work on this first period home is nearly complete, and an open house at the Tilden House (93 Pleasant Street) will be held on Sunday, October 13, from 1-4 p.m.
Community Housing: To date, community housing projects funded through CPA have been aimed at preserving affordable apartments managed by the Canton Housing Authority. Projects at Brayton Circle (2019), Rubin Court (2018) and Hagan Court (2016) have impacted more than 100 rental units, ensuring that these units will be available for many years to come. Preservation of units is vitally important as maintaining at least 10 percent of the housing inventory in Canton as affordable gives the town more control over future development by excluding the possibility of 40B developments (a state law that permits developers to request relief from zoning and other local bylaws in municipalities where the 10 percent threshold is not met). The CCPC is very interested in supporting the creation of new affordable units and in pursuing efforts (such as subsidizing units where affordable status will expire after a set amount of time) that will keep Canton’s affordable housing inventory in excess of 10 percent. To this end, the CCPC recently voted to support the creation of an Affordable Housing Trust and will continue to work with town officials towards the adoption of a bylaw establishing such a trust.
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=60996
Posted by Guest
on Oct 12 2019. Filed under Featured Content.
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