To the editor:
As a Watertown citizen of many years, I enthusiastically support the CPA for the following reasons:
1. It would make Watertown a better place to live.
Parks, playgrounds, trails and gardens would be developed and improved.
Water quality would be protected and climate change impacts would be reduced.
Thousands of new, affordable homes for seniors, families, and veterans would be created.
Historic buildings would be restored and preserved, and underutilized resources would be rehabilitated.
2. It’s affordable.
Adopting the CPA would add a nominal 1% surcharge to all Boston property tax bills and a 2% surcharge to all Watertown property tax bills.
An additional $1.7 million in revenue each year for Watertown, generated by an average increase of $109/year per residential homeowner, would be matched by an additional $300K in state funds.
3. Our neighbors are doing it and reaping many benefits.
So far, 161 communities in the Commonwealth (46%) have adopted the CPA, including neighbors Waltham, Belmont, Newton, and Cambridge.
Over $1.6 billion has been raised to date for community preservation funding statewide.
Local legislative bodies have approved over 8,000 projects.
More than 23,000 acres of open space have been preserved.
Nearly 1,500 outdoor recreation projects have been initiated.
More than 9,000 affordable housing units have been created or supported.
About 23,000 acres of open space have been preserved.
I would hate to see Watertown lose out on this good deal.
Anne Benaquist
Watertown Resident
“thousands of new affordable homes would be created…”
thousands. really?
hmm….thats where I stopped reading.
Perhaps Oakley County Club is for sale and we don’t know about it. Perhaps they want to take it by eminent domain too? We have 4 square miles. We have about 15 thousand single and 2 family homes in total. Where on Gods green earth do we have room for “thousands” of affordable homes to create? Somone thinks they are in the Berkshires