Decision to end yearslong dispute over Norwell land made. Here's what was decided

NORWELL – Six acres of land in town at the center of a lawsuit and years-long heated debate will officially be placed into conservation.

The select board unanimously voted May 15 to transfer the land on Wildcat Lane to the town’s conservation commission, with member Jason Brown absent.

The decision followed an at-times contentious annual town meeting this month where two competing warrant articles sought to decide the fate of the undeveloped land.

The first article proposed that the land be split in half, with one portion going into conservation and the other being further divided into three one-acre lots to be sold at auction for the development of three single-family homes. The town’s advisory board recommended this article by a 4-3 vote.

By the same margin, the advisory board did not support the second article, which asked to transfer all 5.93 acres into conservation. The reasoning from the majority opinion of the board was that it disproportionately benefited one part of Norwell and that it removed the potential for the land to generate tax revenue for the town.

2021 coverage: Norwell homeowners association threatens to sue town over Wildcat Lane land

Norwell acquired the land through tax foreclosures in 1989, and in 2004 residents voted at town meeting to use the land for affordable housing.

In 2021, the town requested proposals for Chapter 40B developments on the site. The state’s affordable housing law relaxes some zoning requirements for developers that propose projects with at least 25% affordability. A town can only reject these kinds of developments if the housing stock is at least 10% affordable.

That same year, a citizens' petition article proposed that the land be used for conservation purposes instead of affordable housing. While that passed town meeting by the required two-thirds vote, the select board still had to deem that the land was no longer needed for affordable housing. When the select board did not do so, a group of residents sued the town.

The lawsuit went all the way to the Supreme Judicial Court, which earlier this year sided with the town. Yet shortly after the court’s decision was released, the board narrowly decided to support the will of the voters and said the Wildcat Lane property was not needed for housing.

Voters were required to again make a decision on the property at the May 6 town meeting, to the frustration of some residents. It was the final vote of the night that rounded out a five-hour meeting.

“The issue is that we took a vote in 2021 and we are disregarding it and we are trying to flip it and do something else with it,” said resident Liz Bersell. “How do we move forward as a town if we can’t come to a town meeting and know that what we vote on will be it?”

Ultimately, town voters supported placing all of the land into conservation by a vote of 210-95.

Hannah Morse covers growth and development for The Patriot Ledger. Contact her at hmorse@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Town meeting vote puts Wildcat Lane land in Norwell into conservation