Webster Woods Now Belongs To The City Of Newton: Conservators

NEWTON, MA — It's official. Newton now has control of Webster Woods. The City of Newton filed the paperwork necessary at the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds this week to take control of the of some 17 acres of woods once owned by Boston College, according to the Newton Conservators website.

"[T]he land now belongs to the City of Newton," said the Newton Conservators.

The Newton Conservators will hold a conservation restriction on the land, to assure that it will be preserved in perpetuity, according to the website.

Earlier this month, City Councilors voted to seize the nearly 18 acres of woodland called "Webster Woods" by eminent domain. The mayor then signed the order and has two months to send a check to Boston College for $15.2 million for the value of the property. According to the paperwork filed, Newton has until Feb. 21 to deliver that check.

The property was once part of a 25 acre parcel owned by Congregation Mishkan Tefila until it sold to Boston College in 2016 for around $20 million, complete with about 8 acres of land with synagogue, parking in addition to the woods. At that time, Boston College said it offered the land to Newton, but the city said at the time it didn't want it.

Neighbors - including the mayor - have been concerned that the woods, which sit along the state-owned Hammond Pond Parkway in Chestnut Hill and connect to the city owned Webster Conservation Area, the Hammond Pond Reservation and the Cohen Conservation Area, will be developed by Boston College.

In response, and despite protests from Boston College, the mayor announced in September she was taking steps to ensure that wouldn't happen.

Boston College officials have said they plan to challenge the seizure. The school now has three years to challenge the $15.2 million "fair market" price in court that City Council approved on Dec. 2.

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• Newton Mayor Explains Costs Of Taking Webster Woods - Patch
• Newton Takes Webster Woods From Boston College By Eminent Domain

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).