hanscom housing historic impact background report 2010

7/31/2019 Hanscom Housing Historic Impact Background Report 2010.

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Historical Impact Background ReportLincoln Historical Commis]onLincoln, Ma{{

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Hanscom Hou]ng & Minute Man National Historical Park

Paul Revere Capture Site, looking east in 1890{

John C. MacLeanPreservation ConsultantMay 27, 2010


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Historical Impact: Hanscom Housing & Minute Man National Historical Park

SUMMARYOn February 5, 2010, the Massachusetts Historical Commission determined that a Historical

Impact Review should be conducted for proposed demolition and construction work at the

Hanscom Air Force Base privatized housing, currently owned and being conducted by HP

Communities under a 50-year lease of the land from the Air Force. This housing project abuts

Minute Man National Historical Park, a National Landmark, and most of the project is located

within the bounds of Lincoln, Massachusetts. The Lincoln Historical Commission was asked to

comment on the proposal. To provide background for that comment, this study provides: a brief

review of the project proposal as presently presented; a review of the historical setting of the

abutting housing and Park, with historical maps and photographs used for comparisons with

current conditions; a review of past efforts and mechanisms applied by the Town to protect theviewshed of the Park as well as the impact of traffic on the Park from adjoining developments;

and a concluding citing that demolition and construction work has been conduction prior to the

Historical Impact Review process and any potential Memorandum of Agreement, potentially

limiting the proper scope of such a process and creating concerns over precedent.

A site visit at the Paul Revere Capture Site of Minute Man National Historical Park

was held on April 21, 2010, with representatives of the Lincoln Historical

Commission, the Lexington Historical Commission, the Massachusetts Historical

Commission, Minute Man National Historical Park, and the developer. This report

precedes a regional HATS meeting on the Hanscom housing, scheduled May 27,

2010, with representation from the developer, as well as a planned meeting by the

Lincoln Historical Commission with representation from the developer.

CONTENTSProject Proposal 2

Section Summary 4

Historical Setting 5

Historical Images, Area of Minute Man Park and Hanscom Housing Boundary 7

Minute Man Park Photographs 10

Section Summary 15

Lincoln Policies & Practices and the Park Setting 15

Section Summary 18

Demolition at Hanscom 20

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PROJECT PROPOSALOn January 6, 2010, the Massachusetts Historical Commission received a Historical Impact

submission for the Hanscom Air Force Base Family Housing, now known as The Landings at

Hanscom, regarding demolition and construction work planned as part of their development

project. On February 5, 2010, the Massachusetts Historical Commission determined that, This

project location abuts Minute Man National Historical Park, a National Historic Landmark. The

U. S. Air Force and MHC must consider the potential effects of this project on this important

historic resource and other historic resources in the project vicinity. The developer was advised

to provide the Lincoln Historical Commission and other parties with project materials for

comment. A majority of the housing is within the bounds of the Town of Lincoln, as are

potentially affected abutting lands of Minute Man National Historical Park.1

The official web site of Hanscom Air Force Base provides a background summary on this project:

Hanscom's base housing was privatized in October 2004 under the authority of the

Military Housing Privatization Initiative in the 1996 National Defense Authorization Act.

The goal of privatization is to provide military families safe, quality, affordable and well-

maintained housing in a community where they will choose to live. Hanscom's housing

privatization initiative is a real estate transaction that conveyed ownership of all the

Government-owned housing and all associated improvements to a private developer

including the roads and utilities. The Government is then leasing the land in the housing

area to the private developer for a period of 50 years. The developer will finance, plan,design, construct, own, operate and maintain the privatized housing development for

military families for 50 years. The developer is HP Communities, LLC.2

The Hanscom housing had initially been leased to another developer, American Eagle

Communities. American Eagle had demolished some buildings and built or partly constructed

new housing before their financial position forced them to stop construction and to pull out of

the project. American Eagle had not made a Historical Impact submission to the Massachusetts

Historical Commission prior to their undertaking this demolition and construction work.

The Hunt-Pinnacle joint partnership took over Hanscoms housing in November 2008. They also

own and operate the housing at a number of other military bases under the Military Housing

Privatization Initiative.

1Brona Simon, Executive Director, Massachusetts Historical Commission to Rita Walsh, VHB, letter (February 5,

2010), cc: Lincoln Historical Commission.2http://www.hanscom.af.mil/library/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=10297(May 27, 2010).

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Prior to HP Communities taking over the project, the official web site of Hanscom Air Force

reported:

A new project owner may complete the project based on a revised project scope that

reflects the October 2007 Housing Requirements Market Analysis results that determine

the demand for on-base housing. For Hanscom, the recently released HRMA data shows aminimum housing requirement of 459 homes, a reduction from the previous requirement

of 784. Using that number (459) as a baseline, the objective will be to provide high-

quality, marketable housing, said Colonel Tom Schluckebier, 66th Air Base Wing

commander.3

Housing standing at the time of the original agreement consisted of about 850 units dating from

the 1960s through a 1995-97 development (Scott Circle). A majority of the housing was under

Air Force management, but some of it was previously under a privatization agreement through

2017. The 2004 American Eagle plan called for the demolition of all existing units and the

construction of 784 new units, all projected to have three or four bedrooms and two-car

garages.4

The 2008 agreement with HP Communities came after the reduced calculation of housing needs

at Hanscom Air Force Base to 459 units. Characterizing the project appears to be complicated by

the complexity of representing work completed or started by American Eagle and proposed work

to be completed by the current developer. As represented on March 23, 2010, to the Lincoln

Historical Commission on behalf of HP Communities, The entire subdivision will have an end

state of 122 single family; an increase of 114 (this number is due to conversion of some duplex

units to single family).The entire subdivision will have an end state of 59 duplexes; an increase

of 52.The entire subdivision will have an end state of 44 four plex buildings; an increase of 3

buildings (totals given here equal 416 units). In addition to their renovating many existing units

and taking over newly constructed units by American Eagle, HP Communities representatives

also reported plans to construct 165 new units as part of this project, including 77 new single-

family units. It was reported that all new construction would have attached garages, detailing

that, New construction consists of 158 single car and 55 two car garages [these figures may not

include new units and garages previously constructed under American Eagle]. Renovated

buildings will in some cases change the number of units; for example, plans include converting

182 two-bedroom adjoined units into 91 separate homes. Materials provided also included site

plans and a chart of square-feet figures for specific units, although total square-feet comparisons

with the pre-construction conditions were not provided.5

Hunt Companys web site currently continues to describe the project with some partly differingfigures from those provided to the Lincoln Historical Commission. It states:

3http://www.hanscom.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123075846(May 27, 2010).

4Ben Aaronson, Hanscom opens new housing,Bedford Minuteman (April 11, 2007) at

http://www.wickedlocal.com/bedford/local_news/x1643281699(May 27, 2010).5Rita Walsh, Senior Preservation Planner, VHB, to Lucretia Giese, Chair, Lincoln Historical Commission, email (March

23, 2010).

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Project Size: 702 Units

Project Status: Under Construction

OVERVIEW

Hanscom Air Force Base, located in Bedford, Massachusetts, is one of four bases included

in the Falcon Group military housing privatization project. This part of the projectconsists of 353 renovated units, demolition of 153 units, construction of 177 new homesand completion of work in progress on 88 homes. Hunt is acting as the co-developer,asset manager and general contractor for this project.6

Planned specifics on the proposed construction project as provided to the Lincoln HistoricalCommission on March 23, 2010, are shown in Table 1.

CONSTRUCTIONTYPE SingleFamilyHome Duplex

Tri

Plex FourPlex FivePlex SixPlex EightPlex NetChange EndStateTotal UnitsAMEGL Demo (5) (14) (142)Hunt Demo (8) (7) (1) (23) (1) (1) (3) (152)Musket Meadows ASIS 4 16 112AMEGL Completed 2 3 1 17 17Work in Progress (WIP) Units 4 4 12 4 88 88Minor Renovation 19 23 37 213Moderate Renovation 1 4 10 49Conversion Renovation (25) (33) (182)Conversion Renovation 25 33 91 91New Construction 77 18 13 165 165

Net Change 114 52 6 21 3 10 (17) (115) 735

Table 1: The Landings at Hanscom, Construction Types (provided by HP Communities, March 23, 2010)

Summary: Prior to privatization, the number of housing units at Hanscom Air Force Base was

reported to be 850, although a number of them were evidently not being utilized. At the time of

the 2004 50-year privatization agreement with American Eagle, the minimum housing

requirement for Hanscom was given as 784 units; the American Eagle project was intended to be

784 new units, while all existing units were going to be demolished. Although they did not make

a Historic Impact submission to the Massachusetts Historical Commission, American Eagle hadinitiated demolition and construction work. HP Communities took over the privatization project

in 2008. Rather than demolishing all existing units, they plan a combination of renovation and

demolition/new construction. At the time of the agreement with HP Communities, the minimum

housing requirements for Hanscom needs had been reduced from 784 to 459. While sources

differ, the table provided March 23, 2010, shows the total number of end units at 735. This is a

6http://www.huntcompanies.com/property.php?id=96 2010 Hunt Properties (May 27, 2010).

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reduction of 49 units from what was planned by American Eagle, but 276 units in excess of the

revised minimum requirement needs for Hanscom. It is an increase of 33 units over the 702 units

planned when the Hunt Companies website information was last posted. Compared with pre-

privatization conditions, the average size of the units and the quality of the buildings are

anticipated to increase, with more bedrooms, garages, and square feet per average unit.

Hanscom Housing

Demolition/Construction Area

Minute Man National Historical Park

The area of Hanscom housing that is today defined by Hanscom Drive on the west, the Park lands on the south, and

the historic area of the Wellhead Pond (see historical maps below) on the east is a focal area of demolition and new

construction by HP Communities and, previously, by American Eagle.

HISTORICAL SETTINGThe current Hanscom Air Force Base had its beginnings during World War II when the Armys

79th

Fighter Group was headquartered here in 1942. This was a year after the Bedford Airport(later Hanscom) was constructed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. During the war, the

base worked closely with MIT on radar-technology developments, and in 1944 MITs Radiation

Laboratory testing facilities moved to Hanscom. The Air Base would become a national center for

technology developments between the military and its local university and corporate partners,

soon leading to major advances in radar, microwave, and computer technology as well as air-

defense systems. Contributing significantly to the growth of the region, Hanscom and the

surrounding Route 128 area became a leading center for technology innovation. In 1994 and

again in 2005 Hanscom was under consideration for closure in the Base Relocation and Closure

(BRAC) reviews, with local communities acting strongly to support the Base. While the BRAC

Commission in 2005 ultimately made recommendations that would expand the Base with over

1100 added personnel, the final determination resulted in a projected reduction in personnel.Hanscom Air Force Base remains as an important center for the local economy and for

revolutionary technological advance. Lincoln has had a long-standing close relationship with the

Base, including operating the Hanscom K-8 school system.

Along all of its southern boundary, Hanscom Air Force Base and its housing is adjacent to

Minute Man National Historical Park (MMNHP), which commemorates and interprets the events,

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people, and motivations that started the American Revolution, including the Lexington Green,

Old North Bridge, and Battle Road settings where that War of Independence began in 1775. The

Park was created by an Act of Congress in 1959. A trail runs the length of the Battle Road unit of

the Park, with Hanscom housing visible from sections of that trail, while sites closest to the

housing include: the Captain William Smith House (c. 1693, home of the Captain of Lincolns

Minute Man Company in 1775, who was also a brother of future First Lady, Abigail (Smith)Adams); the Paul Revere Capture Site and Monument (marking where Revere was captured by

British guards during his famous ride); and the restored Nelson Road section of the Battle Road,

with archaeological remains of Nelson homes from 1775 (see historical photographs below).

Restoring the landscape to approximate its appearance in 1775 is recognized as an essential

element for understanding the battle that took place here and for interpreting the people, their

lives, and homes. Unlike most battle sites, understanding the people who lived hereviewing the

farms where these embattled farmers and their families livedis essential to understanding the

battle itself. Here, it was not a chance battlefield. It was not a conflict of two passing armies. It

was the people who lived herethe Smiths and Hartwells and other local residents of Lincoln

and other nearby townswho fought on this hallowed farmland. Restoring the land to its

appearance in 1775 has been a Park priority, but this objective can be limited by the needs for

screening and for dealing with modern roadways. Recently, the Battle Road from Arlington to

Concord has been designated by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation as the Battle

Road Scenic Byway: Roads to Revolutions. This recognizes its role not only in the American

Revolution, but also in the literary, environmental, and technological revolutions that have

occurred along this historic corridor. Traffic impact along this scenic byway remains a high

priority concern for the Park, town, and region, and state.

While a boundary line now divides Minute Man National Historical Park from the Hanscom Base

housing, historically, these properties were connected. Dating from before Lincoln was a town, a

1750 deed from Nathaniel Whittemore to Josiah Nelson, for example, described the southernbounds of a 20-acre lotwithin the Hanscom housing area as, Beginning at a brook [Shawsheen

headwaters] in Ebenezer Lamsons line Runing Easterly by the Brook to a stake & Stones Near a

Spring Called the well head Running Still Easterly by a Black oak tree Marked to a heap of

Stones in Lexington line. Whittemore (living in the William Smith House), Lamson, and

Nelson all lived within the current-day Park along what would be the Battle Road, but their

Battle Road farms all extended into the area where the Hanscom housing is now located. The

Well Head (or Wellhead), here identified as a natural spring, appeared in nineteenth-century

maps as a pond that fed into the Shawsheen River; that pond was evidently filled in before the

Hanscom housing was first constructed. A comparison of current conditions and the 1943 USGS

map of the area also suggests that much of the sharp declivity that currently exists from the Park

down to the housing site has been dug out and altered from the natural, historical contours of

the landscape. That 1943 survey also shows how a number of farm trails extended north from

Nelson Road, North Great Road, and Virginia roads to access related farmland located where

Hanscoms housing stands today (see historical maps below).7

7Deed, Nathaniel Whittemore to Josiah Nelson (March 2, 1750), 2002.006.1.4, Nelson Family Papers, Lincoln Vault

Historical Collection, Lincoln Public Library.

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Detail from 1894 USGS map. Map shows Wellhead (or Well Head) Pond with Shawsheen River heading out of it;

buildings were not depicted. The northernmost roadways depicted here are the Battle Road of 1775; Wellhead Pond

to their north is within the present-day Hanscom housing, but the pond no longer exists.

Detail from 1943 USGS map (edited 1947). Wellhead Pond was then reduced in size from its late-nineteenth-century

bounds; buildings are shown, as well as farm paths extending off of Virginia, North Great, and Nelson roads. The

increased number of contour lines provides a more accurate representation of the sloped area in the center of the map

than what appeared in the 1894 USGS map.

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William Smith House Nelson Farm

Revere Capture Site

Aerial photograph of area prior to Hanscom housing privatization and demolition. Running west to east through thePark, North Great Road/Route 2A is in part the Battle Road of 1775. This road and Hanscom Drive off of it provides the

primary access route to the Hanscom housing, only a portion of which is shown here. Viewed from the air, the Park

lands north of the roadincluding the William Smith House, Revere Capture Site, and Nelson farm siteseem to

form a narrow strip between the road and the housing development ( 2010 Microsoft Corp.).

1943 USGS map superimposed over aerial view (before demolition). Today, a sharp slope divides part of the Park from

the housing to its north. This superimposed view suggests that the landscape along the current north border of Minute

Man National Historical Park (in the Paul Revere Capture Site area) was altered after 1943, as the contour lines from

1943 differ from those of the sharp slope of today. Today, Hanscom housing is located in a flat area (see Liberty Ln.

and Hill Terrace area on aerial view) that was represented in 1943 by contour lines. This suggests that portions of the

natural slopes had been cut back after the 1943 survey was made to create the current slope further south of its

historic location. Part of the Shawsheen River remains today, but the location of Wellhead Pond has been filled in.

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Construction

William Smith

House Liberty Lane Nelson Road

Revere Capture Site

2008 aerial photograph. This 2998 view shows the area of construction by American Eagle in center, while the

buildings and landscape of the Liberty Lane area is undisturbed.

[Wellhead Pond]

1894 USGS map superimposed on 2008 aerial photograph. (The 1943 USGS map suggests Wellhead Pond was

actually somewhat to the west of where it appears here, and that the Shawsheen River ran somewhat further to the

south of the line shown in the 1894 depiction.)

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(left) Historical view of the c. 1693 Captain William

Smith House, with the land behind it cleared of trees;

above the drive, it can be seen that there was an open

view to a distant rise in the land.

(below) Today, rather than the historic landscape

being open around the house, Park land is devoted to

providing screening from Hanscom Drive and Hanscom

housing, with trees growing up close to the rear and

sides of the house (April 2010 photograph).

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(above) View in 1899 looking west along the Battle Road from the Paul Revere Capture Site.

(below) View in 2010 looking west along the Battle Road from the Paul Revere Capture Site; this road (North Great

Road. Route 2A), is also the primary access for vehicles going in and out of the Hanscom housing.

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Historical view published in 1930 of the Paul Revere Monument, looking northeast.

(above) View north in April 2010 with Paul Revere

Monument (monument has been turned to face Park

trail in background).

(right) View north in 2010 from Park trail towardsHanscom housingtaken from Park trail north of Paul

Revere Monument.

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(above) Josiah Nelson House on north side of Nelson Road in about the 1890s, looking northwest.(below) Looking north from roadway in April 2010, towards the Josiah Nelson archaeological site. Trees within the

Park screen most of the Hanscom housing, although some houses are visible in background. The need for a growth of

trees for screening limits options for restoring the Park landscape to its 1775 appearance.

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(above) The landscape north of Nelson Road looking east toward the historic Josiah Nelson House was once open.

Now Park land, this area is currently wooded, providing screening between Nelson Road and Hanscom housing.

(below) View from Park lands (between Revere Capture Site and Josiah Nelson House Site) looking northerly towards

housing that is not planned for demolition.

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Summary: Minute Man National Historical Park and Hanscoms housing share a common

boundary. The events and local society of 1775 that the Park interprets are critical in Americas

history and the formation of our nation and its values; recreating the landscape and setting of

the events of 1775 are critical to the effective interpretation of those events and to an

understanding of the people who began the American Revolution. At the same time, Hanscom

Air Force Base has also been at the center of the regions revolutionary history of technologicalinnovations. These revolutions and the corridors literary and environmental contributions are

recognized in the recent Battle Road Scenic Byway: Roads to Revolutions designation. While the

land where the housing is located was historically associated with the farmhouses that stood

along the Battle Road in 1775, part of its natural landscape appears to have been modified since

Hanscom was developed; this includes a sharp slope along the north side of the Park that helps

to minimize the view of the housing. Park properties of particular sensitivity for visual impact,

however, include the William Smith House, the Paul Revere Capture Site, the restored Nelson

Road and the archaeological Nelson house sites, and the connecting trail. The need for screening

within Park lands restricts opportunities to more accurately represent the landscape of 1775,

limiting the Park experience for visitors. Likewise, the Battle Road (North Great Road/Route 2A)

is currently the primary access into Hanscom Drive and the housing, creating concerns over

potential impact of related traffic upon the Hanscom Drive/Route 2A intersection, the Park, and

the visitors experiences.

LINCOLN POLICIES &PRACTICES AND THE PARKSETTINGThe Lincoln Comprehensive Plan, adopted by Town Meeting in 2009, provides the following

description of the Park:

Some of Lincolns most evocative historic landscapes, buildings, and structures are

located within the Minute Man National Historical Park (MMNHP). The 971-acre Park,located in Lincoln, Concord, and Lexington, includes original unpaved sections of the

Battle Road (former sections of Old Bedford, Virginia, and Nelson roads in Lincoln) and

portions of North Great Road (Route 2A) in Lincoln. The Battle Road was designated a

State Scenic Byway in 2007. The Minute Man Battle Road trail and other ancillary trails

within the park provide an unparalleled way to experience the landscape that hosted the

events of April 19, 1775. The parks historic buildings and structures include the Noah

Brooks Tavern (1798), the Hartwell Tavern (1732-33), the Captain William Smith House

(ca. 1693), period stone walls, and restored landscapes. A Visitor Center is located in

Lexington near the Lincoln line. The entire park is a National Historic Landmark and

listed in the National Register of Historic Places.8

The Comprehensive Plan studyfound that the Park is planning to restore landscapes in certain

areas to their 1775 appearance by removing trees and that theywere developing plans to add

and improve trail systems within the Minute Man National Historical Park. The Plan set Goals

for the Town to Promote stewardship of Lincolns cultural and historic resources [Goal CH.3],

8Lincoln Comprehensive Plan (2009), p. 87.

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specifically citing the MMNHP property and the desire to promote an understanding of land use

and historically significant landscapes, including conservation lands, Walden Woods, and Minute

Man National Historical Park. Likewise, the Town set the goal of strengthening its collaboration

with the Park and its other cultural and historical institutions [Goal CH.1], specifically including,

Developing further mechanisms for protecting the vital viewshed surrounding MMNHP, and

working to abate the impact of traffic and noise on the Park experience.9

Recognizing the national importance of the Park and the delicate balance in restoring that

property to its 1775 appearance while operating within a modern-day setting, the Town has

made many efforts in the past to protect the Parks viewshed. Along the southern bounds of the

Park, the Town purchased for conservation 104 acres associated with the 1775 Battle Road home

and farmstead of Aaron Brooks (Parcel 17 6 0). To its east, the Town also owns over 36 acres

(Parcel 18 6 0) used for the Transfer Station. The Town has sought to site that facility so that it

would not be visible from the Battle Road, while it presently maintains the remainder of the lot

as open land; this lot abuts and has access through the Park, but currently it is not subject to any

conservation restrictions, including any conservation buffer zone. The Town also owns another

Conservation lot of almost 43 acres that likewise abuts the southern bounds of the Park (Parcel

16 1 0). Connecting trails within the Towns Conservation land with trails within MMNHP has

been identified by both bodies as a desired objective.

In 1986, 47 acres north of the Park were developed into the Lincoln North office building and a

120-unit Battle Road Farm mixed-income housing development. Preconditions set by the Town

included that, Any alterations to the terrain of the 47 acres should not be visible from any

portion of the Minuteman National Historical Park. To comply, the plan included a 200-foot-

wide conservation buffer between the housing and Park, with the office developer contributing

$150,000 towards the costs for that buffer zone. The Town reported that, A key ingredient of

the North Lincoln Planned Development district is the allocation of approximately 7 acres fromthe 31 acre McHugh parcel [the housing parcel] for a buffer strip of permanent open space

between the proposed housing development and the Minuteman National Park. Additional

conditions to benefit the Park were also worked out with the office building developer. Five

existing non-historic houses, a barn, and the existing paved portions of Old Bedford Road on the

Lincoln North office building site are now within view of the National Park but will be removed.

The relocated Old Bedford Road and the office building parking will be terraced into slopes and

be landscaped to avoid being seen from the National Park. The setback from the current Virginia

Road alignment will be increased and properly landscaped to provide an improved sight

easement from the park. In addition, the developer agreed to, Dedicate approximately one (1)

acre as a permanent open space buffer to the Park, including an extension of the 200 foot

buffer line along their site. They would, Transfer in fee to the National Park Service this

permanent open space at such time when the National Park Service can accept this land and

after the abandoned Virginia Road and Old Bedford Road has been restored to 1775 condition by

[the developer]. Their building would be sited to minimize visibilityfrom the perspective of the

9Lincoln Comprehensive Plan (2009), pp. 95-96, 93.

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Park, including avoiding mechanicals on the roof, and applying, Extensive use of trees, bushes,

and other landscaping as shields and green buffers throughout the project.10

Concern was also expressed within this 1986 plan over the traffic impact of the developments.

The Town set as a precondition that, Any change in land use on the 47 acres should not

exacerbate existing commuter traffic conditions. Arrangements were made for regulatingbusiness hours at the office building to mitigate peak-hours traffic, while its developer funded

new road construction designed to be part of a proposed loop road that would incorporate

Hanscom Drive and take through traffic off of the existing North Great Road/Battle Road.11

Conclusions drawn from the traffic study for this project included:

Bringing the Route 2A/Hanscom Drive intersection to an acceptable level-of-service in

1991, with or without the Lincoln North Office Park development, would require two

lane Route 2A approaches to the Hanscom Drive Intersection. A significant widening of

this magnitude would require land takings that are unacceptable to both the town of

Lincoln and the National Park Service. The installation of traffic signals with these

roadway widening would result in improved traffic operations.12

These projections suggest current concerns over traffic impact. The proposed Hanscom housing

density includes about 276 units in excess of the Hanscom Air Force Bases revised requirement.

Units are currently being marketed to off-base renters under a prescribed formula, and many

residents could work off-base, adding peak-commuter-hours traffic. Given the projected change

in occupancy from on-base renters to a mix of on-base renters off-base market-rate renters and

the potential scale of these off-base rental units, the 1986 study demonstrates that the potential

historical impact of traffic changes from this shift in usage should be addressed. The 1986 study

suggests that this includes any potentially adverse historical impact on the Hanscom Drive/Battle

Road interchange within the Park, including the previously suggested needs for road widening

and traffic signals at that intersection.

Under revisions to the Towns Demolition Delay Bylaw adopted by Town Meeting in 2007, the

Town has also applied a 200-foot review area around the Parks boundaries. Under that bylaw,

any time 25 percent or more of a building or structure within 200 feet of the Park is proposed for

demolition, it is deemed to be a significant building or structure due to the sites potential impact

on the Park, and the Lincoln Historical Commission must review what is proposed to replace it. 13

Since the adoption of this provision, two proposed demolitions of houses within 200 feet of the

Park have been reviewed (Parcels 12 11 1 and 12 14 0), with one of the applicants withdrawing

plans for a larger house. In another instance not involving a demolition, the Planning Board

reviewed a proposed house that would be visible from the Park. This resulted in a smallerbuilding being approved than what was initially planned (Parcel 12 11 0).

1047 Acre Land Use Concept Plan (1986), pp. 31-32.

11 47 Acre Land Use Concept Plan (1986), p. 29.

12Traffic Analysis Summary, 47 Acre Land Use Concept Plan (1986), n.p.

13Demolition Delay By-Law, Section 2.11(A) (March 24, 2007).

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Summary: Minute Man National Historical Park is a National Landmark that stands at the

forefront of the nations history, but it is also part of Lincolns history. The Town has sought to be

a good steward of the Park, and it has pledged through its comprehensive plan to further its role

of stewardship. Development and change will continue in the region, but in formulating a series

of strategies to safeguard the viewshed around the Park, the Town helps to enable the Parks

mission. Past strategies have included:

protecting land surrounding the Park through a range of conservation approaches, with aparticular focus on safeguarding the 200 feet immediately adjacent to the Park as a

viewshed buffer zone;

efforts to limit construction surrounding the Park that would be visible from the Park,also particularly within 200 feet of the Park;

vegetative screening, landscaping treatments, and siting to minimize visibility ofbuildings and roadways/ parking;

compensatory financial contributions to fund protections of the Parks viewshed(includes $150,000 1986 donation agreement to support costs of a 7-acre buffer zone);

awareness of the historical impact of traffic and noise on the Park, including requiringactions to prevent exacerbating existing commuter conditions.

Through the 2009 Comprehensive Plan, the Town has set the goals of furthering its stewardship

efforts on behalf of the Park, and to develop further mechanisms for protecting the vital

viewshed surrounding MMNHP, and working to abate the impact of traffic and noise on the Park

experience. The Towns past study and the projected changes in Hanscom housing usage suggest

a study of the potential historical impact from resulting traffic changes.

A Hunt Pinnacle construction worker demolishes a housing structure on July 23 [2009] to make way for newly

constructed units for Hanscom housing residents. The housing landscape is being transformed as Hunt Pinnacle moves

forward with the construction of new homes and the renovation of existing units. (U.S. Air Force photo by Rick Berry).

[Source: http://www.hanscom.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/090723-F-5136B-037.jpg(May 27, 2010)]

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http://www.hanscom.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/090723-F-5136B-037.jpghttp://www.hanscom.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/090723-F-5136B-037.jpghttp://www.hanscom.af.mil/shared/media/photodb/photos/090723-F-5136B-037.jpg


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.

Liberty Lane housing in 2008 aerial photograph above; arrow at lower right of that photograph is the location within

Minute Man National Historical Park where the photograph below was taken on April 21, 2010, showing the Liberty

Lane housing demolished and the land cleared.

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DEMOLITION AT HANSCOMDuring the period when American Eagle had been operating the housing at the Hanscom Air

Force Base, demolition and construction went forward even though a required Historical Impact

submission was not submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission. While HP

Communities made such a submission in January 6, 2010, and the Commission determined that,

The U. S. Air Force and MHC must consider the potential effects of this project on this important

historic resource and other historic resources in the project vicinity, further demolition work has

been conducted, including the demolition of the Liberty Lane housing north of the Park. Some

potential terms for a Memorandum of Agreementsuch as preparing an archival-quality

photographic record of the buildings to be demolished, or actions to safeguard potential

prehistoric archaeological resourcesare thereby moot. While the Wellhead spring and pond

area (disturbed by American Eagle) could have been one of high probability for archaeological

evidence, the current review suggests that at least some portions of the housing site had probably

been significantly disturbed during earlier construction. Still, that evidence does not apply to all

areas disturbed by the current project, and such potential past alterations to the landscape and

possible archaeological materials had not been identified prior to demolition.

The actions taken prior to the Historical Impact Review process and potential Memorandum of

Agreement set a precedent that jeopardizes the effectiveness of that national process for

documenting and preserving sites and materials of historical significance. Such a precedent,

taken within feet of a National Historic Landmark preserving the land where the American

Revolution began, should be of concern and consideration at the local, state, and federal levels if

this Review and future Historical Impact Review processes to be effective.

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hanscom housing historic impact background report 2010

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