Small Parcel, Big Impact.
We are excited to present a true community conservation project in the Harugari/Pratt Street area of Cleghorn in Fitchburg, MA.
Quarry Lane Park and Gardens, next to Busy Bees Preschool, is a special place in nature nestled in the densely populated Cleghorn neighborhood of Fitchburg. North County Land Trust conserved this last remaining house lot at 5 Quarry Lane in 2019, saving it from development, with strong support from Busy Bees Preschool, the neighborhood, and the city. With help from many partners, this property was conserved, and has since been transformed from a vacant, overgrown lot to a pocket park, nature loop trail, and community gardens.
The pocket park has native plantings, natural seating areas, and is a welcoming green space for Busy Bees students, neighbors, and the community to enjoy. The nature trail is a small loop suitable for families with native plants labeled along the way, the trail is marked with yellow circle trail blazes. The community garden is cared for by NCLT staff and volunteers and Busy Bees students and staff. Community volunteers or gardeners interested in participating in the garden or pocket park maintenance should contact info@northcountylandtrust.org to learn more.
The History and Acquisition of Quarry Lane Park and Community Garden
At it’s core, this project was about seizing an opportunity to:
- protect environmental justice neighborhoods from further disturbance,
- provide community building and outdoor learning opportunities, and
- promote a return to nature-based play as a critical component to early childhood development and outdoor recreation opportunities.
Acquisition of this parcel, with the support of the community and private fundraising initiatives, achieved all these goals. We are so pleased to have succeeded in negotiating with the developer/landowner to prevent the intrusive development of this parcel.
The Story of the Last Building Lot
The land that became Quarry Lane was subdivided in the 1980’s but the houses weren’t build until the early 2000’s. During that time, the Harugari and Pratt St. neighborhoods were heavily impacted. Neighbors complain about cracked foundations from the blasting of rock for the new house foundations, and their formerly dry basements now flood as water that used to be absorbed by the adjacent woodlands finds new routes down the side of Rollstone Hill. Some neighbors unsuccessfully fought to try to prevent the loss of their “neighborhood woods” and minimize the impact of the development.
The last remaining undeveloped parcel (5 Quarry Lane) was put on the market in 2018 which caught the attention of a neighbor who reached out to NCLT.
NCLT took a closer look and discovered there was a surprising amount of value contained within the lot as undeveloped land. It abuts approximately 100 acres of City conservation and municipal land including the summit of the famous Rollstone Hill and Quarry. The city is currently improving the trails on Rollstone Hill and this parcel could provide neighborhood trail access to that trail network. But most importantly, the impact of the development of this particular parcel promised a significant negative impact for the neighborhood and for one abutter in particular, Busy Bees Preschool.
This remaining long, narrow lot wrapped around the playground at Busy Bees preschool and along 4 private lots who had already experienced seasonal flooding to their properties. The land was wooded with mature hardwood trees, mountain laurel, and other native plants, large boulders (that needed to be removed) and the granite ledge, for which Rollstone Quarry was famous for, not far below. Tree clearing, heavy machinery, and significant drainage infrastructure would all have been a part of the construction for one, single-family house.
Busy Bees preschool itself is a microcosm of the Fitchburg community. Their student population is a rainbow of diversity in every way. The school offers dual-language English/Spanish instruction and free meals for all students. Busy Bees also prides itself on its award-winning natural playground recognizing the critical role Nature plays in brain development. The trees and natural surroundings of the adjacent lot provide the perfect opportunity for enriching the education of the Busy Bees students—a population targeted for early childhood educational support.
If this lot had been developed, all of the trees surrounding the preschool would have been removed and the opportunity for access to the abutting City land would have been lost, not only to the students but to the rest of the area neighborhoods as well. The elderly, low-income and long-time residents would yet again, have been faced with the consequences of the construction of an ill-sighted house lot.
This is why North County Land Trust was energized to help.
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