LexFarm Preps Pitch for Community Farm on Busa Land

As LexFarm prepares to submit its community farm proposal for the Busa Land, the group is seeking online support with its 'Pledge to Build the Farm.'

  For a few years now, artists have turned to the internets to fund their outside-the-box projects. As crowdsourcing has proved an effective way to rally support, the method has sprouted from the fringe to the mainstream and beyond.   Here in Lexington, these principles of modern day patronage have made their way from art agriculture. As LexFarm, which has long sowed the seeds of preserving a longtime family farm as a community resource, prepares to submit its community farm proposal for the Busa Land, the group is seeking online support with its “Pledge to Build the Farm.” According to LexFarm’s website, the group will submit its proposal for a community farm next Monday, June 3. In the meantime, those who wish to pledge to support the …

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Farming in the Face of a Future Uncertain (Photos)

In what's probably his penultimate growing season on the family land, Lexington farmer Dennis Busa reflects on the past, present and future of his family’s farm.

  It’s a grey and rainy Friday afternoon down on the farm and Dennis Busa is replacing an old tractor's worn out bolts with some shiny new ones. It's a fairly ordinary task but, in some ways, it reflects a larger change taking root here in East Lexington. Busa Farms is in transition in ways that have nothing to do with the weather or growing season. This historic farm is readying for its journey from its old, familiar family-owned status to an uncertain future as a “community farm” owned by the town of Lexington. In what's probably his penultimate growing season on the family land, Lexington farmer Dennis Busa spoke to Patch about the past, present and future of the farm. A Brief History of Busa Farms Busa Farms, an 8-acre parcel in East …

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Busa Land: Officials Soliciting Comments on Draft RFP

Feedback will be accepted through Sept. 21.

Lexington’s Board of Selectmen has drafted a Request for Proposals (RFP) for leasing the Busa Farm property for agricultural use, and is socliciting comments on the RFP until Sept. 21. Those comments should be sent to selectmen@lexingtonma.gov, and questions should be addressed to the Selectmen's Office at that email address or or 781-862-0500 x208, according to a press release from the town. The town purchased the Busa Farm property on Lowell Street back in 2009 and, earlier this year, officials opted to move forward with a plan to keep the land largely in agricultural use, with a smaller portion reserved for affordable housing. Playing fields were also part of the consideration, dating back to the original proposal to use Community …

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Housing Limited to Half of Lowell Street Stretch of Busa Land

Selectmen delineate half the length of Busa Land streetscape for four units of affordable housing; details about housing design and community farm still TBD.

New housing will occupy no more than half of the stretch of the town-owned Busa Land along Lowell Street and that had been under consideration for as many as eight new units. In a 3-to-2 vote on Monday, July 30, the Board of Selectmen decided the property would hold four units of housing on a strip of land not exceed half of the frontage along Lowell and only as deep as the least practical need.  The nay votes belonged to selectmen Hank Manz and Peter Kelley. Manz would have preserved more of the Lowell Street frontage to allow more flexibility on the housing plan, while Kelley hoped to limit footprint to one-third of the land along Lowell Street. In later discussion, the selectmen and Town Manager Carl Valente took up a series of …

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Patrick Ball

11:05 am on Friday, August 3, 2012

Indeed it was a complicated vote. To add a little more context, Hank actually changed his vote to vote in favor of the amendment after originally voting against. What appeared to change his mind was that the chair -- whose vote I'll admit that I did not hear -- announced that the board was 3-2 against expanding from one-third of the frontage to half. Hank then said he would vote iin favor of …   more ›

Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: July 30

Busa Land at the BOS, a paint and pour business looking at Lexington, plus three other things you need to know today.

1. Busa Back at the BOS: Among the agenda items tonight for the Board of Selectmen include "Busa Land Use Delineation" and policy questions regarding the Cmmunity Farming Draft RFP. The open session portion of the meeting begins at 7 p.m. at the Town Office Building. 2. Paint and Sip Concept: Another item on the selectmen's agenda is a concept for a liquor license at a "Paint and Sip Establishment." For an idea of what that might mean, there's a business called the "Paint 'n Pour" in Maynard Center. 3. Waldo's Still on the Lam in Lexington: Throughout the month of July, the Elephant's Trunk Bookshop is hosting a month-long scavanger hunt for the red-striped Waldo hidding in 20 local businesses. Waldo spotters will be eligible for prizes, …

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Patch Facts

Five Things You Need to Know Today: July 25

Open houses, farm tours, meetings and more today in Lexington.

1. Open House: At 10 a.m. today, Knowledge Beginnings, an early childhood learning center offering care of children from birth to pre-kindergarten, is hosting an open house at its location on Marrett Road. 2. Today in Public Meetings: According to the town website, public meetings posted for today include the Lexington Housing Assistance Board at 7 a.m. at the LexHAB offices on Militia Drive and the Trustees of Public Funds at noontime in Boston. 3. Community Farm Tour for Kids: The Waltham Fields Community Farm, located at 240 Beaver St. in Waltham, offers chlidern and families to explore the workings of the farm at 3:30 p.m. today. Cost is $5 for kids. Sign up here. 4. Like Us on Facebook: For even more information and engagement, like …

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Recreation Reacts to Busa Land Use Decision

Playing fields are not in the future plans for the town-owned Busa Farms property.

The Board of Selectmen’s decision Monday night to move forward with plans for a community farm on the bulk of the Busa Farms property and affordable housing along Lowell Street left no room for playing fields on the almost-eight acre parcel. While disappointed, recreation supporters haven’t spent the past few days sulking. Rather, they’re already moving on to the “out-of-the-box thinking” they anticipate must be done to meet the recreational needs of the Lexington community, particularly as it pertains to playing fields. “Tuesday was another day,” said Director of Recreation Karen Simmons on Wednesday afternoon. “You get knocked down, you get back up and start looking.” They’re looking for land, yes, but there’s a limited availability of …

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A Farming Future for the Busa Land

The Board of Selectmen officially decided Monday, March 19, to pursue a community farm on the bulk of the town-owned Busa Land.

For several generations now the Busa Land in East Lexington has been a working farm, and its newish owner—the town of Lexington—doesn't plan on upsetting the status quo anytime soon. The Board of Selectmen officially decided Monday, March 19, to pursue a community farm on the bulk of the almost 8-acre parcel, which the town purchased for a little more than $4 million in 2009. The remainder of the property will be used for affordable housing, but the size and scope of that project is yet to be determined. Earlier this month, the Board of Selectmen had designated uses for the property as open space and affordable housing, as is required under the Community Preservation Act, which was used to purchase the Busa property. On Monday, the …

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Busa Uses Land Back Before Board of Selectmen

A second discussion about future uses for the town-owned Busa Farms property could provide a clearer picture of the affordable housing and open space uses.

Earlier this month, the Board of Selectmen decided on uses for the town-owned Busa Farms property, and designated a portion for affordable housing and the remainder for open space uses. Tonight, they might take another step toward defining what that means. A stretch along Lowell Street toward Arlington has been locked in for affordable housing, but the selectmen’s March 5 vote kept the door open for a community farm, playing fields or both on the remainder of the approximately eight-acre parcel. At the March 5 meeting, many supporters of a community farm cast the “open space” designation as the selectmen’s disregard for the recommendation of the Busa Land Use Proposal Committee, which supported a community farm and some affordable housing …

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What's On Your Wish List for Lexington?

Take or poll and let us know in the comments section below.

Christmas is upon us and New Year's Eve is around the corner. 'Tis the season for making lists and readying resolutions. Looking around Lexington, there are schools screaming for attention, widespread calls for a Community Center, ag-enthusiast residents lobbying for a community farm and a fair amount of uncertainly about the future of Lexington Center. Of course, this list could go on and on -- and we're counting on you to add your own items to the list. So, with that in mind, we want to know, What's on your wish list for Lexington this year? Take or poll and let us know in the comments section below.

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