The Melrose Ped/Bike Committee strongly supports city efforts to protect and preserve undeveloped “open space” within city borders. Melrose is a unique suburb; it has both a high residential density as well as close access to an existing “greenbelt” of undeveloped or semi-developed green spaces, including Middlesex Fells Reservation and Mount Hood Memorial Park and Golf Facility, as well as areas surrounding Swains Pond, Ell Pond, and Towners Pond. Per the city’s Planning Department, roughly one quarter of Melrose’s land area is undeveloped. The PBC advocates for open space through two primary channels:
- Encourage the preservation and maintenance of existing undeveloped areas. This includes through advocating for city purchases of undeveloped parcels; promoting pedestrian and bicycle usage of existing parklands; and encouraging maintenance and beautification of undeveloped parcels, including through short-term trash cleanup efforts such as Keep Melrose Beautiful or through long-term maintenance efforts such as supporting the Conservation Commission or advocating for greater municipal invasive species management.
- Encourage housing development in transit-oriented districts through advocacy for expansion of existing density caps and reduction of existing parking minimums. By encouraging a greater ratio of people to cars in our business and transit corridors, Melrose can enhance and preserve our lively public life; support and grow our local businesses community; and help combat threats to walkability from sprawl and autocentric lifestyles.