[Massplanners] Technical Assistance to be rid of Paper Streets

[Assistant Town Administrator]

Montague has dozens of paper streets and alleys that were laid out 150 years ago but never constructed. The legacy of a planned community that never quite got fully built out. Some of these paper streets run through people front yards, garages, and even kitchens. The issue has always been a title headache for residents at best, but on a townwide scale we are seeing that these paper streets are inhibiting resident's ability to invest in their property and add things we want to encourage like ADUs, additions, and solar carports.

I am hoping to track down someone (perhaps a legal team?) that can provide technical assistance to help advise the town on a strategy to dissolve several superfluous paper streets. Most of our paper streets are believed to be fee simple ownership by the town. I understand it is a fairly complex task requiring substantial public process, buy in from abutters, deed research, and survey work. I can reach out to KPLaw for a scope, but first I am interested if anyone has ventured upon such project?


Walter



Walter Ramsey, AICP  |  Montague Assistant Town Administrator  |  (413) 863-3200 x 126  |  walterr at montague-ma.gov<mailto:planner at montague-ma.gov>
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