<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-size:small">I'm not an attorney but my understanding is that with most municipal roads the municipality only "owns" a right of way. This right of way includes the right for the public to pass and the right to install utilities. When the municipality discontinues a road it abandons those rights and the property owner. usually the abutters, regain use of the land unencumbered by that right to pass and install utilities. The municipality has nothing to sell as it never "owned" anything other than a right of way. There are occasional exceptions to this where the municipality owns the land under the road (owns the fee) but this is rare.Road law is arcane and can depend on when and how the road was accepted by the municipality. You should seek advice from your town counsel. </div></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Tue, Sep 14, 2021 at 4:59 PM Elizabeth Ware via MassPlanners <<a href="mailto:massplanners@masscptc.org">massplanners@masscptc.org</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Okay,<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">I have a Friday question that I am asking on a Tuesday.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">The town has several graveling/quarrying operations in town. One operator would like to expand his quarry south of an existing town street and eventually assume the ownership
of the street, for public safety reasons. The street layout is 50’ in width by about ½ mile long, resulting in about 3 acres of land within the roadway right of way. The quarry owner is willing to construct about 1-1/2 miles of roadway to relocate the existing
road layout that he would like to take over.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">I suspect that the expansion of the quarry will not be an issue. It will be carefully reviewed and is subject to a special permit.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">The road right of way requires a town meeting vote to abandon, which would give the quarry owner, who owns both sides of the street, the rights to the center line of the
roadway……………..but there’s more.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">The land below the roadway (3 acres of it!), is shown on the quarry owner’s plans to be quarried, therefore appears to have some value in mineral rights. So, if the town
is abandoning the roadway, it looks like the town is giving the quarry owner three acres times the depth of quarry in granite mineral rights. Nope, we can’t give that away ……….it wouldn’t look good, would appear to show preference to the quarry owner and
doesn’t follow the procurement laws of the town “selling” something. Our procurement officer has never encountered a situation this quirky.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">As permit ombudsman, I’m trying to figure out the most logical and efficient steps to permit the quarry expansion, but it gets a little complex with the mineral rights
issues.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">I’d love to hear thoughts and suggestions regarding this issue.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Thank you,
<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Betsy Ware<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif"><u></u> <u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Director of Community Development<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Town of Dracut, MA.<u></u><u></u></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style",serif">Tel: 978-453-4557<u></u><u></u></span></p>
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</blockquote></div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;font-size:12.8px">328 Richardson Rd.</span><br></div><div><div><font face="georgia, serif">Ashby, MA 01431</font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif"><br></font></div><div><font face="georgia, serif">978-386-7981</font></div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div>