Yes, Virginia, there is a plan to clearcut the trees.
It seems that people just want to believe what makes them comfortable and suits their wishes or desires. So, according to Wicked Local, Mr. French was poised to lose a 2' wide strip of land along his property. While the fact is that the Nitsch plan stripped him of land along his driveway AND also of a large chunk of land on the west side of the building. As Selectman Paolillo put it, Frank French was set to lose 3-4,000 sq. ft of land.
At the June 7th TM, a TMM claimed that the BCP would increase the abutters' property value. This is a blanket statement with little validity. The reality is that universities' (as opposed to real estate groups) studies have shown that abutting properties lose between 6-7% and up to 20% of their value. The properties that gain value are those in the surrounding area but not abutting.
It is a common belief - seemingly fostered by the town - that that the BCP will be built in what is actually the MBTA's ROW. Many people I've spoken to point to the bare, wide and white strip of land by the rail as the location of the BCP. They are utterly shocked when I point out that the BCP has been designed to fit in the BCF land , 2/3 of which is a tree-filled embankment. You can see that in the Nitsch Conceptual Design Report.
![]() |
Plan to build the BCP where the tree line currently exists. |
The fact that most of the trees will be clearcut then becomes obvious.
When I asked Nitsch about the trees, the answer was that all but "select trees" would be cut. Some people seemed satisfied with that answer thinking that "Surely, most will be left!". But language is tricky: "select trees" could be as little as two trees and the statement would still be true. If you look at the Nitsch 2020 plans, you will find that there are 2 locations where trees won't be cut: a multi-stemmed birch on Pleasant St and the oak between the station bridge and 7 Channing Rd. Recently, Michalak said that there was a third tree at Alexander but that, due to design changes, that tree will also be clearcut.
Besides the embankment trees, the BCP plan also necessitates that backyard trees be clearcut to accommodate the construction road to build the BCP (the MBTA ROW must be kept clear for rail maintenance and safety). So a lot of trees will be lost which makes Belmont's title of "Town of Trees" seem... ill suited.