Selectmen, Land Bank sign off on land deal

Empty dumpsters near the end of Miacomet Avenue are owned by Myles Reis. The Reis property on Miacomet Pond will likely be traded with the Land Bank for property on Bunker Road later this year. PHOTO BY ROB BENCHLEY Last week, the Board of Selectmen and the Land Bank Commission signed a memorandum of understanding enabling the selectmen and the Land Bank to orchestrate a land swap between the Land Bank and Myles Reis. Reis will relinquish his 4.5 acres at 80 Miacomet Ave. and move his sand, gravel and equipment to property that the Land Bank owns on Bunker Road.

For years, residents of Miacomet Avenue complained to the town about Reis’ trucks rumbling up and down their road, and the eyesore of construction materials and equipment stored at its southern end.

Once the land swap is consummated, the Land Bank plans to return the former Reis property to its natural state and to further protect the natural resources of Miacomet Pond.

“This was the critical step that needed to happen to get all those various town meeting votes to be implemented,” said Planning director Andrew Vorce. “They gave authority to either the selectmen or the Land Bank to act. Now that the Land Bank has acquired the title to that property [Bunker Road], we can get to work partitioning it to the town and placing the rest of it into an open space restriction.”

“What will happen next is an RFP (request for proposals) will go out and then a portion of that industrial property will be available,” said Vorce. “The RFP will include monetary and non-monetary options. It will state that some acreage of land is available.”

The lots exchanged between the Land Bank and Reis must be of equal value. Currently Reis’ lot is assessed at $1,372,500. Vorce said he is certain that the land swap will happen sometime this year. I