0 West Falmouth Highway

0 West Falmouth Highway How We Got Here

Article 18 would transfer care, custody and control of two parcels of protected forest land to the Conservation Commission.

Update: September 2026 

Thank you to everyone who attended Monday evening’s Select Board meeting to support Article 18. Advocacy can be exhausting, but seeing residents pay attention and show up when it matters makes the effort worthwhile.

Unfortunately, the vote did not go as we had hoped. Rather than endorsing Article 18, the Select Board voted unanimously to recommend “indefinite postponement.” To be clear, this recommendation does not remove Article 18 from the warrant or determine the future of the parcels. The article to transfer the care, custody, and control of the parcels at 0 W Fal Hwy to the Conservation Commission will still be presented and voted on at Town Meeting on October 26. An endorsement from the Select Board would have made that process easier, but the final decision belongs to Town Meeting.

Update: August 2026 

A petitioner's article has been submitted for consideration at the October Town Meeting. The article proposes transferring the care, custody, and control of the 0 West Falmouth Highway parcels to the Falmouth Conservation Commission.

The article will be presented to the Select Board on August 17. They will consider whether to endorse it. We anticipate support from the Association to Preserve Cape Cod, as the proposal aligns with its "The Cape We Shape" campaign. The 300 Committee Land Trust has also been notified of the article, and we hope they will lend their support now that the Article 97 status of these parcels is no longer in dispute.

The West Falmouth Village Association fully supports this article as the culmination of more than a year of research and advocacy. If approved by Town Meeting, these forested parcels at a hazardous intersection in the entrance to our historic district will be permanently protected from development and preserved for future generations in accordance with the land's original purpose: forestation and water protection.

Update: March 2026
After nearly a year of advocacy to protect the 2.8 acres of historic conservation land at the intersection of Route 28, Route 28A, and Palmer Avenue, we are encouraged to share positive progress. Town leadership - including Town Counsel, the Town Manager, and Assistant Town Manager - recommended that the land not be developed, and the Select Board has voted to accept that recommendation.

Development on these parcels would require removal of Article 97 protections, a process involving a two-thirds vote of Town Meeting, 2/3 approval by the Massachusetts General Court, and the identification of suitable replacement land. For more information, see the article in todays edition of the Falmouth Enterprise.

WFVA has consistently advocated for the protection of this land, raising concerns about safety as well as the lands conservation status and historical significance through letters, public comment, and community engagement. We worked alongside residents who carefully documented the site’s history, leading to a warrant article at the November 2025 Town Meeting. While the measure fell just short of the required two-thirds vote late in the evening with many having already left, it reflected growing recognition of the land’s importance.

Following further review, Town Counsel issued the linked memorandum on March 12th, and the Town Planner submitted the linked recommendation to the Select Board. The Select Board subsequently voted at Monday evenings meeting (video linked here) not to move forward with development of 0 W Fal Hwy.

Article 24, a petitioner's article to protect land around Long Pond, will be presented at the April 6th Town Meeting (7 PM, Lawrence School). Residents have been advised that adding 0 W. Fal Hwy parcels by amendment would be out of scope. Accordingly, we plan to support a warrant article at the November 2026 Town Meeting to transfer these parcels to the Conservation Commission for permanent protection.

It takes a Village! We appreciate the engagement of residents, Town Meeting members, and town officials in reaching this outcome. We look forward to continued collaboration, open communication, and transparency as we work together on future community initiatives.