I share the deep concerns that many Greenfield residents have voiced about the outsized housing proposal for the rural setting at Stone Farm Lane.
The lovely trails throughout this Rocky Mountain Ridge, which includes Poet’s Seat Tower, have historically been an attractive draw for hikers. Most communities do not benefit from a natural setting that includes rare wildflowers, a volcanic pillow (upon which the tower was built) and the Connecticut River as a border. These special features help set us apart. The proposal on the table is too large for an area that is essentially a nature preserve.
In the early 1990s, a volunteer committee of the GBA was formed made up of townspeople. Our goal was to lift up and celebrate myriad attributes of Greenfield. Among our projects, we were able to reopen and rededicate Poet’s Seat Tower and the road leading to it. Subsequently, many hands marked and cleaned up trails and installed benches (mostly from Ashfield stone). Folks walking the trails enjoy spectacular vistas and the quiet beauty of this area.
Rocky Mountain Ridge, part of the larger park system stretching from Sachem’s Head through Bears’ Den, on to Poet’s Seat and then to the end of Stone Farm Lane should remain as it is: a welcome rare retreat for those who like and need the peace.
Sandy Thomas
Greenfield