Sold in Belmont: Inexpensive on Belmont Hill, But to What End?

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 44 Scott Rd. Brick English Cottage (1930), Sold for: $860,000. Listed at $929,000. Living area: 2,368 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 104 days.

• 667 Belmont St. Up-and-down two family (1923), Sold for: $678,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,667 sq.-ft. 12 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 59 days.

• 20 Wilson Ave. #2 First-floor Condominium, Sold for: $402,850. Listed at $392,500. Living area: 1,060 sq.-ft. 5 rooms; 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 48 days.

• 56 Davis Rd. #1 First-floor Condominium, Sold for: $440,000. Listed at $469,000. Living area: 1,600 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 83 days.

• 27 Dorset Rd. Historic Royal Barry Wills designed Cottage Cape (1937), Sold for: $742,000. Listed at $859,000. Living area: 1,805 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 208 days.

It’s a beautiful Belmont house once the pentacle of residential design when it was built in 1937; a Cape Cod-style cottage lying in the then out-of-the-way section of “the Hill.”

The house at 27 Dorset Rd. was designed by one of the most influential modern residential architects, Royal Barry Wills – whose firm continues today – famous for building the quintessential New England home: solid, classic, refined.

The style was so popular that the year after the Dorset Road house was built, a Wills Cape was selected by winners in a national contest over a modern design by Frank Lloyd Wright! (In retrospect, not the correct choice.)

The Belmont Hill house is modernized with a new chef’s kitchen with maple cabinets and granite (ugh!) counter tops, a new gas furnace, central air and the garage has been heated.

But many of Wills’ quality remains; the square rooms, the bay in the living room, the well-proportioned “wing” which houses two bedrooms and a full bath, the small dormers (so they don’t look “clumsy”), a low roof line, narrow hallways to allow for great space for the rooms.

But the sale of this historic house gives me a bad feeling. I truly hope the buyers – who got the house on “the cheap” for $100,000 below the list – have fallen in love with the beauty of fine architecture and will care for it.

But the house, with a “mere” 1,805 sq.-ft. of livable space – less room than the million dollar condos on Boston’s Waterfront – sits on a third of an acre on the top of sought after Belmont Hill. I fear the sale might be for the land rather than the pretty Cape that sits on it.

Belmont Selectmen Ponder Cellar’s Request for Earlier Sunday Opening

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When is it too early to sell beer on a Sunday in the “Town of Homes”?

That’s the question before the Belmont Board of Selectmen after hearing a request from the owners of the Craft Beer Cellar to allow the wildly-successful Belmont Center store to swing open its doors at 10 a.m. on Sundays at its meeting Monday, Oct. 20 at the Beech Street Center .

Suzanne Schalow, Cellar’s co-owner (with Kate Baker), said the business, located at 51 Leonard St., is seeking a “Change in Hours” to its business license, from its current noon opening. The CBC operates from noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Schalow said the change would be in keeping with modifications to the so-called state “Blue Laws” approved by the legislature and signed by Gov. Deval Patrick in July allowing retail businesses catering to alcohol and beer sales to seek an earlier opening. Nearby towns, such as Burlington, have approved such changes, according to news reports.

In addition, the new opening time will make the 10 a.m. opening consistent with the other six days.

“Customers are rattling the door” at 10 a.m., wondering why the business isn’t open, said Schalow. She said many customers this time of year are seeking to purchase beer for pro football viewing parties.

Since opening four years ago next month, CBC’s support of the rapidly growing US microbrewery industry with passionate and knowledgeable employees and managers has been a hit with customers, resulting in the Belmont-based business becoming a national retail trendsetter with 12 CBC stores in Massachusetts, Missouri, Florida, Maine and Vermont with another nine – including proposed locations in the Bay State, Colorado, Mississippi and California – in the planning stages.

For at least one Selectmen, the idea of an early opening is a bit off-putting. While praising the store as a great example of a small business doing good for the town, Selectman Mark Paolillo was hesitant to approve the application out-of-hand.

“I’m not so sure that is the right time for us,” said Paolillo.

While the full board delayed making a decision on the application, it wasn’t due to one town officials personal preference but rather if the board has any jurisdiction on the matter.

“I don’t know if we have the right to turn this application down,” said Selectmen Chair Andy Rojas as the new law could have legal sway over local authorities. Rather than a simple up-or-down vote, the board referred the matter to Belmont Town Counsel George Hall for review.

Football and other sports fans will have to wait until noon before stocking up for at least a few more weeks before a decision is known.

‘Shubha Deepawali’: Diwali Festival Begins Today

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http://vimeo.com/53444736

Diwali, the festival of lights for Hindus, Jains and Sikhs, is celebrated today, Thursday, Oct. 23.

Diwali – Sanskrit for “a row of lights” – symbolizes the victory of light over dark, good over evil and knowledge over darkness. The festival is celebrated for five continuous days with the third day, today, as the day for celebrations. 

Diwali is celebrated by wearing new clothes, lighting oil lamps, setting off firecrackers which the festival is associated, decorating the home, giving out mithai – sweets and pastries – and partying with friends and family. Diwali is never complete without the exchange of gifts. This is also the day on which many Hindus begin their new fiscal year.

Sikhs celebrate by reading from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy text.

Here is a great article by the Wall Street Journal on 5 Things to Know About Diwali. 

 

Rain? Today Remains the Penultimate Market Day in Belmont This Season

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It may be the second straight week in which it’s raining on Thursday but that will not stop the vendors and staff of the Belmont Farmers Market from showing up for the penultimate Market Day of the 2014 season.

The Belmont Farmers Market is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Belmont Center municipal parking lot at the corner of Cross and Channing.

It might be late October, but there is plenty that’s “in season” at the market today: acorn squash, amaranth, apples, broccoli, carrots, chard, collards, cucumbers, delicata squash, eggplant, garlic, kale, onions, parsley, peppers, potatoes, pumpkin greens, radishes, scallions, summer squash and turnips.

Occasional vendors Bedford Blueberry Goat Farm, Coastal Vineyards, Matt’s Amazing Smokehouse, Seasoned and Spiced and Soluna Garden Farm join the regulars this week: C&C Lobsters and Fish, Carlisle Honey, Dick’s Market Garden, The Farm School, Fior d’Italia pasta, Flats Mentor Farm, Foxboro Cheese Company, Goodies Homemade, Hutchins Farm, Kimball Fruit Farm, Mamadou’s Artisan Bakery, Nicewicz Family Farm, Sfolia Baking Company and Stillman’s at the Turkey Farm.
In the Events Tent:

  • Music by Bridget Curzi; 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.
  • Storytime; 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
  • Clay demo and “clay play” by Indigo Fire; 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Sports: Boys’ Soccer Edge Ranked Lexington, 2-1; Girls’ Soccer Secures Playoff with Win

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For Belmont High School Head Coach Brian Bisceglia-Kane, Tuesday’s home game against Lexington High was an exciting one, but “it’s just a regular-season game.” 

But the match, played on Seniors Night at Harris Field, Oct. 21, should be placed in the “signature win” column as the Marauders struck twice early and once late to defeat the one-loss Minutemen – ranked 12th for the past two weeks in the Boston Globe poll – by a 3-2 scoreline.

The win ups the Marauders record to 11-3-2 with two games left in the season; away at Winchester on Saturday, Oct. 25 and a home game on Monday, Oct. 27 vs. non-league Pentucket.

“Under the lights, both teams wanted this and I was proud of their effort tonight. I really like how they came out with a lot of effort and athleticism against Lexington,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

“This was a good measuring stick for the playoffs. Lexington’s a [Division] 1 team and ranked and we weren’t so hopefully this helps their confidence,” he said.

After a celebration honoring the team’s seniors and before parents, family and a loud cheering section, Belmont came out like a whirlwind, out-muscled and outplayed the Minuteman which resulted in the best possible start. At the kickoff, Belmont drove the ball down the right side where leading scorer, Charlie Frigo, picked up the ball 18 meters out, pivoted that left a defenders looking and fired the ball past Minuteman’s Carter Hochman after a mere 36 seconds.

Before the rowdy fans could find their seats, Frigo netted his brace knocking in a cross from Sami Beluadi to give Belmont a 2-0 lead after only three-and-a-half minutes.

But you don’t get to 12 wins out of 14 games without being somewhat good playing the game and Lexington got its mojo going by winning the battle in the midfield by out running the Marauders to the ball and connecting on some sharp combination passing. Some slick passing in the box allowed Henry Troop to one-time the ball by Belmont goalkeeper Peter Berens with seven minutes to go in the first to leave the Minutemen trailing by one at the half.

Lexington would tie the game eight minutes into the second half as defender Alfred Joseph came up from the back to take a short pass from Lewis Mustoe and slipped the ball just under a diving Berens.

With blood in the water, the Minutemen continued its assault only to be thawed by Berens twice including a sliding block at the penalty spot.

At the 30 minute mark with a tie on the board, the game became a grind-it-out affair with much of the action taking place between the goal areas with few solid chances for either side.

Then, against the run of play, Belmont took the lead in the simplest of ways.

Senior forward Luke Gallagher outpaced the Lexington midfielder to take a long clearing pass down the right wing. He quickly passed the ball to the top of the box where a fast-closing Daron Hamparian controlled the ball and shot between the center and right backs and passing a flat-footed Hochman with 13 minutes remaining.

“Sometimes the team is so technically sound that they don’t play a little messier. That [goal] was just a vertical pass [Gallagher] won and passed to [Hamparian], a quick pass and a shot,” said Bisceglia-Kane. “Hopefully we can do this a little more because we tend to be a little too cute with the ball.”

With the exception of a pair of corner kicks which did not reach Berens, Belmont eased to the win.

“The proudest moment for me was when we were let up the lead but then responded,” said Bisceglia-Kane. 

“That’s what you will have to do. There will be moments in the regular season and, hopefully not, but most likely in the playoffs when you need to come back in a game,” he said.

“I always tell the guys they need to play for one another. If you are playing for yourself, you’re never going to be playing your hardest. But when you’re playing for each other that’s when you feel like you’re playing as a team,” said Bisceglia-Kane.

Girls’ soccer returns to playoffs with shutout over Minutemen

The members of the Belmont High Girls’ Soccer team were screaming their collective heads off as their bus passed by Harris Field as the boys’ soccer team was about to kick off with their match with Lexington.

The yelling fest – an ongoing tradition for Belmont’s girls’ squads – meant only one thing: the team had won their away match vs Lexington; and with it, a return to the post-season for the Marauders (9-5-2).

With a first-half goal by senior Sophia Eschenbach-Smith – her second important goal in three games – and the stellar work by the three back line defenders that helped goalkeeper Linda Herlihy to her seventh shutout in the 1-0 victory.

“It was a really good team win and we worked really hard,” said Eschenbach-Smith. “I hope we can keep up the momentum as we are now in the playoffs.”

Eschenbach-Smith scored Belmont’s lone goal in the Marauders’ 1-1 home tie against 15th ranked and league leader Arlington High a week earlier.

The win was payback for a 5-0 home loss to the Minutemen on Sept. 24.

“Today we came out with a real purpose. We needed the one point to get into the tournament. We talked a lot about that and the kids really worked hard and came out fired up,” said Paul Graham, the team’s long-time head coach, who missed last season’s playoffs after a two decade run.

“We played playoff soccer tonight,” said Graham, whose victory total now stands at 298.

Eschenbach Smith scored from a pass from Julia Cella after getting past a defender and burying a left foot shot 15 minutes into the game.

Then Graham allowed Herlihy and his back line to dictate the pace of the game.

“Our defense was tremendous,” said Graham, saying that freshman Natalie Marcus-Bauer, who now starts in the Marauders’ defense with senior leader center back Lucia Guzikowski and Elizabeth Ferrante, “who had her best game” and naming her the Player of the Match. 

With his two outside midfielders – Katrina Rokosz and Elizabeth Ferrante – coming back to cover the wide spaces, “we had five players taking on their two forwards.” When the Minutemen did have opportunities to score, Herlihy was there to crush those chances.

“I have to thank my defenders. They do a great job every game. If I get a shutout, it’s a team shutout,” said Herlihy.

Belmont’s il Casale Is On ‘Top Chef’ Main Course Tonight

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Belmont Center’s il Casale will be featured tonight, Wednesday, Oct. 22 on this week’s episode of Bravo TV’s hit cooking series “Top Chef.”

The episode will be aired at 10 p.m. and repeated at 11:30 p.m.

It was back on May 20 when a production company decamped with trucks and vans on Leonard Street for most the day with the contestants and the series stars – Tom Colicchio, Gail Simmons and Padma Lakshmi – seen outside Dante de Magistris’ award-winning restaurant to the thrill of many residents who are fans of the show.

According to the Bravo website, tonight’s show, titled “Boston’s Bravest and Finests,” will include Boston Police and Fire department personnel.

Here is what Bravo says about the episode:

The famous signal “one if by land and two if by sea” plays a role in the ingredients the chefs must use in their Quickfire Challenge to create the ultimate surf and turf dish for guest judge Todd English. Then the chefs break into teams for the Elimination Challenge to serve Boston’s Finest in the police and fire departments. Using surprise ingredients, each team must work together to cook one cohesive dish. Tempers and dishes boil over in the kitchen as the chefs learn how to cook together for the first time. Chef Dante de Magistris guest judges the Elimination Challenge.

Judge Lifts Silver Maple Injunction as Work Resumes at Belmont Uplands

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Less than 24 hours after initially granting an injunction halting the developer of the proposed 299-unit “Residences at Acorn Park” apartment complex from clearing land in Belmont’s Uplands, Middlesex Superior Court Judge Rosalind Miller vacated the stay on O’Neill Properties’ work in removing vegatation and trees in preparation of possible construction.

Miller’s ruling, on Tuesday Oct. 21, allowed work crews utilizing heavy equipment and chainsaws to resume the process of clearing the eight-acre site that began last week at the Silver Maple Forest parcel off Frontage Road on the Cambridge town line.

In her ruling, provided by the Superior Court, Miller wrote the plaintiffs – 14 Belmont members of the Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands who filed a request for the injunction on Oct. 13 – failed to show “irreparable harm” to their cause “in absence of an injunction.” In addition, Miller said the plaintiffs had “failed to disclose the seven year history of unsuccessful litigation regarding this development of an affordable housing project.” 

The rulings came after a week of civil disobediance in which 13 protesters have been arrest by Belmont Police at the site.

Miller’s complete judgement is below:

After review and hearing on 10/16/14, the plaintiff’s motion for a preliminary injunction is DENIED. To obtain the extraordinary relief of an injunction, the plaintiffs must prove: (1) without the relief sought, plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm; (2) there is a likelihood of success on the merits of this case; and (3) any harm to the plaintiffs would outweigh the harm which the injunctive relief would inflict on the defendants. John T. Callahan & Sons, Inc. v. City of Malden, 430 Mass. 124 (1999). Plaintiffs have failed to show a likelihood of success on the merits of this case and a substantial risk of irreparable harm in the absence of an injunction. The court declines to impose sanctions on the plaintiffs for their failure to disclose the seven year history of unsuccessful litigation regarding this development of an affordable housing project. The previous temporary restraining order issued on 10/20/14, is hereby vacated. SO ORDERED. (Rosalind H. Miller, Justice, Dated: 10/21/14)

 

Local Celebs Will Walk the Fashion Runway Sunday for the Homer House

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If you missed going to New York Fashion Week last month, no need to fret. This Sunday, Oct. 26, Belmont will be home to a unique jour de haute couture.

The Belmont Woman’s Club is holding its own fashion show with some of the most sought after local celebrities modeling the latest from CAbi (women) and UNIQLO at 3 p.m. at the historic Oakley Country Club off Belmont Street in Watertown.

And look who will be strutting the catwalk this Sunday:

  • Selectman’s Andy Rojas (known for his taste in ties),
  • School Committee’s Laurie Slap,
  • Belmont Fire Chief David Frizzell,
  • TV legal analyst Wendy Murphy,
  • Belmont Savings CEO Bob Mahoney,
  • Henry Frost Children’s Program’s Iris Ponte,
  • Town Treasurer Floyd Carman,
  • Belmont Police’s Jamie MacIssac,
  • and all the way from the French Department at Belmont High, Jacqueline Kaiser, to name just a few.

This afternoon of fashion and fun will raise funds for the Preservation of the historic Homer House, the long-time headquarters of the Woman’s Club located across Pleasant Street from Belmont Town Hall.

Tickets are $65 per person and checks can be made payable to the Belmont Woman’s Club.

Sports: Field Hockey’s Senior Dozen Honored at Final ‘Dry’ Home Game

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It was an extraordinary sight at Harris Field Monday night, Oct. 20.

Each of the 11 starters for the Belmont High School Field Hockey squad in its match against Woburn High was a senior, an extremely rare event ever to happen, according to Belmont Head Coach Jessica Smith, now in her 11th year coaching the Marauders.

“I had to suspend Olivia [Castagno] to do it,” said Smith of her co-captain, one of a dozen 12th graders on the field Monday.

“Hey, don’t say that!” said Castagno, who is actually injured and forced to the sidelines.

It has become a tradition for Smith to start the final home game with her seniors as part of the “Senior Night” celebration. While technically the Marauders’ actual last regular season match is Wednesday, Oct. 22 against Lexington, the weather Monday was expected to be far more accommodating then midweek when a rain front will stall over Belmont.

Running through a tunnel of sticks held up by the few remaining underclassmen before receiving a bouquet of yellow flowers from Smith and greetings from their family, are:

Bridget Treanor, Hillary Fay, Lauren Noonan, Emma Peiko, Haley Sawyer, Cara Bumcrot, Katheryn Kennedy, Beth Young, Jacqueline Hill, Kate Saylor and co-captains Suzanne Noone and Casagno.

As for the game, Noone provided three assists to lead Belmont to a 5-0 victory to give the Marauders a 10-4-1 record with two games remaining in the regular season. With a pair of wins, Belmont’s final home game could likely be a home playoff match in November.

Judge’s Injunction Halts Uplands Tree Clearing After Morning of Arrests

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Someone was listening to the Lorax … for now.

Hours after four protesters were arrested Monday morning, Oct. 20, at the proposed site of a 299-unit residential complex on the Cambridge line, a Middlesex Superior Court judge filed an emergency restraining order to halt pre-construction clearing of a portion of the Silver Maple Forest in Belmont until she can rule on a complaint from 14 Belmont residents who are members of the Coalition to Preserve Belmont Uplands.

Justice Rosalind Miller’s single-page injunction temporarily halts trees being cut and removed from the 15 acre forest  located off Acorn Park Road, which is connected to Belmont via Frontage Road adjacent to Route 2. The judgement is directed at O’Neill Properties, the Philadelphia-based real estate firm behind the development dubbed the Residences at Acorn Park.

The complaint contends the site developer, Cambridge Partners II, is pushing aside regulations required by the Clean Water Act and the Belmont Stormwater Bylaw.

The ruling, while temporary, is a victory for environmental groups and Chilton Street resident Anne-Marie Lambert who has advocated that the residential development will increase the likelihood of serious flooding in surrounding communities such as northeastern Belmont, Cambridge’s Alewife and east Arlington due to the developer’s use of outdated climate reports in addition to destroying a nature sanctuary.

(Lambert will give a talk this Sunday on the history of the Uplands hosted by the Belmont Historical Society.)

Miller’s ruling came after a third round of arrests took place at the site as a quartet of protesters, including Lesley University Biology Professor Amy Mertl, who made a presentation to the Belmont Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Oct. 14, on the economic impact on Belmont town finances if the development is constructed.

Belmont Police report that 13 people have been taken into custody since the first arrests on Monday, Oct. 13. They were charged with trespassing.

Monday’s protest occurred along Acorn Park Road adjacent to crews using chain saws and large earth-moving equipment to clear vegetation and remove trees.

“Oh!” several of the 60 protesters loudly moaned when a 50-foot Silver Maple fell to the ground as a young man read passages from Dr. Suess’ “The Lorax” – which several people repeated – and a graduate student argued loudly with the private security guards.

Quinton Zondervan, president of Green Cambridge, said the week-long direct action by various groups was occurring “since the developer doesn’t have a building permit, but they have already started cutting trees.”

Ellen Mass, founder of Friends of the Alewife Reservation who was arrested last week, said “this awful crime we are witnessing is quite beyond the pale because they did most of their cutting of these trees just as the Coalition [to Preserve Belmont Uplands] filed the injunction. They did this on purpose during the weekend before the judge had an opportunity to rule.”

For others, the protest was an opportunity to show solidarity to what they view is an important piece of the local environment.

“We want to save the forest,” said Leyli Lopez, who came with her mother, Nicole Weber, who works at Leslie University.

“I’ve gotten to know about this issue through my colleagues Amy [Mertl]. I use this area, and I didn’t even know this was happening,” said Weber.

While the possible environmental repercussions on surrounding communities has been well noted by development opponents, the impact of 300 units of housing on both Belmont’s general government and school budgets “is significant and worrying,” said Belmont Selectman Mark Paolillo at Tuesday’s meeting.

Included in the Coalition’s complaint is the Belmont Office of Community Development, which would issue the critical building permit to O’Neill which will be located on eight acres of the site.

Last week, Community Development Director Glenn Clancy said he could not comment on the complaint filed last Monday.