Article 97

Mass. SJC adopts “totality of the circumstances” test to determine whether municipal land is held for a specific purpose

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In its recent decision in Carroll v. Select Board of Norwell (pdf), the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) reaffirmed that where town-owned land is held for a specific purpose, M.G.L. c. 40, § 15A dictates that it cannot be diverted to another inconsistent use until the “board or officer having charge” of the land determines it is no longer needed for that specific purpose. In so ruling the SJC added a test to determine whether such land is being held for a specific purpose. While past cases indicated that, in addition to a legislative act, a recorded instrument restricting the parcel’s use was required, Carroll clarifies that courts must examine the “totality of the circumstances” to determine if land has been held for a specific purpose.

In Carroll, residents of Norwell (the Town) – lobbied by neighbors of the Town land at issue – voted at the 2021 Town Meeting to transfer a Town-owned parcel to the

When is a park constitutionally protected parkland? Mass. SJC re-examines test under Article 97

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In a decision of interest to municipalities, conservation groups, and land use experts, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) recently decided that a public playground in the City of Westfield is parkland protected by Article 97 of the Amendments of the Massachusetts Constitution.  Art. 97 provides, in part, that property “taken or acquired” for conservation purposes “shall not be used for other purposes” without approval by a two-thirds vote of each branch of the state legislature.  In Smith v. City of Westfield, the SJC expanded the reach of Art. 97 by concluding that municipal parkland may be protected even without a recorded restriction, provided the land has been dedicated as a public park.

The case concerned the Cross Street Playground in Westfield, a 5.3 acre parcel that is home to two baseball fields and a playground.  It has been a public playground for more than 60 years.  In 1979, Westfield received a grant from the federal government under the Land and Water