I am so happy I am a resident of Massachusetts, where residents are so concerned about the environment.

Representative William Brownsberger, Democrat of Belmont, supports plans to acquire a parcel of land known as "Belmont Uplands" and turn it into conservation land.

His legislation calls for the state to fund $6 million of the purchase price for the parcel.

Local residents have urged lawmakers to pursue the acquisition to preserve what they describe as the last urban wild in Greater Boston.

That doesn't sound bad at all! Yay, preservation!

Oh, what? The Globe reports:

The plans would effectively block an affordable-housing project.

Oh, I can't believe residents would be against affordable housing, using the environment as an easy excuse to keep low-income (and middle-income) people from being able to afford to buy in the town?

"I think it is fair to question if this is about open space or preventing affordable housing," states the letter to the Legislature's Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. Signed by Steve Corridan of O'Neill Properties and consultant Robert Engler, the letter states that passage of the bill would constitute the first step toward a "hostile taking of the property."

Belmont's stock of affordable housing is less than 3.5 percent, the letter states.

Er, okay.

Source: Backers: Land bill is about ecology - By Dan Tuohy, The Boston Globe