Westford Selectmen Discuss 'The Acton Plan' for Rail Trail

The Westford Board of Selectmen held an update last week on plans for a parking lot along the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail in Acton known as "The Acton Plan," with money for the project being approved by the Boston Metropolitan Planning Organization last year.

Westford Director of Land Use Planning Angus Jennings reported that the project just over the border from Westford has hit the 75 percent design benchmark and is projected to have 14 spots, likely eliminating the need for parking in Westford.

A report on a conservation restriction on the Vose Parcel, another contentious point in the Bruce Freeman parking debate, was postponed to Jan. 22.

The Bruce Freeman Trail is a proposed rail trail through the communities of Lowell, Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, Concord, Sudbury, and Framingham — following the 25-mile route of the old New Haven Railroad Framingham and Lowell line.