Submitted by mruhfass on Tue, 07/28/2009 - 11:23
Posted in
My husband and I recently purchased a home in Massachusetts and upon reading the deed, were quite suprised to discover that we also now own an undeveloped wooded parcel of land on the other side of town. After doing a little research, it looks like the land lies on what the City is identifying as a public street/right-of-way, however that right-of-way is completely wooded and not cleared or paved in any way. If we choose to develop this property, do we have any right to ask the City to clear and pave what should be a public street according to the maps, so that we can access our property? Who should we contact first to figure all of this out? Thanks for any advise!
Editor's Response
If you are serious about developing the property, you should contact an attorney in your town who has done real estate development work, someone who has worked with all of the boards and commissions you will have to navigate. I have not done real estate development work, but I'm pretty sure the town is not obligated to build you a road. Good luck.