"In Falmouth, we need more open space conservation and more accessible housing for working families. The 300 Committee Land Trust’s North Falmouth Woodlands property tackles both issues."
State Representative Dylan Fernandes, January 2024
North Falmouth Woodlands Acquisition
The 300 Committee Land Trust (T3C) and the Falmouth Conservation Commission (ConCom) collaborated on the permanent protection of almost 50 acres of important woodlands in North Falmouth. This project advances two of Falmouth’s most critical needs: open space conservation and community housing.
THE DEAL. T3C secured an agreement with LTC, LLC (owned and managed by Ruth and Steven Augusta) for the purchase of their ~56-acre property at 48 Benjamin Nyes Lane and 0 Quaker Road for open space conservation and community housing. The purchase was completed in installments over two years: January 2025 and January 2026. April 2024 Town Meeting members voted overwhelmingly in favor to support this project with $2 million from Community Preservation funds.
Recognizing the need for collaboration to support both community housing and open space goals, T3C permanently preserved 48 acres of priority habitat and set aside the remaining ~7.5 acres of land for the proposed development of affordable community housing. This area includes a vacant residence that has fallen into disrepair. T3C drafted an agreement with Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod to create up to 14 units of workforce housing on this lot. The sale of the housing site to Habitat is expected this spring.
Total acquisition: 56 acres
- 48± acres for permanent conservation
- 7± acres for workforce housing
On January 15, 2026, T3C Celebrated The Closing Of The Deal!
Read about this major milestone in The Falmouth Enterprise.
Site planning has now begun for a one-mile looped walking trail through the property.
Funding Structure:
Land purchase costs…$5,950,000
Project support costs…$50,000 (estimated)
Stewardship endowment…$100,000 (estimated)
TOTAL: $6.1 million
Funding sources included:
| $2 million | Falmouth Community Preservation Fund as recommended by the CPC for appropriation at the April 2024 Town Meeting |
| $500,000 | MA LAND Grant |
| $1 million | Habitat for Humanity, grants and private fund raising |
| $2.6 million | T3C private fund raising, foundation grants, additional State or other grant funds (including $500,000 in anonymous matching challenge funds!) |
For more information
Contact The 300 Committee by phone at (508) 540-0876 or email at jwhritenour@300committee.org for more information.
More about the Project
High Priority Open Space. This land has been near the top of T3C’s acquisition wish list for decades and ranks very highly for these conservation values:
- Priority Habitat
- Wetlands
- Prime Forest
- Prime Soils
- Climate change resilience
Future Public Access & Education Opportunities. T3C will create trails that allow for public access while also protecting sensitive ecosystems. Because the land abuts the North Falmouth Elementary School, we envision the possibility of future educational programming featuring the land and its many natural resources.
Community Impact. Permanently protected open space in the village of North Falmouth is surprisingly scarce, with considerable development of vacant land in recent years. The North Falmouth Woodlands acquisition is a collaborative project that presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to advance two of Falmouth’s most critical needs: open space conservation and community housing.
North Falmouth Community Meetings Presentations. In October of 2024, T3C and Habitat for Humanity held two community informational meetings on the project. Here are copies of T3C's presentation and Habitat's presentation. Based on those meetings, Habitat and T3C developed a list of Frequently Asked Questions and Habitat also revised its site plan to increase the natural, no-disturb buffer on the west side of the property from 30 to 45 feet (the original site plan can be viewed here).
