2000

The house and land at 104 Walter Street and the huge parcel to the rear were acquired by a developer for $365,000, the cost at the time of a single-family residence alone. The previous owners, Aiton Tree Company, had been disposing of wood waste on the property for years, resulting in deep deposits of unstable peat in the back parcel.

2003

After neighbors saw engineers surveying the land at 104 Walter and adjoining sections of the Wetlands, a September 4 town hall meeting was organized and attended by more than 100 residents from throughout the Longfellow Area neighborhood. The Roslindale Wetlands Task Force was formed to represent community interests and keep residents informed.

Task Force members learned that many privately owned parcels throughout the Wetlands were in tax foreclosure and subject to sale for development. They lobbied City Hall to have these parcels transferred to the Parks Department for permanent conservation as open space. With help from then–City Councilor Rob Consalvo and Mayor Tom Menino, 22 parcels were transferred in December 2003.

2005

Following neighborhood organizing that included the display of lawn signs throughout the Longfellow Area, the owners of the largest wetlands parcel, behind 104 Walter Street, agreed to subdivide the lot and give the rear portion (more than one acre) to the City for conservation. Mayor Menino announced at an October event that a proposal to build five two-family houses was being withdrawn. 

• Roslindale Bulletin article

Four more smaller parcels that had been in tax foreclosure were also transferred to the City in October.

A local realtor proposed building a house at 29 Morrison Street, one of the paper streets in the wetlands. The proposal was to build a two-and-a-half-story, single-family house behind 178 Walter Street. Following neighborhood opposition, the land changed hands and the development did not go forward.

• Jamaica Plain Gazette article

2008

In the fall, the Boston Water and Sewer Commission regraded and repaved the section of Hazelmere Street in front of the Wetlands entrance, where storm water had long been pooling up and eroding the end of the roadway. A new drain and underground drainpipe directing water into the adjacent low wet area were installed. 

2012

The owners of 104 Walter Street put forward a renewed residential construction proposal very similar to one proposed and rejected in 2005. It would have included four two-family houses, a road and driveway network, and parking for 16+ cars. The community renewed its opposition and the proposal did not go forward.

2018

Parcel owners put forth a development proposal for 104-108 Walter Street that was virtually identical to the one floated in 2012. A petition organized by the Roslindale Wetlands Task Force and the Longfellow Area Neighborhood Association garnered hundreds of signatures from residents opposed to the development. The petition urged the City to adhere to its commitment to protect the Roslindale Wetlands and to keep these adjacent parcels as open space. 

2019

Mayor Marty Walsh signed a new wetlands protection ordinance on December 23, establishing citywide ecosystem and flood protection measures. The ordinance defines permitted and forbidden uses within a wetland buffer zone. The signing ceremony took place at the Hazelmere entrance to the Roslindale Wetlands. 

2020

The Parks Department launched a plan for major ecological improvements to help restore the natural area and to complete the final link in the perimeter loop trail. Capital improvements included wetlands crossings, trail upgrades, and removing piles of dumped construction debris.

The Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) at their December 17 meeting voted to acquire the house and land at 104-108 Walter Street. This action took the property off the market for private development and made possible the conservation of 108 Walter Street as open space and the creation of four units of affordable ownership housing at 104 Walter. The city received a $387,000 grant from the Commonwealth to help pay for the purchase of 104 and 108 Walter, which were offered for sale jointly. The BPDA then transferred most of the 108 Walter Street parcel to the Boston Conservation Commission for permanent protection and stewardship.

2021

At its August 19 meeting, the BPDA designated Habitat for Humanity Boston as the developer of 104 Walter for four units of affordable ownership housing.

An upland parcel behind 164 Walter Street was added to the Wetlands after 55 donors contributed to a GoFundMe campaign to cover the $7,500 cost of purchase and legal fees. 

2024

The new Walter Street entrance to the Roslindale Wetlands was opened on June 22, marking the completion of two years of ecological restoration work and twenty years of advocacy by neighbors who organized with the goals of preserving green space and opposing inappropriate development. 

2025

Habitat for Humanity began the construction of four units of affordable ownership housing at 104 Walter Street. Plans include converting the existing home from a single-family to a two-family residence and building a new two-family structure on the site of the collapsed barn near the rear of the property.