That is why Medfield's Town Meeting vote was significant,despite the fact that it was nonbinding. The outcome of the voteindicated that the town supports leaving 80 acres of the propertyas open space, asking the hospital re-use committee to consider agolf course for the site and developing up to 300 units ofhousing.

The hospital re-use committee, which is comprised of residentsappointed by the town's board of selectmen, is supposed to have adraft of a plan for the property by the end of the month. A townrepresentative tells GlobeSt.com that the committee's goal is toinfluence the request for proposal that the state sends out toprospective developers looking to buy the property. "We're sayingwhat the town would like to see," she says. A small portion of thehospital's land in is neighboring Dover, which is buying thatproperty to use for its schools. Medfield has made no indicationthat it plans to bid on the property, according to the townrepresentative.