Finding the records
Everything this site says traces to a public record, and every one of those records is one anyone can pull. This page is the map: where to search, and the exact references.
Where to search
Section titled “Where to search”These are the same portals every document in the library was pulled from — each library page names its own source and links back to it under “Verify at source.”
- Registry of Deeds — the subdivision records at the Southern Essex District Registry (Salem): salemdeeds.com. Search grantor DUC RESIDENTIAL LLC, or street Pond View Lane / 232 Essex Street (the pre-subdivision address), Beverly. Every book-and-page reference on this page can be searched there directly.
- Assessor — Beverly uses Patriot Properties: beverly.patriotproperties.com. All the neighborhood’s parcels are Assessor Map 44, Block 31; the common parcel is account 12074.
- Parcel maps and layers — the City’s public parcel viewer, Beverly MapGeo (linked from the City’s City Maps page), and the statewide Massachusetts Interactive Property Map. The maps on this site are screenshots of these viewers — they are screening layers, not surveys. MassGIS says so itself: assessor parcel mapping is a representation of property boundaries and not an authoritative source; the authoritative record is what is recorded at the registries of deeds, and only a professional land surveyor can produce a legally authoritative boundary map.
- City boards — minutes and agendas at the Beverly Agenda Center: Planning Board · Conservation Commission.
- City ordinances — Beverly’s code is published in full at eCode360: the ones that touch this neighborhood are ch. 300 Zoning (§ 300-54 is the OSRD rule this subdivision was permitted under), ch. 287 Wetlands Protection with its regulations, and ch. 249 Stormwater Management.
- MassDEP wetlands filings — EEA ePLACE; the subdivision’s file number is 5-1127.
- Statutes and case law — the General Laws at malegislature.gov, the wetlands regulations at 310 CMR 10.00, and Supreme Judicial Court opinions at masscases.com.
The founding instruments (recorded 12/09/2015)
Section titled “The founding instruments (recorded 12/09/2015)”All at Book 34576, recorded consecutively — and all in this site’s library:
| Instrument | Book / Page |
|---|---|
| Declaration of Restrictive Covenants | 34576 / 471 |
| Declaration of Covenants, Easements & Agreements | 34576 / 477 |
| Declaration of Trust | 34576 / 486 |
One recorded amendment followed: the First Amendment to the Trust (35266 / 467, recorded 9/16/2016 — the same day as the common-land deed), which makes mailbox and mailbox-post maintenance a purpose of the Trust and provides the City bears no liability for mailbox damage from plowing.
The subdivision’s genesis (recorded January 2015)
Section titled “The subdivision’s genesis (recorded January 2015)”| Instrument | Book / Page |
|---|---|
| Planning Board OSRD Decision (the “REF 33792/502” cited on every lot deed) — in the library | 33792 / 502 |
| Planning Board definitive-subdivision approval — in the library | 33792 / 499 |
| Special Permit #137-14 (fee in lieu of on-site affordable units) — in the library | 33792 / 507 |
| Form G completion covenant (in the library) | 33823 / 167 |
| Order of Conditions, MassDEP #5-1127 (in the library) | 33797 / 168 |
The drawings: Plan Book 446, Plan 73 — “Definitive Subdivision Plans for Lots on Pond View and Icehouse Lanes off of Essex Street”, Hayes Engineering, 11 sheets (in the library).
The trustee paper trail
Section titled “The trustee paper trail”Because board changes only take effect when recorded, the registry holds the governance history — stamped registry images of every recorded instrument are in the library’s Trustee Instruments section:
| Instrument | Book / Page | Recorded |
|---|---|---|
| Acceptance of successor trustees | 36570 / 213 | 3/6/2018 |
| Developer’s resignation as trustee | 36570 / 215 | 3/6/2018 |
| Appointment of successor trustees | 36570 / 216 | 3/6/2018 |
| Trustee resignation | 37475 / 250 | 4/30/2019 |
| Successor-trustee appointment | 37709 / 525 | 7/30/2019 |
| Trustee resignation | 37933 / 005 | 10/15/2019 |
| Successor-trustee appointment | 38092 / 423 | 12/6/2019 |
| Trustee resignation | 40504 / 495 | 11/19/2021 |
The Lot ↔ street-number crosswalk
Section titled “The Lot ↔ street-number crosswalk”The legal record speaks in recorded Lot numbers; the neighborhood speaks in street numbers. They do not line up — use this table when reading any deed, plan, or Order:
| Lot | Street | Assessor parcel | Lot | Street | Assessor parcel | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #1 | 44-31G | 9 | #16 | 44-31O | |
| 2 | #3 | 44-31H | 10 | #14 | 44-31P | |
| 3 | #5 | 44-31I | 11 | #12 | 44-31Q | |
| 4 | #7 | 44-31J | 12 | #10 | 44-31R | |
| 5 | #9 | 44-31K | 13 | #8 | 44-31S | |
| 6 | #11 | 44-31L | 14 | #6 | 44-31T | |
| 7 | #13 | 44-31M | 15 | #4 | 44-31U | |
| 8 | #18 | 44-31N | 16 | #2 | 44-31V |
The common parcels
Section titled “The common parcels”| Address | Parcel | What it is | Deed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 Pond View | 44-31 | Open Space Parcel C — the association’s 5.04-acre common land | Bk 35266 Pg 472 (9/16/2016) |
| 200 Pond View | 44-31X | Open Space Parcel B (2.542 ac) — not the association’s | Bk 35266 Pg 470 |
The City’s assessor card for the common parcel is in the library, along with the FY2026 card (current assessment: $0, as preserved open space) and the parcel’s full assessment history — valued at $75,600 through FY2022, $0 every year since FY2023. All three are captures of the City’s live record, which can be read directly at Patriot Properties, account 12074.
Reading a deed from the lane
Section titled “Reading a deed from the lane”Every lot deed cites the same skeleton: the recorded plan (Plan Book 446/73), the Planning Board decision (33792/502), and the covenant declarations at Book 34576. When a document says “Lot N,” translate with the crosswalk above before assuming which house it means.