Old Harbor land to sell for $1 million; no development for five years

Property on Old Harbor Road in conservation hold, but town expected to pass on right of first refusal

By Ted Hayes
Posted 5/22/25

An Old Harbor Road resident has agreed to sell a 4.41-acre mostly wooded lot to a neighbor for a cool $1.015 million — about $230,158 per acre.

Members of the planning board on Tuesday …

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Old Harbor land to sell for $1 million; no development for five years

Property on Old Harbor Road in conservation hold, but town expected to pass on right of first refusal

Posted

An Old Harbor Road resident has agreed to sell a 4.41-acre mostly wooded lot to a neighbor for a cool $1.015 million — about $230,158 per acre.

Members of the planning board on Tuesday endorsed 234 Old Harbor Road resident Robert Hawes’s request to subdivide a larger, 12.91-acre lot he owns into 8.5 and 4.41 acre lots, and sell the smaller of the two to neighbor Laurens M. Goff.

As the overall property is enrolled in the Massachusetts General Law Chapter 61 (forested) land program, the town has right of first refusal to acquire the land prior to the private sale. Board members voted to recommend that the smaller of the two lots be released from Chapter 61, but chairman James Whitin said he doesn’t think town officials will be interested.

“I don’t see the town spending that kind of money for a small piece of property,” Whitin said.

“I agree,” town planner Michael Burris added.

A representative told planning board members that Goff does not have any immediate plans to do anything with the land, and a purchase and sale agreement includes a five-year moratorium on any development.

Hawes purchased the property from family for $145,400 in 1987, and it is assessed by the town at about $702,000.

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