State Law On Agricultural Land Unlikely To Impact Development Of Proposed Private Club

A state law intended to support agricultural land is unlikely to prevent the construction of a private club at the Valero property on 64 Old South Road.

The land currently receives a tax break as agricultural land under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 61. That law specifies that if land receiving the tax break is sold or if the use of the land is changed, the town has a right of first refusal to buy the property.

So far, the town hasn’t decided whether it would exercise that option if given the chance, or if it would waive its right of first refusal to allow the construction of the private club, which developer Alan Worden previously told the Current would be called the Hensdale Club.

“The Town is currently evaluating potential re-use of the property and awaiting more information,” town communications director Florencia Rullo told the Current.

But even if the town refuses to waive its right, there is a workaround. If the Valero family does not apply for a Chapter 61 designation this year, the property will lose its tax status next July, and a year after that, the town will lose its right of first refusal. The club could then open without any issues pertaining to Chapter 61. It’s not certain if the Hensdale Club could pursue permitting while waiting for the town to lose its right of first refusal.

The Current previously wrote in more detail about the planned club here. Worden, a co-developer of the Westmoor Club, has emphasized that a private club is one of the least intensive possible uses of the land, which could theoretically become a sizeable housing development.