Quarry Hills Associates (QHA), the private developer of the Granite Links Golf Course, currently has a 50-year lease with the City of Quincy for 540 acres of city property.

With more than 20 years remaining, important recreational and environmental provisions of the current lease have not been honored. Nonetheless, QHA is requesting a 99-year lease extension for investment/development purposes, which would require a Home Rule Petition that is typically granted only for non-profits or air rights/utilities.

Concerned with the lack of serious fiscal transparency, a closed-door process that has not sufficiently engaged affected residents, and recreational and environmental issues, a group of citizen activists, environmentalists, and attorneys formed the Quarry Hills Citizen Advocates and has amassed a compelling case against the proposed lease extension. This land is zoned as the largest piece of open space in Quincy and many feel it should be available to all residents for sports events, walking, reasonably priced golf, etc. There are also concerns about traffic issues, access to and maintenance of the Ricciuti Drive ballfields, and the lack of appropriate public trail access to the Blue Hills Reservation that was required in the original lease.

Time is of the essence, as mayoral and city council elections take place November 7 and could directly affect the outcome of this once-in-a-lifetime home rule vote. For some background, an interview with attorney members of the group is available here.

– Mike Cotter and Cyndy Roche-Cotter, QCAN members

image: Boston skyline at sunset from Granite Links, by Eric Moreno (CC BY 2.0 DEED license, color adjusted)