Commission presses ahead on $550,000 land deal

Conservation Commission · Meeting of October 27, 2026

GROTON — The Groton Conservation Commission declined to pause a $550,000 Chapter 61A land purchase despite a resident's pricing objection. Ed McNerney, of Indian Hill Road, told the commission the Worthen Drive deal lets buyer "Mr. Sullivan" take either $550,000 or the land for free to settle a lawsuit, arguing that isn't a genuine purchase price. "I have very serious concerns about the rationale that determines that $550,000 is a legitimate purchase price," McNerney said.

Member Peter A. Morrison countered that "the downsides are minimal." The commission, by consensus, let the already-filed right-of-first-refusal process proceed, with the 120-day option window closing in late December. Elsewhere, the board voted 7-0 to let a Common Street homeowner remove dead, invasive-choked trees and use herbicide, and approved four orders of conditions, 7-0 each, for projects on Lowell and Wyman roads.

In the full story:

• Preliminary Consultation: Accessory Dwelling Unit at 27 Chickopee Row
• Chapter 61A Grazing Rights and Wetland Buffers
• Continuances and a Minor Plan Change
• Request for Determination: Invasive Removal at 92 Common Street
• Orders of Conditions: 605 Lowell Road and 0 Wyman Road
• Chapter 61A Right of First Refusal: The Worthen Drive Purchase Price Dispute
• Certificate of Compliance: 599-601 Lowell Road (Kiley Property)
• Committee Updates and Land Management
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,577 words

Source: the Conservation Commission meeting of October 27, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.