Buzzards Bay Coalition to potentially purchase $7.6 million worth of land in Little Neck

MARION — The Buzzards Bay Coalition of Marion is interested in purchasing 70 acres of land in the Little Neck area off Hermitage Road, with the property estimated to be worth approximately $7.6 million of assessed value.

The coalition sees that it is within the town’s best interest to conserve the land considering rising sea levels and other environmental factors, according to information provided by Town Administrator Geoffrey Gorman from the coalition at a Marion Select Board meeting on Monday, March 24.

Decades from now, Little Neck is projected to turn into a salt marsh due to rising sea levels.

“Little Neck’s preservation as open space protects all of Sippican Harbor and Marion Village,” said the Buzzards Bay Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preservation of the bay’s natural resources.

They are seeking $2.75 million from private donations, $2.25 from the Massachusetts Vulnerability Program Grant and $750,000 from Community Preservation Act funds.

Marion Select Board Chair Norman Hills opposed the proposed purchase, calling it a potential “self-inflicted wound” to the town considering the tax burden it could possibly put on residents.

Select member Randy Parker stated that he was in favor of allowing the voters to decide if the purchase will be finalized.

“If it goes before Town Meeting, I don’t have a problem with the taxpayers making the decision,” said Parker.

Select member Carleton Burr, Jr. stated that “it depends on how much people in town want a new park.”

Ultimately, the Select Board motioned to move the allowance of the coalition’s potential purchase forward, with Hills being the only dissenting vote.

The coalition will now be able to apply for grant funding for the purchase but decisions will not be finalized until spring 2026.