PLYMOUTH - June 9, 2026 - In a packed, highly charged session, the Plymouth Select Board voted 3-2 to waive its Chapter 61 right of first refusal for the 138-acre Landers Farm Road property in Cedarville. The controversial decision allows local developer Matthew Sheridan to move forward with plans for entry-level starter housing. The vote came despite fierce opposition from residents and multiple town meeting members who demanded that two board members recuse themselves due to personal and political ties with the developer.
The Full Story
The Select Board emerged from a lengthy executive session to ratify a 3-2 vote originally cast behind closed doors. Under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 61, the town possesses a right of first refusal to purchase designated agricultural or open-space land when it is put up for commercial sale. The Landers Farm Road property carries a purchase price of $5 million.
Board Chair Deborah Iaquinto explained that purchasing the massive tract outright was financially unfeasible for Plymouth under current capital constraints. The board also evaluated assigning the acquisition rights to a non-profit, specifically the Community Land and Water Coalition. However, Iaquinto stated that the organization did not provide sufficient planning or financial capacity documentation within the town’s review window to support that path.
Instead, the board majority opted to negotiate a conditional waiver with Sheridan Home Builders. Under the binding agreement hammered out by Iaquinto and Board Member Bill Keohan, the developer must preserve at least 40 percent—approximately 51.5 acres—of the property as open space. This includes northern cranberry bogs and critical “Zone Two” public water supply wellhead recharge areas. The developer has also agreed to evaluate building a standalone wastewater treatment facility to avoid individual septic installations, construct sidewalks, establish a walking trail connecting to the Hedges Pond Recreation Area, and restrict earth removal to amounts incidental to housing construction.
The debate exposed a sharp philosophical rift among board members. Board Member Kevin Canty strongly endorsed the waiver, citing the desperate community need for workforce housing. Canty pointed directly to the town’s comprehensive plan, noting that Plymouth is actively pricing out residents under the age of 35. He praised the developer’s track record of building attainable, working-class units while donating land back for environmental protections. Board Member David Golden echoed support, pointing out that the seller would owe the town five years of rollback taxes with interest, and that the 51 acres of open space would come at zero expense to taxpayers.
“We have utilized Chapter 61 to get agreements from a developer that we would not have gotten if it were not in Chapter 61. That is the value of Chapter 61... It is not a lost opportunity. It is an opportunity seized and made the most of.” — Kevin Canty
