Select Board finalizes Little Harbor golf course conservation restriction

Three years after the property’s purchase, the Select Board finalized the conservation restriction of Little Harbor Country Club at the board’s March 18 meeting.

In 2022 Wareham voters approved spending $2.3 million in community preservation funds to purchase the golf course with the understanding that the land will be permanently preserved as open space, even if the golf course is discontinued in the future.

After the purchase was finalized the Select Board authorized Town Administrator Derek Sullivan to find an organization to hold the conservation restriction.

Sullivan and the Buzzards Bay Coalition reached an agreement. On Tuesday night Buzzards Bay Coalition Director of Land Protection Allen Decker asked the Select Board to vote in approval of the agreement.

Decker explained to the board that while no further development on the property is possible, “any sort of passive recreational or agriculture use could happen there.”

Any existing buildings can remain on the property and continue to perform their intended functions, Decker said.

“If the town chose to have a farm operated there or a community garden, that would certainly be possible,” Decker said.

However, active recreation, such as new tennis or basketball courts, would not be possible, he continued.

Walking paths could also be added to the property which spans 54-acres near Little Harbor Beach.

Prior to its sale to the town, the golf course had been on the market for some time. After a potential deal with Mass Audubon fell through in 2021 after pushback from golfers and town officials, the course’s owners began closed-door negotiations with the Select Board.

In 2022, voters overwhelmingly supported the purchase, cementing the continued operation of the golf course and the protection of the land.

The board voted unanimously to approve the conservation restriction.