Lexington Officials Ink P & S Agreement for Scottish Rite Property

Earlier this year, special Town Meeting authorized officials to make a nearly $11 million bid to purchase a swath of the Scottish Rite property off Marrett Road.

The offer was quickly accepted.

And now this week the Board of Selectmen has signed a purchase and sale agreement for the property, finalizing some of the details of the transaction. To read the agreement in full, click on the PDF posted to your right.

Among the terms of the deal:

• The closing date is Nov. 30 of this year, though both the buyer and seller have the right to extend the date by 30 days.
• The town will have an easement to use the common driveway and shared parking on a lot that will remain in the possession of the Scottish Rite.
• While the Scottish Rite will retain the “Commander’s House” and the half-acre of land the home sits on, the town will have a “right of first offer” to purchase the parcel.
• With the exception of a secondary access way to the west of the Commander’s House, the town agreed to record a mutually acceptable deed restriction prohibiting development of permanent structures on portions of the property for at most 25 years or until the Scottish Rite ceases using the National Heritage Museum as its headquarters. The restricted section can be seen in a PDF posted above.

The approximately 10 acres of property the town is acquiring is located behind the National Heritage Museum, which the Scottish Rite is not selling, and includes the 17,840-square foot “mansion” or main building, a 5,260-square foot carriage house, about 88 parking spaces and additional acreage.

Of the $10.95 million sale price, just under $7.4 million of the funding would be through Community Preservation funds, while $3.56 million would be raised through the tax levy, according to the Town Meeting vote.

After the deal closes, the town intends to create a Community Center Advisory Committee, as a community center has been the most widely discussed use for the property.

READ MORE ON THIS ISSUE

• ACCEPTED: Scottish Rite OKs Sale of Marrett Road Property to Town
• APPROVED: Town Meeting OK’s $10.95M Bid for Scottish Rite Property
• PHOTOS: Inside the Masons' Mansion
• UPDATE: BOS Will Discuss $10M-Plus Bid for Scottish Rite Property March 14
• Town's Bid for Scottish Rite Property Could Top $10M
• Officials Exploring Option to Buy Scottish Rite Property