Peabody Agrees To Buy Rousselot 135 Acres For $9 Million

PEABODY, MA — Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt intends to seek City Council approval on Thursday night to spend $9 million in city funds to buy about 135 acres of the Rousselot property on Granite Street in South Peabody.

He said the property, which includes about half of the Meadow at Peabody golf course and additional acreage abutting Cedar Grove Cemetary, will allow the city to own the entirety of the golf course that it currently operates as well as preserve open space that could otherwise be developed for residential properties.

Rousselot Inc. announced in May that it was winding down operations at its Peabody plant and would complete that process by the end of 2023.

"I think it's very important that the city preserve it as open space," Bettencourt said on Tuesday. "Together with our acquisition earlier this year of 80 acres of open space adjacent to 80 Granite Street, the city will have purchased and preserved over 200 total acres of open space this year alone."

Bettencourt said he intends to have the $9 million be funded by golf course revenues, as well as money from the Community Preservation Act and Community Development.

"I do not anticipate using money from the city's operational budget," he said.

Bettencourt cited the golf course as "coming off one of its most successful seasons" and that it "consistently provided the city with a substantial stream of revenue."

"The Meadow is considered among the very best municipal golf courses in the region," he said. "It is a great source of pride for Peabody residents."

The City Council will meet at 7 p.m. on Thursday at Peabody City Hall.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)