Lantana owners sweeten offer for state park land
For the past six years, the owners of the Lantana in Randolph have eyed the patch of woods across the street from their function hall as the perfect location for a new parking lot. And in August 2002, legislators quietly gave the banquet hall the green light to acquire the 3.2-acre site off High Street, which is part of the Blue Hills Reservation.
Under the terms of the deal, the banquet hall must give a similar-sized parcel to the state in exchange for a piece of the state park. Now the Lantana has upped the ante and is offering to give 5 acres of land to the state.
But local conservationists still aren't happy with that proposal. The Friends of the Blue Hills say that the parcels Lantana is offering are landlocked wetlands that are under no threat of development, and "the new proposal still cheats the Blue Hills - and the people of Massachusetts - of over three acres of parkland."
The nonprofit organization has described the deal as a "land grab," and its 1,000 members plan to make their opinions known to the state this week, by submitting comments to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office.
"This sets a horrendous precedent," said Peter Jeffries, president of the Friends of Blue Hills. "The state is essentially giving away public land to a private businessman who will use it for profit. You're taking that land away forever."
But Paul Hart, whose parents built the Lantana function hall in the 1970s, sees it differently.
"This is above and beyond the deal," said Hart. "More land will be protected."
According to the draft environmental impact report submitted to the state May 15, the owners of the Lantana - known as the Hart Family Limited Partnership - are offering to reduce the number of parking spaces (from 408 to 374) in the new lot, reserve 10 of the spaces for park users, and provide Blue Hills signs showing the location of the Smith Trail. They're offering to give the state a 3.2-acre parcel that is located beside the Blue Hills reservation area, along with an additional two acres of land located next to the Blue Hill River and south of Route 128 and east of Route 28 in Randolph. They've also agreed to provide in-kind contributions of up to $258,000 in exchange for the parkland.
The Lantana's owners want to relocate the existing parking lot at the corner of Scanlon Drive and High Street, the report states, "to address a chronic pedestrian safety issue."
Paul Hart said there would be a Department of Conservation and Recreation sign placed at the corner of Scanlon Drive and High Street, to raise awareness about the Blue Hills Reservation trails.
The Lantana function hall has been a landmark in Randolph since the 1970s, and remains a popular venue for proms and wedding receptions. The company was founded by Paul Hart's parents, who started their own catering business in their Roslindale home in 1956. In 1970 they expanded their business to the South Shore and built the Lantana. Paul Hart, their youngest son, purchased the function hall in 1996.
The legislation to allow the land swap was cosponsored by state Senator Brian Joyce, and approved by lawmakers in August 2002. Records show that between 2001 and 2005 the Hart family gave more than $8,000 in campaign contributions to Joyce. Joyce's office has denied that the contributions had any influence; the legislation was filed at the request of the Randolph Board of Selectmen, which approved the land-swap deal in February 2002.
The Friends of the Blue Hills has criticized the way the measure was passed, without any public hearings at the state level.
Jeffries also says the draft environmental report does not address some important issues, such as what will happen to Lantana's existing parking lot, once the new lot is in place on the other side of High Street.
Hart said that once the deal goes through, the current parking lot could potentially be developed, but he has no specific plans.
Emily Sweeney can be reached at esweeney@globe.com.
