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Quincy Massachusetts News, Opinion, and Commentary by Quincy Quarry News
Sinking in a water hazard
Howard Berman/Image Bank/Getty Images image
A year ago Quincy Hills Associates (“QHA”), the company that operates the high-end Granite Links Golf Course on mostly leased City of Quincy property in the Quarry Hills area of West Quincy and which is essentially a family business headed by two brothers with one of them having a long history of controversies and salacious rumors, saw its ask for a 99 year lease extension shot down for ample good reasons by a usually instead accommodating city council
Even so, Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch submitted to the City Council a new lease proposal from QHA this week that is rife with arguably even more problems than the previous lease extension ask that was withdrawn a year ago.
Trust me
A file photo
Needless to say, talk about chutzpah.
Seriously chutzpah.
As for examples of things koched-up in the new proposal is to extend the lease is for “only” fifty years on top of the twenty years left on the original and ongoing lease.
Granted, while less than the original 99 year lease extension ask withdrawn a year ago, the new ask still works out to a 40% longer term than the length of the original fifty year lease.
So what also for the fact for that QHA was long in default on a variety of terms on the current lease.
Examples of defaults by QHA range from not duly providing and then maintaining public hiking trails as obligated as well as long not addressing design and construction problems with sports fields QHA was further obligated to provide.
Great team, so-so baseball field
Image via Quincy Youth Baseball Facebook page
QHA apparently also failed to take care of the sports fields as it was obligated to do and so likely resulted in surely well into six figures of worth expenses instead imposed on taxpayers.
Such considerable defaults by a tenant typically see evictions, not a new lease with considerable new terms favorable for the tenant.
Granted, while QHA has commenced making good on its obligations, it has failed to offer any compensation to make up for its years of failing to meet its contractual lease obligations.
‘
“Don’t pay, don’t play.”
Judge Judy/Paramount Television image
After all, such considerable as well as uncompensated defaults by a tenant typically results in an eviction as opposed to a lease extension rife with new terms favorable for the tenant.
Very favorable.
Accordingly, QHA should instead be subject to some considerable numbers of years of strict and independent monitoring before the City Council might merely but consider a new lease proposal and so pose to QHA the very real possibility of its loss of the course when the current lease is set to expire in twenty years as motivation for it to comply with the current lease going forward.
Pristine views for the proposed hotel and likely condos on top
Image via golfnow.com
Further, the intertwined proposed sale of 12 acres of city land currently zoned Open Space for dense development via the construction a 110 room hotel and perhaps to probably an unmentioned number of condominiums added on top of the hotel is beyond outrageous.
On top of the massive change in zoning, such a land sale should be put out for bid and can only be accomplished to the unilateral benefit of QHA via a Home Rule Petition granting the doing of things against applicable law.
In other words, such a deal!
Special interests
A ThePeoplesVoice.org graphic image
Further deeply troubling is that the proposed Home Rule Petition proposes that essentially all authority to negotiate all matters with QHA going forward is to be vested with the mayor without any apparent proper checks and balances.
Such is troubling as Mayor Koch has already approved trimming of lease revenue due the City of Quincy per the original lease terms.
Mayor Koch also failed to see QHA comply with various terms of the current lease.
Plus, as the group behind QHA has already scored consequential tax breaks and a well-below cost sweetheart deal for upwards of two hundred parking spaces in the Kilroy Garage, one can only reasonably suspect that more of the same will probably go down behind closed doors with impunity if the ask by the mayor to unilaterally oversee all aspects of a new lease agreement is approved.
Taking care of a friend …
Image by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge
After all, with the mayor and probably at least some of the city council already facing investigation and likely sanctions for illegally providing themselves with outsized raises for themselves, one cannot help but wonder if they are looking at this latest outrageous ask at taxpayers’ expense as a way to score personal chits what with at least some councillors looking likely to voted out of office next fall.
In short, the actual Quincy Way.
Granite Links Wants a Mulligan? Oh, Please, if you’re into overpriced golf, gated exclusivity, and scenic views conveniently located just far enough from the reality of the rest of the city. Now they’re asking for a do-over? Classic.
Let me guess: they want to “fix” something that only benefits them while the rest of us are left scratching our heads, wondering what happened to our share of the city’s resources. Maybe it’s zoning, maybe it’s taxes, or maybe they just need a bigger parking lot for all those Teslas rolling in from out of town. Whatever it is, you can bet they’ll wrap it up in some PR spin about “enhancing community engagement” or “bringing more revenue to Quincy.”
Meanwhile, the potholes on Hancock Street could swallow a minivan, and good luck finding an affordable apartment anywhere within city limits. But sure, let’s all rally behind the golf course because heaven forbid its owner should suffer a financial bogey.
Here’s a thought: instead of granting them a mulligan, how about we focus on the needs of the residents who actually live here and not just those swinging their wood and irons on the hill? Just a wild idea.
Once again, I will ask the question “If Quarry Hills Associates (QHA) cannot comply with the terms of the original lease agreement, how can our Quincy Mayor and City Council Members be dumb enough to believe QHA will comply to the terms of a new 50 year lease extension?
Does the new 50 year lease extension contain much more favorable terms for QHA at the detriment and cost or reduced revenue for the City of Quincy? Isn’t it the duty of our Mayor and City Council Members to look out for the best interests of the City of Quincy and its taxpayers? When I went to school I was taught the terms of a contract of which a lease is one had to be complied with.
If the agreed upon terms of a contract are not complied with then the contract can be terminated and become null and void. So, why doesn’t our elected Mayor and City Council Members vote to terminate the current lease contract rather than lobbying for a lease contract 50 year extension?
On the corollary, QHA did provide the City residents with a top-notch golf and restaurant complex that has attracted tourism to our great city. QHA also provided four baseball fields and 2 soccer fields that have been used by thousands of residents over the years. These were built and maintained by the expenses of QHA on a former landfill. Let’s not forget that the city was going to lose Federal & State funding IF the landfill was not capped.
I’m willing to bet there are few residents who have not utilized the golf course, function rooms or sports fields.
Pavol,
True, QHA has provided a “top-notch” golf course and dining facilities with fabulous views.
At the the same time Quincy locals are more Presidents muni golf course duffers and family friendly priced diners.
And as for the baseball and soccer fields, they were ill-built AND QHA was supposed to take care of these fields but it did not AND which when pressed QHA admitted it failed to do so.
At the same time, however, QHA has not offered any compensation for its on sticking the City of Quincy with the cost of maintaining the fields and which surely ran well into six figures, if not perhaps running into 7 figures.
Other shortcomings occurred and most reasonable people would thus view QHA as in default on the lease and thus open to eviction rather than looking to score itself a new sweetheart lease deal.
Finally, as regards the capping of the old dumps, the City of Quincy failed to step up the plate to see serious tipping revenue from the Big Dig to take its excavated soil.
How serious was the revenue instead scored by Team O’Connell?
Published reports clearly suggest that the tipping revenue from the Big Dig was more than sufficient to both pay for capping the old dumps AND likely enough more to pay for the building the golf course.
Next up, as for locals using the sport fields, have your heard the complaints from parents as to how poorly built and ill-carried for are the sports fields and how problematic is the parking for the fields?
In short, your points are bovine byproduct.
In regards to the lease extension. I think QHA seeks to have a mid-term time commitment to assess possible capital improves that would benefit all who use the facilities.
For comparison, if you leased a car, but needed new tires this winter, and your lease was to end in a couple of months, would you be more likely to buy the tires (and be safer this winter) IF the leasing company were to consider extending your lease?
Pavol,
No argument, Quincy Hills Associates (“QHA”) wants a lease term that protects its interests.
At the same time, Quincy Quarry’s real estate finance advisors have advised it that a new 40 to 50 year lease term would be more than sufficient to protect QHA’s. Similarly, going with a carefully crafted lease renewal option to get to a potential new 50 year term in total could better assure that QHA duly comported with its obligations but which did not happen with on a number of significant lease terms
Plus, 50 years was the term of the original lease and which entailed years of construction costs before the course and its clubhouse facilities opened for business.
QHA, on the other hand, is seeking a 70 year terms (20 years on the original ONGOING lease and 50 more years).
Further, the revised revenue terms for the posed lease extension will yield LESS revenue to the City of Quincy on the current core land use lease deal as well as poses that current Quincy Mayor Tom Koch would have exclusive have control of lease terms negations and such going forward as well as without any obvious oversight.
In short, just these proposed lease terms revisions are wholly unaccepted, not to mention that there are other unacceptable proposed revisions.