Massachusetts town wins fight to keep 12-acre peninsula open to the public

The town of Nahant during a breezy spring day.Photo credit: Canva In 2018, Northeastern University announced plans for a major marine science expansion on Nahant, a small, densely built peninsula northeast of Boston. The proposal included up to 55,000 square feet of new research and teaching space on a 12-acre coastal parcel that many residents viewed as one of the last large open spaces in town. What followed was an eight-year battle over land use, local control and the limits of university growth in a fragile coastal community. In 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court sided with the town, upholding its use of eminent domain to take the 12 acres and preserve them as open space. As reported by Commonwealth Beacon and Mass Legal Resources, the decision marks a rare victory for a small municipality against a major university in a dispute over the future of its shoreline.A small town, a big universityNahant is one of the smallest towns in Massachusetts by area, a narrow peninsula connected to the mainland by a single causeway. With limited land, tight zoning and a strong sense of local identity, the town has long been protective of its remaining open spaces, coastal views and...