News

Plymouth man homeless after town refuses to renew land lease for home he owns

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — A Plymouth man has found himself homeless, even though he owns his Long Beach home outright.

The land the house sits on is owned by the town, and after more than two decades they’ve chosen to not renew the lease.

“I’ve lived out here for 26 years and when I bought this place I had close friends who told me you want to be careful out there. I always thought the end would come with Mother Nature, not my own Town Hall,” John Scagliarini said.

Scagliarini, known to locals as ‘Scag’,  was the only year-round resident on Long Beach in Plymouth, where he takes care of the trees and cares for the wildlife.

Now he’s the newest member of the town’s homeless population.

“I haven’t packed anything. This is very surreal to me. I never thought this would happen,” he said.

After 26 years, Plymouth chose not to renew Scagliarini’s lease on the land the home sits on. As of April 30, if he sets foot on property he will be trespassing. He has six months to take what he can -- house included -- until it becomes property of the town.

“Does it leave a pit in your stomach? Yeah. Does it leave a hole? Yeah. And the hole doesn’t go away, you just get used to living with it. It’s like a death really,” he said.

Scagliarini has been fighting this battle for five years after he said town officials became interested in the land to build a parking lot for Long Beach.

Plymouth town officials told Boston 25 News the reason for the non-renewal was because of a long history of delinquent lease and interest payments on the home.

Scagliarini will be the first to admit that was correct, but he says he’s been current for some time, and in an effort to remain in his home, he offered not only to reimburse any expenses the town incurred collecting his past debts, but also volunteered to pay all future fees in advance.

Despite 1,600 signatures from people across the community in protest, the Plymouth Board of Selectmen said no.

“I don’t have words, I really don’t have words. I cry, I laugh, I mope. I’m a human being just like anybody else, it’s devastating really,” Scagliarini said.

Even though he’s walking away from the life he’s built with only what he can carry and nowhere to go, Scagliarini said he’s still a wealthy man.

“The moments I’ve had out here, between the wind, the storms, the sun, the sea, you can’t buy that stuff. So I’m a wealthy man, I’m very fortunate that way,” he said.

Scagliarini says at this point, he’s still holding onto a lingering hope the town will change its mind, but there is no indication that will happen.

He says the moral of this story is be careful who you elect. Some members of the Board of Selectmen are running to renew their seats; the local election takes place May 20.