Select Board endorses two-part permitting strategy for Baxter Road alternative access

The Select Board unanimously voted to endorse a two-part permitting approach for the Baxter Road alternative access and utility relocation project, after more than three years of design and outreach.

Town staff described the recommendation as an NOI limited to town-owned parcels (Baxter Road, Sanketty Road, Bayberry Lane and the Sanketty bike path) together with a separate Request for Determination filed for privately owned parcels where owner signatures were not obtained. The two-track approach is intended to allow town-owned work to proceed while providing time to negotiate easements and, if necessary, pursue takings on private land.

The board heard a technical overview of the design footprint, permitting constraints and the relationship to the coastline. Town staff emphasized that large parts of the corridor lie within coastal buffer zones and that work seaward of the coastal bank will require Conservation Commission approvals. Staff noted existing wetlands, hydric soils and a 100-foot coastal buffer that limit where permanent road or utility takings could be approved.

Project manager Vince (staff member) told the board the construction corridor had been refined through design and that the project team had already completed appraisals of more than 22 properties to estimate potential taking costs. He said the construction estimate for the alternative access is $24,100,000, a multi‑year build that would take roughly two years to complete once permitted and funded; betterments at the end of construction could recoup some costs. He asked the board to authorize the two-part filing strategy so the permitting could proceed.

Representatives of SVPF (visitor-preserve partner identified in the meeting packet) expressed willingness to act as a negotiating partner with neighbors to secure permissions and easements and to link their license application for geotubes to the alternative access work. Board members discussed the relationship between the Baxter Road work and the ongoing geotube appeals (MEPA/MassDEP processes), noting the two projects are independent but related; a MEPA decision was expected in late November and a MassDEP decision was anticipated in early 2026 depending on appeals.

At the board’s request staff confirmed that the two-part approach would use a standard NOI for town parcels and a Request for Determination (no owner signatures required) for private parcels, allowing notification to property owners while preserving time to negotiate. Board members also discussed betterments, asking staff to design a presentation on likely betterment structures for town meeting and to confirm how SBPF/SVPF participation could be written into an MOU.

Motion and vote: A Select Board member moved that the Select Board endorse the two-part permitting strategy (NOI for town corridors and Request for Determination for private properties); another member seconded. The board recorded the motion as approved by voice vote (ayes). The record shows no roll-call tally was taken at the meeting.

The board asked staff to proceed with the two‑part filings, continue negotiations with neighbors and SVPF/SVPF partners where possible, and return with follow-up materials on takings estimates, betterment options and related agreements ahead of any town‑meeting warrant articles.

Why it matters: Baxter Road provides alternate emergency access and utility routing should bluff failures isolate portions of the community. The project is large, costly and requires multiple permits and property agreements; how the town finances and secures easements will determine whether the project can be presented to voters for funding.