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Planning board approves modified dock at 67 Water Street with restrictions on floating dock use
Summary
After neighbors and attorneys raised navigation and access concerns, the Planning and Zoning Board approved a narrower dock at 67 Water Street with conditions limiting boats tied to a floating section and restricting vessel size and parking arrangement.
The Planning and Zoning Board on March 4 approved a revised dock at 67 Water Street, granting a conservation‑overlay dock application while adding conditions intended to reduce navigation conflicts in the shallow canal.
Applicant Ryan Carter presented a revised layout that moved the dock landward and centered it on the riparian line. He said the floating section and small boat lift were designed for shallow tidal conditions and that the owners do not intend to keep a large boat tied to the floating dock. “They said to me that they are not gonna have a boat tied off to that. It’s really for launching and retrieving kayaks and paddle boards,” Carter told the board.
Neighbors and several property owners to the south objected, showing low‑tide photos and depth readings and saying the narrow waterway is already constrained. Joseph Weed, who lives on Mulberry Street adjacent to the creek, presented a timed set of depth images and argued a boat tied to the floating dock would reduce the already small navigation window at low tide. Hurley Haywood, whose dock is immediately south of the proposed location, said his 28‑foot boat could not safely maneuver if a larger vessel were moored at the proposed floating section.
Attorney Jeremiah Mulligan spoke for some objectors and said property lines and survey accuracy needed closer review before approval. Carter and a property owner said updated, state‑plane survey data had been submitted and that the dock was moved landward after earlier hearings to reduce impacts.
To address the board’s navigation concerns, the board approved the application with conditions that the dock be placed as shown in the revised, state‑plane survey; that the floating section be restricted to active loading and unloading (no vessel may remain tied to the floating section for longer than one hour); and that vessels tied to the floating portion be limited in size (no larger than about 20 feet long with a beam not to exceed 8 feet). The board also required a condition tying the approval to the applicant’s current survey and plans and asked that the applicant submit final documentation to staff.
The board voted unanimously to approve after members said the revised dock is smaller and more landward than earlier versions and that the new conditions will help protect the riparian owners’ navigation rights. The applicant must submit the final survey and as‑built location to city staff before issuance of any permit.
