Local board reviews HUD-funded waterfront boardwalk; vote called, result not recorded

A local municipal board reviewed a shoreline zoning application from BHB for a 17-foot-wide waterfront boardwalk funded by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant.

The applicant representative described the proposed structure as a 17-foot-wide wood-deck boardwalk built on a series of concrete side footings with wood joists and thermally modified wood decking. The boardwalk would extend to the edge of the riverbank, cantilevering where the ground falls away, and include a guardrail at the edge. Planting and landscaped areas are planned between the boardwalk and the adjacent parking area, and a small number of trees would be planted through intentionally blocked joist bays in the decking to allow future growth.

The project team said the shoreline zone in question is roughly 150 feet long and that some existing trees could not be preserved because of necessary grade changes and structural work. The presenter said selective removal and trimming were planned "to selectively let some of those trees out and keep them all nice," and that additional trees would be planted in green areas.

Planning staff told the board it had reviewed the proposal and that outstanding technical descriptions had been requested and provided. "No. I've been over this extensively since I started in this position ... they answered all the questions that we needed in our staff review," planning staff said, according to the transcript.

Board members asked whether municipal authority or shoreline zoning rules limited vegetation clearing near private riverfront frontage; the presenter and staff referenced shoreline zoning provisions, noting a 25-foot zone in the general development area and different restrictions elsewhere. The project team said no hydraulic profile comparing conditions with and without a downstream dam had been prepared and that 100-year and 500-year flood elevations reach near the top of the bank in this area.

The presenters also said they are negotiating a lease with Main Street for the town to perform maintenance on the boardwalk if the project proceeds.

A board member moved to act on the application "as presented" and a second was recorded. The transcript records a call for a vote — "All those in favor, please raise your hand" — but does not include a vote tally or an explicit statement of the motion’s final disposition.

Questions about construction logistics, access to set footings and the higher cost of municipal-specification decking were discussed during the review; no construction schedule or firm start date was provided in the transcript.