24 Willis Lane amendment continued after staff flags astroturf, mitigation and boardwalk concerns

Representatives for the 24 Willis Lane project presented a package of after-the-fact changes and proposed amendments Sept. 18, prompting detailed questioning from conservation staff and commissioners about materials, mitigation function and beach access.

Sean Riley summarized changes that included removal of two large patios from the approved plan, addition of four small pervious foot rinse stations, a 17-square-foot expansion of a spa, conversion of a proposed deck to a patio, relocation of a shed, and the placement of mitigation plantings close to a retaining wall. Riley said the net effect was a reduction in coverage because the removed patios offset the small additions. He also noted a proposed removable boardwalk and a gate across a 12-foot easement used by neighbors.

Staff raised three principal concerns: (1) the presence of astroturf in an area previously approved as planting (staff asked for installation details and permeability), (2) much of the newly proposed mitigation is located immediately adjacent to a house and a retaining wall—which staff said cannot be counted as mitigation and should be relocated to Zone A—and (3) a linear boardwalk could create a funneling or channeling effect through a dune unless dune elevation and plantings are restored around it. "We wouldn't be able to count that as mitigation," Jen told the applicant when describing planting near the wall.

Commissioners also asked how a proposed gate on the easement would be managed; the applicant and counsel said easement holders would retain access and, if the gate were locked, easement holders could be provided a code. Several commissioners stressed public-access concerns and the need to avoid a permanently locked barrier.

Because the application included work completed after the fact and several plan discrepancies, the applicant requested time to collect documentation. The commission voted unanimously to continue the matter to Oct. 16 and instructed the applicant to supply astroturf specifications (including base layers and permeability), a shellfish survey connected to the wave-break removal filing, and revised mitigation plans showing plantings in zone A or equivalent replacement mitigation.

The commission encouraged the applicant to include the proposed wave-break removal in this filing to streamline permitting and the eventual restoration of dunes and beachgrass. The continuation preserves the commission's ability to require additional conditions at the next hearing.