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Commission approves compromise to lower shorefront wall and allow small dock work at 163 Gregory Boulevard
Summary
After reviewing a chronology and site photos, the commission accepted a compromise requiring the owner to lower a retaining wall built without exact permit conformity, add plantings and stabilize the slope, and approved the minimal dock segment within city jurisdiction; the decision followed debate on enforcement and precedent.
The commission approved a compromise solution for a shorefront retaining wall and a small portion of a residential dock at 163 Gregory Boulevard. The owner and engineering consultant presented a chronology explaining earlier inspections, DEEP review that found no jurisdictional enforcement need at the time, and a plan to submit a combined coastal site plan addressing the unpermitted wall and the dock.
Tom Ryder of Lantech walked commissioners through the timeline and the work performed since the city first flagged the wall, including a DEEP field memo in early 2022 that closed an enforcement complaint after concluding the wall work lay landward of the tidal wetland jurisdiction. The applicant proposed to resolve the outstanding permit discrepancy by lowering the portion of the wall that extended waterward of the approved footprint, tapering the slope with relocated boulders, and adding vegetation to stabilize the bank.
Commissioners weighed options from full removal to moving the wall inland; several raised precedent and enforcement concerns. After review of photos and technical proposals, the commission opted for a compromise: require the owner to lower the wall to more closely match the approved elevation, re‑place some boulders on a stabilized slope, add marsh‑edge plantings where gaps exist, and allow the limited portion of the dock within the commission’s jurisdiction to proceed contingent on required state and local clearances. The motion to approve the revised coastal site plan language and the corrected wall approach passed by roll call.
The commission emphasized recordkeeping and staff follow‑up to avoid future confusion about when enforcement versus advisory referrals occur and noted that the current solution reduces disturbance compared with wholesale removal and barge work. The owner will submit final construction details for the wall‑lowering and plantings and proceed with required state notifications for the dock portion.
The commission’s action addressed the immediate permit conformity issue while leaving open DEEP’s independent authority to review or act on the shoreline work if the agency chooses to do so.
