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Commission approves seasonal beach platform with variance, sets storm-removal and management conditions
Summary
The Conservation Commission approved a permit and variance for a seasonal platform at South Shore Drive, requiring removal during storm watches, a pre-season meeting, and inclusion in a beach management plan to address shorebird and dune impacts.
The Conservation Commission on Jan. 15 approved a permit and variance allowing a seasonal platform on the beach at South Shore Drive, with special conditions intended to limit storm and wildlife impacts. The vote to issue an Order of Conditions with a variance passed 5-1 with one abstention after commissioners debated removal procedures, crowding and precedent.
Bob Perry of Cape Cod Engineering told the commission the platform would be removed before storms and stored north of South Shore Drive and that the structure sits at a relatively high elevation. He said the anchors are hand-driven helical anchors and that the platform is intended for light loads. ‘‘The platform is intended for light loads,’’ Perry said, adding that it is not elevated and that removal is feasible.
Chair David Bernstein pressed for stronger conditions, including a requirement that the platform be removed whenever the National Weather Service issues a storm watch or warning, and for measures to prevent the platform from drawing crowds that could disturb dunes. Commissioner Elly Tierney opposed granting the variance, citing concern about setting a precedent, while Commissioner Jack Frost said the platform would not be more disruptive than existing recreational use.
As part of the approval, the commission directed the applicant to submit a beach management plan — intended to address nesting shorebirds and operational procedures — ahead of the shorebird season and recommended a pre-season meeting to remind resort staff of removal responsibilities. The commission also discussed, and asked to document, any load restrictions and how removal would be recorded in resort procedures.
The approval requires compliance with conditions tied to the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Program (NHESP) monitoring and the beach management plan. The commission set no additional public enforcement schedule but indicated noncompliance would be addressed if reported.
The commission’s action was taken under its permitting authority; the permit includes special conditions described at the hearing. The applicant said it intends to file the required beach management plan in February; the commission will monitor compliance through the special conditions it attached.
