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Select Board reappoints three to Wellfleet Planning Board after extended questioning over Maurice’s role
Summary
After extended questioning about the Planning Board’s involvement in Maurice’s campground and housing strategies, the Wellfleet Select Board approved three three-year planning board appointments by a 4–1 vote; the meeting included public objections to the tone of the interviews and debate about the board's role in zoning and the Housing Production Plan.
The Wellfleet Select Board voted 4–1 on June 23 to appoint three people to three-year terms on the town Planning Board following extended questioning about the board’s role in Maurice’s campground process and local housing strategies.
Chair Mr. Curley opened the item by describing a process for interviewing the candidates and invited public comment. Candidates Alfred Peard, Beth Singer and Bob (Robert) Wagner each introduced themselves and answered questions about their qualifications, past votes and how they see the planning board’s role in future housing work.
Alfred Peard, who said he has served on the Planning Board for many years, told members he had opposed iterations of the accessory dwelling unit (ADU) bylaw and a cottage-colony zoning change in prior years because of wording he believed could enable short-term rental use rather than year-round housing. Peard said zoning changes without sewer infrastructure would not produce affordable housing and emphasized the need for sewer and water to enable building on smaller lots.
Beth Singer, who identified herself as a Planning Board member during the meeting, said she supports housing that increases year-round residents but said she has voted against proposals whose wording she feared would facilitate short-term rentals rather than long-term occupancy. Singer said enforceability and clear wording guided her votes.
Bob Wagner, who described professional experience in land-use planning and service on the Maurice’s campground committee, said the Planning Board should advance the zoning tools in Wellfleet’s 2018 and 2023 Housing Production Plans, including exploring bylaws to allow duplexes and ADUs to increase year-round housing options.
Several Select Board members pressed candidates about past votes and the planning board’s letters to the Maurice’s committee seeking more engagement. That line of questioning prompted objections from other board members and members of the public who called the exchanges excessive and urged the board to encourage volunteer participation. One attendee called the line of questioning a “Salem witch trial.” Another Select Board member raised concerns that the questioning risked straying toward an Open Meeting Law violation; the chair said members have the prerogative to ask questions of applicants.
After debate about whether to consider appointments individually or as a slate, the board voted to appoint Alfred Peard, Beth Singer and Bob Wagner to three-year terms; the roll call recorded four in favor and one opposed.
The appointments conclude the select board’s scheduled interviews on the matter; members also urged the planning board and other town bodies to continue work on housing strategies identified in the town’s housing plans.
