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Orleans commission issues negative determination for Cove Motel pool replacement
Summary
The Conservation Commission found no significant wetland alteration and approved a like‑for‑like replacement of the Cove Motel pool, patio and fencing at 13 South Orleans Road after the applicant agreed to add stormwater controls and keep construction access off the neighboring property.
Bob Reedy, an engineer with J.M. O'Reilly and Associates, told the Orleans Conservation Commission the Cove Motel plans to replace its existing pool, patio and fencing within the 100‑foot buffer to a coastal bank and that the new work would be essentially a "like for like replacement," with a slightly smaller pool and the same overall footprint. Reedy said the project will add trench drains around three sides of the patio, piping stormwater to a leaching facility sited outside the 100‑foot buffer, and will reinforce existing retaining walls rather than replace them.
Neighbor Jack Leonard of 19 South Orleans Road asked whether work would require access across his property. Reedy answered that excavator access will come from the motel parking lot opposite Leonard’s home and that the only disturbance near the neighbor would be the shallow installation of a stormwater facility with a bottom roughly 3 to 4 feet below grade. "Really no disturbance on your side in terms of any major digging," Reedy said.
After taking public comment and hearing staff and commissioner questions about fencing, code compliance and erosion controls, a commissioner moved to close public comment and then to find a negative determination for the project, referencing the applicant’s narrative and site plan. The motion passed on a voice vote as recorded by the clerk; the public record shows unanimous approval.
Why it matters: the commission’s negative determination allows the property owner to proceed with the planned reconstruction while requiring the design changes Reedy described — notably stormwater controls and reinforced walls — to reduce future erosion risk to the coastal bank. The commission also confirmed work access will avoid off‑site impacts to adjacent properties.
Next steps: the project will proceed subject to the approved plan; staff will monitor compliance during construction and enforce conditions if off‑site disturbance occurs.
