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Wellfleet board directs staff to continue Maurice’s Campground planning, asks for stakeholder structure and alternatives analysis
Summary
After heated public comment, the Select Board directed the town administrator to have the town planner and housing coordinator continue planning Maurice’s Campground as affordable and attainable housing, and to present a work plan by the end of August that includes a stakeholder-group proposal and an alternatives analysis; both motions passed unanimously.
The Wellfleet Select Board on July 7 directed town staff to continue development planning for Maurice’s Campground as an affordable and attainable-housing project and to return with a work plan by the end of August that includes a proposed structure for a stakeholder group and an outline for an alternatives analysis.
The motion, put by a board member and seconded, asked the town administrator to have the town planner and the housing coordinator “continue the planning and development of Maurice’s Campground for affordable and attainable housing and to bring a work plan back to the board by the end of August with a proposal of a structure of a stakeholders group.” The motion carried on a roll-call vote of 5–0.
Board members later approved a follow-up motion clarifying that the work plan should include an outline for an alternatives analysis — not a single up-or-down proposal — to present multiple development options and comparative tradeoffs. That motion also passed 5–0.
Public speakers urged different approaches to the next steps. Mark Spiegel, who addressed the board during public comment, praised the shift to a staff-led project-management approach and said the town’s adopted planning documents should guide next steps: “For the first time, the town staff made explicit that the future planning for Maurice’s will be guided by the 2008 local comprehensive plan and the 2023 housing production plan,” he said. Bill Gordon, a member of the Maurice’s Campground planning committee, urged retaining experienced committee oversight and recommended an RFP that requires developers to submit multiple scenarios and demonstrate wastewater and drinking-water plans.
Town Planner Beth Pinals told the board a reasonable first deliverable for a staff-led process would be an assessment of work already done by the planning committee and a proposed work plan; she estimated an initial deliverable could be ready by the end of August. The board also asked staff to outline the recommended composition and purpose of a stakeholder group that would advise the effort.
Board members stressed that the staff-led effort should not be a pause in work. The motion directed continued planning and development rather than halting the project; members said the existing committee members and subject-matter experts would remain available to the town and could be consulted as part of the new process.
What’s next: Staff will draft and deliver the requested work plan and stakeholder-structure proposal to the Select Board by the end of August; the board signaled it expects the work plan to incorporate alternatives and a schedule for community engagement.
