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Board discusses reclaiming public beach access as commission weighs customary-use questions
Summary
Members raised concerns that hotels and property owners have blocked historic public walkways to the beach; board members said the city commission and city attorney are already addressing customary-use and public-access questions and agreed to monitor developments and bring the topic back.
A board member raised a longstanding concern that storm impacts and property changes have led to lost or blocked public walkways and access points to the beach, citing prior conversations with city leaders and a suggestion that the city survey hotels for remaining easements. Members recalled a past mayoral discussion about surveying hotel properties to confirm public walkways remain intact.
Chair Lowry and others noted the city commission and city attorney are already involved in a broader review of private and public beachfront rights and customary usage. "Some of the private hotel owners ... are trying to suggest that they own everything down to the water line so people can't walk on the beach," the chair said, summarizing the issue staff and commissioners are confronting. Staff and the community-development director said they will continue coordination with the commission and return to the historic board as appropriate; the board agreed to continue the topic at the next meeting and to consider starting with a smaller, pilot historic-district area if the community supports it.
