A final recommendation for restoring Squibnocket Beach is slowly taking shape, with town leaders now discussing the possibility of acquiring land for a new parking lot. The final recommendation will address the need for parking, beach access, and access to the homes at Squibnocket Farm.
Several locations for a parking lot have been proposed, all requiring the purchase or lease of private property.
The acquisition of a large lot owned by Peter Weldon with frontage on the east side of Squibnocket Road could add about 150 feet to the town beach. Island realtor Thomas Wallace said Tuesday that the two Weldon properties were listed for $3.2 million.
Three smaller lots with frontage on the west side of Squibnocket Road are also being considered. One is owned jointly by Wendy Jeffers and Tony Orphanos, one by Peter Weldon and one by the estate of former Island artist Vaclav Vytlacil.
At its weekly meeting Tuesday morning, the town committee on Squibnocket met with members of the planning board, housing committee and beach committee to get a better sense of its options going forward.
Planning board and housing committee members were not in favor of using the larger, buildable lots for affordable housing, an idea raised by the Squibnocket committee, in part because it would require further investment from the town.
“If you are looking to provide income to the town, affordable house sites is not the way to go,” said housing committee member Andy Goldberg, who said he otherwise supports affordable housing.
Planning board member Joan Malkin raised the possibility of subdividing the lots and selling some portions at market rate, subject to a permanent easement.
Housing committee chairman Jim Feiner said his committee had not discussed the matter, but he believed most members would prefer to see the town sell the lots and invest in a larger parcel elsewhere that could be used for affordable housing. “We don’t see the value there working for the town,” he said.
The current parking lot, which the town leases from the Squibnocket Farm homeowners association, sits at the edge of the eroding beach. It is contained by a stone revetment that committee members agree should be removed to help restore the beach. The access road to Squibnocket Farm runs through the parking lot and along the revetment, on the leading edge of erosion.
Beach committee members said a new parking lot should have between 50 and 100 spaces. “It really depends on the beach,” said chairman Kristin Maloney. She said with the revetment gone and the beach in better condition, more people would visit, especially families, since the waves at Squibnocket are generally calmer than at Lucy Vincent. An expanded beach may also require more lifeguards, Mrs. Maloney said.
Several proposals and ideas for restoring the beach area were presented to the committee this summer and fall. The committee has hired Epsilon Associates of Maynard to do environmental studies of the area, and has begun consulting with coastal engineers at the Woods Hole Group to evaluate the proposals. It hopes to bring its recommendation to a vote early next year.
The committee was formed after the annual town meeting in April, when voters narrowly rejected a proposal to restore the beach that involved a raised causeway and a major expansion of the town beach property.
Since then, the Friends of Squibnocket, a homeowner group that includes residents of Blacksmith Valley, has developed an alternative proposal that features an artificial dune ridge that would protect a gravel access road to Squibnocket Farm. In October the group proposed a parking area on the properties owned by Ms. Jeffers, Mr. Orphanos and Mr. Weldon, who are affiliated with the group. But the issue became complicated when the group told the committee that the properties would be available only if the dune ridge plan was used. Committee members expressed pique and frustration at what they felt amounted to an ultimatum.
“Essentially, we are being told, this is our bat and this is our ball, and if you don’t want to play by our rules we are going home,” chairman James Malkin said at a meeting Oct. 31.
“It undermines the process and that concerns me,” said committee member Daniel Greenbaum.
This week Mr. Malkin said the committee is prepared to take land by eminent domain if necessary for a parking lot. “We would hope to do this in as conciliatory and as appropriate a fashion as possible for all concerned, including the town, which is our charge,” he said Tuesday. But he said the process may be complicated by rights of first refusal and that property owners could wind up taking legal action against the town.
The committee sent a letter to Mr. Weldon asking if his property was in fact only available as part of the dune ridge proposal. As of Tuesday there had been no response.
Meanwhile, committee members have been developing matrices to break down the various proposals for parking and access to Squibnocket Farm, and to evaluate each part in relation to the others. The matrices add to a large collection of documents and correspondences on the Chilmark town website.
The committee plans to hold two public information sessions in December in preparation for a special town meeting, which Mr. Malkin said may take place Feb. 9.
The planning board will look at potential uses of the private properties at its meeting Nov. 24.
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