A request to place a camper on a Cove Street property led to an extended discussion Tuesday night as Select Board members questioned how the town’s zoning bylaw applies to the site and ultimately held off on acting on the permit.
Michael King sought permission to place a camper at 0 Cove Street for a total of 14 days during September and October. King told the board the property had previously been permitted by the Conservation Commission as a campsite and said he wanted flexibility to use the camper for several shorter periods depending on weather.
King argued that requiring fixed dates made little sense on a barrier beach during hurricane season, saying he would be willing to notify the town when the camper was brought onto and removed from the property.
The discussion became contentious at times as board members tried to determine what the town’s zoning bylaw allows and whether King qualifies as an owner or occupant of the property for purposes of the permit.
Questions were also raised about whether the 2022 Conservation Commission approval of the campsite extended to the use of a camper. The board noted that the Conservation Commission approval covered the resource-area aspects of the site, while the Select Board has separate authority over trailers and mobile homes.
Several nearby residents raised concerns about the property, including fire safety, sanitation and the movement of a camper along narrow Cove Street. One resident described seeing large campfires near brush and the marsh.
King said the camper has self-contained tanks for black and gray water that would be emptied at an appropriate facility after the camper leaves the property.
As questions accumulated about the bylaw, the applicant’s status and the proposed dates, board members said they were not prepared to vote without additional information.
“There are too many questions that are unanswered to have a reasonable and educated conversation moving forward,” one board member said.
The matter will return to a future Select Board agenda after the town receives additional information.
The board also spent part of its work session discussing housing, where members discovered that Mattapoisett is further along than they initially
believed.
During discussions with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership about establishing an affordable housing trust, town officials learned that Town Meeting had already voted to create the Mattapoisett Housing Trust on May 9, 2011.
“We are much further along than we had thought,” a board member said.
The board is now considering how to revive that effort as part of a broader housing strategy aimed at helping young families, seniors, town employees and others remain in Mattapoisett.
The town currently has about 2.4% of its housing counted toward the state’s 10% subsidized housing threshold, according to the discussion. Board members said developing a local housing strategy and updated Housing Production Plan could give Mattapoisett greater control over what future housing development looks like.
Among the possibilities discussed were working with the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, updating the town’s Housing Production Plan, examining inclusionary zoning and considering different types of housing projects.
The town has also received a $1,500 proposal from Barrett Planning Group for a housing workshop for town officials and the public. No vote was taken Tuesday on the proposal. Residents interested in serving on a revived housing trust or in an advisory capacity were encouraged to contact the town.
Earlier in the meeting, the board discussed complaints about seaweed accumulation and maintenance at Aucoot Beach and Town Beach.
Highway Surveyor Garrett Bauer said the department can remove major accumulations but that providing a higher level of routine beach maintenance would require better equipment. The department currently relies on a loader and backhoe.
A specialized beach groomer has previously been proposed but was not made a capital priority. An older estimate placed the equipment at
roughly $52,000, with Bauer saying the labor and equipment cost of regularly cleaning the beaches could be comparable.
Bauer said seaweed conditions vary significantly from year to year and that Goodspeed Island has historically not been maintained by the Highway Department.
The board took no action but may revisit the issue during capital and budget planning.
In other business, the Select Board voted to refer the proposed Cottage Community Development Bylaw to the Planning Board for the required public hearing.
The board also approved Employee Appreciation Day for the afternoon of Friday, September 11, with the Town Hall scheduled to close at noon.
Mattapoisett Select Board
By Jeanne Hopkins