By Carol McCracken  (Post # 558)

The City’s Planning office just announced that the  meeting scheduled for tomorrow afternoon with the Community Development  Committee and pier owners has been scrapped.  The matter of text amendments to the waterfront zoning ordinance proposed by pier owners has been tentatively rescheduled for the CDC’s next meeting – September 15th.  The reason for the postponement was that the pier owners are making changes to their proposal and don’t want to meet with the CDC until there is a revised document in writing.

Pier owners and lobstermen were scheduled to meet on Friday, August 20th at DiMillo’s Floating Restaurant & Marina to negotiate some differences that exist between the two parties on the proposed text amendment to the waterfront central zone.  Senior planner Bill Needlemen’s notice issued today on the schedule change did say that consortium of pier owners are continuing to work on the proposed waterfront changes.  The consortium is represented by Dick Ingalls, Charlie Poole and Steve DiMillo.

Pier owners had already conceded their “50 ft.” rule that would have permitted more “recreational” or “pleasure” boats to dock at the piers.  Earlier this month about a dozen lobstermen appeared at the Community Development Committee meeting and expressed “fear” that this relaxation of the ordinance would displace them eventually.  Pier owners have repeatedly asserted that luxury yachts are far too fragile for their owners to risk tying up at such docking space as the wharves  provide.  

Please visit Post # 551,  dated 8/19 herein for background information.