Mattapoisett Conservation Commission — September 14, 2026

The Mattapoisett Conservation Commission convened on September 14, 2026, opening with an immediate vote to continue a highly attended public hearing regarding Mahoney's Lane to a larger, undetermined venue to ensure adequate seating and public participation. Once the room cleared, the commission reviewed a Request for Determination of Applicability (RDA) for 10 Old Mattapoisett Neck Road filed by Paul and Edie Barbero for a Title V septic replacement, granting a Negative 2 determination with conditions to protect an adjacent Norway spruce and enhance erosion controls. A second RDA filed by Michael Plante and Greta Johnson for 4 Heritage Lane was granted a Negative 3 determination with conditions requiring permanent boundary markers or split-rail fencing along the wetland line following reports of unauthorized clearing.

The commission then held hearings on several Notices of Intent (NOI). A proposed seawall reinforcement at 19 Shoreview Avenue presented by Rich Sharon of Sharon Associates was continued to allow the applicant time to address Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) regulations regarding coastal bank exemptions for pre-1978 dwellings. An NOI for 4 Pearl Street filed by John Dennis Gibbons for residential redevelopment in an AE flood zone was also continued pending the issuance of a DEP file number. An Abbreviated Notice of Resource Area Delineation (ANRAD) for 0 and 31 Randall Road, filed by Alan Alves, was continued to allow the applicant's engineer to submit an overlay map verifying that current site conditions align with a 2003 DEP administrative consent order.

The commission reviewed a contentious continued NOI for Byrne Avenue and Shell Beach Road filed by Stephen Weitzes and Ethan Holder, which proposed beach access improvements, ADA-compliant MobiMats, designated parking, and kayak storage areas. Following extensive public comment and objections from abutter counsel Jim Marsh, the hearing was continued. Under new business, the commission unanimously voted to issue a town-wide policy statement determining that passive, seasonal storage of watercraft like kayaks and dinghies on beaches constitutes a temporary disturbance. Later in the meeting, the commission approved an ecological restoration NOI for Buzzards Bay Coalition at 7 Wolf Island Road with an operations and maintenance plan in perpetuity, granted three certificates of compliance (SE 44-1419, SE 44-1573, and SE 44-1591), approved previous meeting minutes, and voted to cancel their scheduled October 26 meeting due to early voting conflicts.

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