Chatham Conservation Commission Defers Contested Sears Point Driveway Variance Decision

CHATHAM — August 12, 2020 — Chatham Conservation Commission splits over a no-disturb zone variance and approves two compliance certificates at its August 12 remote hearing. The commission, chaired by Janet Williams with commissioners Robert Rawls, Bob Delvecchio, and Tom Clark, voted unanimously to continue the most contested matter — a proposed driveway at 74 and 77 Sears Point owned by Patrick Brogan and Patricia Black — to August 19, unable to reach consensus on whether to allow 88 square feet of construction impact inside the 50-foot no-disturb zone or require an alternative route adding roughly 400 square feet of coverage to the outer buffer. Clark called the impasse "a design flaw" by the applicants, while Williams said she leaned toward granting the variance given the project's nearly 30,000-square-foot habitat restoration component, which she described as setting a new standard. The commission unanimously approved certificates of compliance for 96 Tilipi Run, where a 2015-permitted pool and patio complex was found fully planted and well maintained, and for 50 Horseshoe Lane, a 2008 view-pruning permit on a bank now being sold — with commissioners noting the new owner will need a fresh filing to continue any bank management.