By Carol Britton Meyer

A committee taking stock of the areas in Hull where residents have access to the water is asking residents to participate in a survey to help compile information on the community’s use of the beach and bay.

Citizens are encouraged to complete an online Hull Community Waterfront Access Survey to share where and how they access the waterfront and which access sites are most important to them, among other questions. Input gained from the responses will help the waterfront access working group prioritize its efforts.

The survey is available at http://tinyurl.com/hullwaterfront, with a Sunday, December 15, deadline.

The working group was formed following an independent study of known waterfront access points by the Woods Hole Group, which was hired by the town.

Assessment of town-owned waterfront property under way

Its role is to work with the consultants to identify and develop an assessment of town-owned waterfront property, with the ultimate goal of providing public waterfront access wherever possible.

Sites will be prioritized based on potential use, fair distribution, and neighborhood benefits, balanced with cost considerations.

“One of the best things about Hull is its physical location, surrounded by water,” working group Chair Scott Taylor told The Hull Times, noting that there are more than 160 public waterfront access points in town.

He first became involved with access issues a number of years ago with regard to the access point across from his family’s Hampton Circle home, collecting 90 names on a petition asking the town to address safety issues at that location.

As it turned out, a number of other petitions were being circulated asking for similar waterfront access issues in their own neighborhoods to be addressed, as well as inquiries to town officials related to waterfront access.

Around 2021, he was part of an effort to seek Community Preservation Act funding to address some of these issues, but the window for applications for that round of funding had already closed.

Study paid for with CPA funds

A couple of years ago, the Woods Hole Group study was commissioned, paid for with roughly $30,000 in CPA funds.

The study includes an assessment and prioritization of existing waterfront access; information about whether public access has been established and what type; parking availability, including handicapped parking spaces; and any coastal/wetland resource areas – coastal beach, dune, bank, saltmarsh, among others – present at those locations.

Taylor explained that while he has his own interests concerning waterfront access, “they have to be balanced with the needs of everyone else. I wanted to be part of this effort to fairly and accurately judge these access sites.”

Existing town-owned waterfront parcels without existing public access were inventoried as part of the study for review by the working group to determine the top five parcels to be evaluated further for potential creation of new public waterfront access.

After reviewing the Woods Hole report, the working group created teams to look at the sites mentioned.

“We learned a lot. We found access points that weren’t in the report and thought if we didn’t know about them before, maybe other residents don’t either,” Taylor said. “There also may be individuals who may have lived here all their lives who know of others that were not included.”

These realizations led to the development of the survey, with the goal of collecting data from the town as a whole to provide the working group with more “widespread knowledge.”

All residents encouraged to take the survey

While not everyone will participate, all residents will have the opportunity to do so.

“We would like to hear from as many as possible,” Taylor said. “We want to clarify the town’s waterfront access points, whether town-owned or not, to make it clear where they are and where [public] waterfront access is allowed.”

The overall purpose of the survey is to collect information that will be helpful to the working group, which will not make any decisions.

“We’ll be providing a summary of all the information we gather about waterfront access points and make recommendations,” Taylor explained. “The next step is to consider how to make improvements with community participation.”

A “no action” approach is not acceptable, he said. “We need to provide a working document the town can move forward with to solve some of the issues [related to waterfront access]. We’re doing our best to sift through all of the information we can find and make good recommendations.”

Taylor said that the study will recognize that some of the town’s many summer and year-round residents own waterfront property, while others do not.

“Whatever we recommend has to respect the rights of all residents, guests, and abutters,” he said. “We want to ensure the protection of and improve [public]waterfront access. It’s priceless.”

More information is available at the 2024 Waterfront Access Working Group tab on the planning board’s page on the town’s website or by clicking here.

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