Barnstable Commission Denies 95 Eel River Road Pier Under Town Wetlands Ordinance

BARNSTABLE — July 7, 2026 — Barnstable Conservation Commission unanimously denies 95 Eel River Road pier extension under local ordinance, citing mooring field hazards. The commission voted six to zero at its July 7 meeting to deny Stephen Madden's application to tear down and rebuild a dock at 95 Eel River Road, extending it to 100 feet beyond mean low water, after draft findings prepared with Town Counsel John Abedeli concluded the proposed float would sit as little as 17 feet from a neighboring moored vessel — a gap the harbormaster and Barnstable Waterway Committee called a potential hazard to recreational boaters. The same commission approved a 100-foot pier extension at the neighboring 117 Eel River Road property for applicant Pamela Rand under both state and local law, with a condition requiring 30 inches of minimum draft depth in what the commission rated a 10-out-of-10 significant shellfish habitat. Because the State Wetland Protection Act does not include recreational boating as a protected interest, Madden's application passed its state-level vote unanimously before failing six to zero under the town's own Chapter 237 Wetland Protection Ordinance — the operative denial.