Past Expansion Efforts at Boatyard
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While most residents familiar with Meredith Neck would agree that the area developed quite a bit after World War II, it wasn't until the 1980's that the Lovejoy Sands area saw increased usage of the public parking lot and town docks, and a steady influx of visitors. Shep Brown's Boat Basin, located at the end of Lovejoy Sands Road, was established and operated in the 1920's as a local boatyard serving the boating needs in this local community. Ownership of the boatyard changed hands infrequently for many years, and residents were friendly with original owner Shep Brown and then Carl Boger, who bought the marina in 1961.
In 1985, Carl Boger sold to Marina Cove Associates, who subsequently sold to Deep Water Marine Management in 2002. During these years, an accelerated increase in size and scope of operations occurred bringing obvious problems to the neighborhood. The boatyard operates on a 13 acre site bound by residential housing on three sides and the waterfront, so these increases in commercial activity were particularly impactful to private homeowners. With this increase in activity at the boatyard, vehicle parking at the public lot and boat parking at the public docks became a challenge. Traffic on the Neck increased, and exiting off Pleasant Street and Barnard Ridge Rd. onto Rt 25 grew increasingly difficult, especially on summer weekends. It became necessary for residents to plan weekends around traffic both on and off the water, as activities such as picking up guests and dropping off garbage at the transfer station grew more difficult.
Things changed dramatically in 2003, when owner Deep Water Marine Management filed an application with the Town of Meredith for a large build-out of the boatyard. This first application was specifically for the construction of two large winter storage buildings, 40' deep, 150' long, 38' high, that would berth 100 additional boats. Neighbors quickly raised objections to this expansion with concerns of more increased noise, traffic, pollution, shoreline erosion, and the negative impact it would have on the neighborhood environment and water quality. It was some of these alarmed neighbors and islanders that formed and launched Meredith Neck and Islands Alliance (MerNIA) in 2003.
MerNIA's immediate goal was to ensure that the qualities of privacy, safety, and tranquility would be preserved in this neighborhood. These qualities are explicitly stated in the Meredith Zoning Ordinance as the purpose of the Shoreline District, a special designated area encompassing this neighborhood. Many islanders were quick to join the effort in fear that additional expansion would further impede their ability to access their homes from the public launch site adjacent to the boatyard.
Served with good legal advice, broad financial support from Meredith Neck and island owners, and a very committed Board, MerNIA presented unified concerns to Meredith's Planning Board in 2003. Over 200 concerned residents wrote letters and attended the hearings that fall. Months of hearings ensued, with MerNIA's active involvement. The following January, Planning Board members discussed the notion that the site was already developed to the maximum given its location in the designated Shoreline District. Further, a distinction was articulated between what they viewed to be a "neighborhood marina" serving the needs of the community, and a "regional marina" serving a very different set of constituents.
After months of hearings, Deep Water Marine Management informed the Planning Board of their intent to withdraw their application “with prejudice”. This meant that any further submission would have to be materially different from the withdrawn application.
In 2007, Deep Water Marine Management again returned to the Town of Meredith Planning Board with plans for a Family Recreation Center. MerNIA addressed the many impacts of this proposal, and after a lengthy protracted debate, the Planning Board approved their application, subject to a lengthy list of conditions. The project was ultimately abandoned. MerNIA raised legitimate concerns and the collective voice of the neighborhood was heard. Most importantly, the Town of Meredith understood the issues at the site.
In 2015, Deep Water Marine Management, proposed a new, four-phased expansion on the site. The proposal included:
- additions to two large buildings,
- a water treatment system designed to prevent boat washing chemicals from flowing into the lake,
- the paving of an existing gravel area, and
- the installation of a storm water treatment plan.
MerNIA supported every effort to protect the lake water from runoff but objected to any further expansion of the boatyard operation. An application to construct and upgrade a boat wash building with a water treatment system was approved, while an application for an expansion of the second building was withdrawn. Also, the applicant agreed to alter the cosmetics of the approved building. Lastly, the Planning Board noted that the portable, temporary storage racks on the site were subject to limitations.
MerNIA viewed the above as a satisfactory resolution of this matter since the wash building/water treatment system would curb damage being done to the lake by boat wash runoff. Once again MerNIA's efforts were instrumental in informing decision makers of the development impacts to the neighborhood.
In summary, many residents who were here when Meredith established zoning regulations in 1971, remember Shep Brown’s as a neighborhood enterprise primarily serving the needs of local residents and summer property owners. A review of Planning Board minutes as early as 2003, and repeated thereafter, give evidence to the Planning Board's acknowledgement that this site could not sustain further development.
Today, MerNIA believes further development at this site will infringe on the peace and tranquility of the neighborhood, affect the safety and access to the water by town residents, and threaten the ecology and environment, all of which affects the integrity of the Shoreline District. MerNIA has been an influential voice of the neighborhood for over 20 years and is serious about its responsibility to do so for future generations.