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HomeMy Public PortalAboutDraft_Rcs_Subgroup3 1 Draft Recommendations from the Sub-group Three: Wings, Saints, Little Breakwater, Spruce Hill Background We are responding to two fundamental "outside" trends. The first is rising sea levels and climate change. This leads to more frequent and greater individual-event storm surge threats, on top of king tides with sea levels which may be 3 ft higher by the end of the century. These in turn lead to faster erosion that sometimes includes beach access and parking infrastructure. The second is a growing demand for beach access from vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians and handicapped that far exceeds the supply. This is confirmed by the survey, and many individual conversations and observations. We note that, if we assume all the day stickers and two thirds of valid weekly stickers on a typical summers day use saltwater parking spots, there would be 166 spaces left for the ~6,600 seasonal stickers sold. That means space for 2.7% of seasonal stickers. This rises to 4.5% including all the freshwater spaces available. [based on current spaces and 2014 sticker data] Demand clearly outstrips supply. We also note that on peak days, people are willing to walk over half a mile. The MNH has to fend off about 40 or so people trying to park for beach access to Wing's Island on a busy summer day. People would also park that distance from Crosby beach until street parking was banned last year. Given the extent of private ownership, marshland and sensitive habitat in the coastal zone, Brewster can never meet this demand with sufficient 'close-to-beach' parking. Nor should it, because interference with the natural systems there makes the coastal zone more vulnerable to storm damage, and the things we spend money on are most likely to be destroyed in a few years. Also public parking should not be squeezed into residential neighborhoods. Brewster should add or designate more spaces for beach access on higher ground, wherever possible within walking distance of the less used beach areas. Even this will likely be insufficient to meet demand, so it is also in the commercial interests of the Town to explore the feasibility of shuttle services. A Brewster more like Eastham, where everyone who wants to can get to a beach on the best peak season beach days, would serve citizens, visitors and the local economy much better than today. With a lower than average season sticker price, there is immediate opportunity to fund investments for this higher level of service. We put our landings in two categories. For Saints and Little Breakwater, the recommendation is simple: use cost-effective measures to maintain as long as possible. These are not in the most vulnerable areas, but that does not mean they are safe. Because of their proximity to homes and private land, there is no opportunity to retreat or increase access, apart from remote parking and shuttle bus service. They have small public beach widths (180 ft and 65 ft), and higher than average "spots/100 beach feet" densities (Saints: 20 - highest in Town, Little B: 11, average 3). A pilot shuttle bus service ought to go to beaches that have more space. We 2 should carefully maintain the visual access from the northern parking spots at Little Breakwater, providing year round bay-view access for those with mobility challenges. For Wing's Island and Spruce Hill, the recommendation is to immediately initiate feasibility studies to develop substantially more access. These are major and neglected opportunities, perhaps the best in Brewster. They both have large areas of publicly usable beach (>3000ft and 645-820 ft), which are the most underutilized in Brewster (0 and 1.5 spaces per 100 ft, where the average is 3) While they both need access through conservation land and/or wetlands, that can be achieved safely with good design, as it is either already achieved, or being done in similar areas. Wing's Island is regularly used by the private non-profit Cape Cod Museum of Natural History in many of its educational programs. This highly-regarded institution is very successful and popular, has growing attendance and is a leading tourist attraction in Brewster's overall economy. The museum has ~ 150 yards of old-style floating/anchored boardwalk across the tidal wetlands, built about (30?) years ago, that is problematic, often breaking and going under water at high tide. It has to be maintained by the town. Just to the west is Drummer Boy Park, with large open spaces for parking, parts of which are often used for outside events in the summer. To the East of that is a section of recently acquired Conservation Land, which could have a trail to a new boardwalk crossing to Wing's Island. The shortest marsh crossing distance from here to Wings Island is 140 yards. We recommend a feasibility study to add ~100 designated stickered beach parking spaces in the general area behind the bandstand, with trail and modern helical pile boardwalk to Wings Island, looking at either connecting to the existing trail on the island, or to a new (~100 yard shorter) trail, to the western beach. This study should include simultaneous replacement of the existing ancient 'unfit for purpose' anchored platforms used in the crossing from MNH with a similar modern helical pile boardwalk. This approach would benefit both the Museum and the beachgoers. Currently the Museum needs four people out in the car parking areas to prevent eager beach parkers on busy days - over 40 vehicles a day have to be turned away. The walk from that parking to the beach is well over half a mile. The walk from Drummer Boy parking would be significantly less than half a mile. The museum would gain much more reliable Wings Island access, as well as some relief from the pressures of beach parking. The study should also look at the ways to integrate this added use at Drummer Boy with its existing uses, and at potential grant opportunities. Spruce Hill We recommend a feasibility study to increase parking here, initially to at least 60 spaces. It would cost very little to open access at the end of the pre-existing trail, which leads to over 800 ft of typically unused beach. Collapsing dilapidated storage sheds should be removed in any case, and with other open areas, plenty of parking area is available. Better organized parking could actually save some of the Spruce Trees from death by root compression, as the current parking is undesignated. There are no close abutters - open Town land to the east, and wooded area of Sea Camps to the west. The 3 trail surface on the cart-way could be slightly improved so it will work for pushchairs and buggies. It will not have handicapped beach access due to the stairs down from the dune, but there is potential visual access for the handicapped. If shuttle vehicles are ever added, they could even offer service along the trail, from car park to beach. We should be imaginative and cost effective in selecting the kind of low-impact, high-appeal, vehicle. The Brewster Historical Society has just relocated from the small building here. It is important to seek future uses for that building that either support summer tourism, or are not needed during the peak tourist season. We need to be able to use the space around it for summer beach parking. There is considerable capacity to expand beach parking here. This is also one likely parking alternative (along with Eddy School) for 'Eastern shuttle' remote parking, if that is needed. It is Town land that is both convenient from 6A, and for service to Point of Rocks, Ellis, Linnell and Crosby. However, these four additional beaches all have an above average ratio between parking and beach space, so opening the parking for Spruce Hill and Wings Island beaches is a higher priority. As Wing's Island depends in a new salt-marsh boardwalk, Spruce Hill could likely be achieved first. The stairs have to be replaced every few years. We should look for any more durable methods of building stairway access, or continue to maintain the stairs if there is no more cost-effective approach.