The Monomoy Civic Association’s bid to limit access to the public harbor beach at the end of Cathcart Road was unanimously rejected this week by the Nantucket Land Bank, which owns the property.
Citing “intense pressure from overuse” as well as public urination, speeding along Cathcart Road and excessive noise, the Monomoy homeowners told the Land Bank “the current situation does not appear to be sustainable. It does not reflect well on the Land Bank as stewards of open space on Nantucket.” The Monomoy Civic Association submitted a series of “recommendations” to the Land Bank, including limiting vehicle traffic to drop-off only, limiting open hours to daylight only, evaluating the capacity of the parking area, an partnering with the civic association moving forward. The Land Bank committed to adding a porta potty to the property, but declined to take any action on the other requests.
For Land Bank Commission Chair Neil Paterson, who was reelected in a landslide last month, the vote was about taking a stand to ensure public access to the waterfront.
“There’s been a slow erosion of public access and public rights, and from a personal point of view, I really dislike that,” Paterson said. “If you don’t take a stand for the public on something like this, where’s your backbone?”
Paterson said the requests by the Monomoy Civic Association to limit access to the public beach were in line with a disturbing trend on the island.
“It appears that a Long Island mentality is taking root on Nantucket,” Paterson said. “I’ve worked for these people and I’ll probably never work for them again after the way I’m taking a stand on this. But if we don’t take a stand, all access to beaches could be gone.”
For Evan Jones, the co-president of the Monomoy Civic Association, the decision to add a porta potty represented “real progress,” even if the group’s other recommendations were denied.
“We’re disappointed they want to continue things status quo,” Jones said. “It’s being used as a parking lot. The notion that Neil Paterson stated, that it’s being used for family recreation, I think that’s a stretch.”
Despite the unanimous vote, Jones hopes to continue the dialogue with the Land Bank because “this problem is not going to go away. With rising sea tides, this beach is often underwater, the cars are backed up to the harbor and the water is lapping at the wheels,” he said. “Monomoy residents are all for people having access to the waterfront, but there has to be a limit on what’s workable or people have to find other solutions.”
The Cathcart Road beach has grown immensely in popularity in recent years. The Land Bank purchased the property at the end of the public way in the year 2000 for $2.1 million. For several years it was not included on the town’s beach driving map, leading to complaints from neighbors, and in 2014, the town and the Land Bank briefly shut down access to the beach but immediately faced a public outcry and vandalism in protest of the move.
While acknowledging the growing popularity of the beach and its limited space and parking area, Land Bank executive director Jesse Bell said there are few options to relieve the pressure on the property. Expanding the parking lot would be a lengthy and expensive proposition given its proximity to the coastal bank and a wetland.
“It is what it is, and it’s self regulating,” Bell said. “If you go there and can’t find a spot, you have to turn around. It’s reached its carrying capacity and unfortunately, it’s a tough situation.”
