Orleans Conservation Commission Continues Boathouse Hearing to June 16

ORLEANS — May 19, 2026 — Orleans Conservation Commission continues contested Pleasant Bay boathouse case, approves three other actions. The commission voted 7-0 Tuesday to continue a Notice of Intent filed on behalf of Shawn Delude for a proposed renovation of a historic boathouse at 0 South Orleans Road — a structure dating to at least 1938 that sits partially within a salt marsh in the Pleasant Bay Area of Critical Environmental Concern — to June 16, after members raised unresolved questions about flood-zone floor elevation requirements, the necessity of electrical service, construction debris management in the salt marsh, and whether the project qualifies as a water-dependent use. Conservation Agent John Jannell read state DEP comments into the record warning that construction matting in the salt marsh may constitute regulated fill, and that a Chapter 91 Waterways license will be required before construction can begin. The commission separately voted 7-0 to issue a Certificate of Compliance to Cape Cod Healthcare for its completed medical office building at 42 Route 6A, and 7-0 to approve erosion-stabilization work and removal of two beetle-infested pitch pines at 1 Sandbar Lane — with a condition that the removed trees be taken off site. A request from homeowner Matthew Schmidt to remove three pine trees at 10 Larboard Lane was held without action pending submission of a sketch plan showing native canopy replacement trees at a minimum 1-to-1 ratio.