Eastham Panel Begins Review of Coastal Resilience Bylaw
Conservation · Meeting of September 15, 2026
Eastham Conservation Commission begins line-by-line review of a coastal flood-zone bylaw. Commission member Karen walked colleagues through a draft Coastal Resilience Zone overlay that would set the strictest new rules for the storm-exposed V-zone, ease up somewhat in the moderate wave action area, and loosen further inland in the MIWA, with floodplain consultants Shannon Hulse and Heather McElroy fielding technical questions. Member Chuck pushed for case-by-case flexibility after describing a Nikoho Way garage case he said was wrongly mapped into the V-zone; Hulse pointed instead to FEMA's existing letter-of-map-change process.
Hulse also noted the town of Chatham has barred new dwellings in its regular A-zone since the early 1990s. The commission is aiming to finish the bylaw by January so it can reach the May 2027 Town Meeting warrant, voting 6-0 to adjourn after nearly an hour and a half.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 3,243 words
Source: the Conservation meeting of September 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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