Dartmouth Conservation Commission Continues Potomska Pier Case, Awaits Harbormaster Sign-Off

Conservation · Meeting of January 13, 2026

Dartmouth Conservation Commission continues two public hearings and backs Buzzards Bay Coalition funding letter. The commission voted 6-0-0 on every action at its January 13 meeting, including continuing a residential pier application at 600 Potomska Road after Chair Michael Kehoe raised a procedural objection to voting without formal Harbormaster approval, a protocol the commission has historically followed. Engineer David Davignon of Schneider, Davignon and Leone presented a third pier design for the 600 Potomska Land Trust that staff consultant Mark Garrett called "probably the best option," with Conservation Agent Eduardo Fortes recommending a standard Order of Conditions including a $1,000 shellfish fund payment and a November-through-March construction restriction; the commission nonetheless continued the matter to January 27 to seek Harbormaster comment.

A second public hearing, for the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust's gravel road and parking project at 293 Flag Swamp Road, was also continued to January 27 after a stormwater report missed a one-day review window. The commission also extended an enforcement order deadline for an unpermitted Lake Noquochoke beach project at 38 Lakeside Avenue to February 10, 2026, and authorized a letter to the Community Preservation Committee supporting the Buzzards Bay Coalition's application for funds to acquire the Deval Field open-space parcel, with a filing deadline of January 26.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of January 13, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.