Just last week it looked as though the year-long battle between residents of the Stone Harbour Condominium Association and Thames Street Landing over the latter’s plan to build a pool boat adjacent to their waterfront tent site was going to happen against the objections of the Stone Harbor residents.

The proposed pool boat, to be docked and serve as an amenity for the use of Bristol Harbor Inn guests, has been a source of contention for Stone Harbour residents since it was first proposed in the spring of last year.

In December, Attorney Mark Ryan, representing the Stone Harbor Condominium Association, submitted a letter to the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) requesting that they refuse to schedule a hearing on the matter of the Bristol Harbor Inn’s proposed pool boat, due to the application allegedly being incomplete.

According to Ryan’s letter, dated Dec. 13, 2024, the application file lacks “crucial information needed for a comprehensive review by the Council” leaving the Association concerned that CRMC will be unable to make a sufficiently informed determination as to whether the proposal qualifies as a "vessel.” The Stone Harbor Association also assert that the plants were conceptual, while the project calls for detailed marine architectural and engineering plans from a qualified marine engineer; that details of the manufacturer of the proposed pool boat have not been provided; and plans regarding ADA compliance are inadequate.
Ryan also asserted that more detail was needed regarding how Thames Street Landing would manage the pool boat in the event of a storm; and that Thames Street Landing has not provided details on a barricade that was requested by the Bristol Harbor Commission, and a wave attenuator that the letter says is a “crucial component” for the success and safety of the project.

CRMC report seemed to dismiss Stone Harbour’s concerns

On May 2, The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) released a 25-page report on the issue that dismissed virtually every assertion made by opponents of the pool boat, many of which claimed that Thames Street Landing’s plans were insufficient for review. CRMC’s report suggested that they found Thames Street Landing’s application — for a marine expansion with five additional new pilings, an additional new ramp, and a wave fence in addition to the pool boat — sufficiently complete.

A meeting was held on Tuesday, May 13 to decide the matter.
Lawyers for both Thames Street Landing and Stone Harbour spoke at the meeting, with Attorney Thomas Moses, representing Stone Harbour, advocating strongly for a hearing, arguing that a precedent set in a similar case in Jamestown, where a CRMC approval of a boat year expansion project was vacated, meant that a hearing must happen. He also mentioned the numerous letters that have been sent in objection to the proposed plan.

“Any request for a hearing rises to the level of needing to have a hearing,” Moses said.

For Thames Street Landing, Attorney Seth Handy argued that the standards for a substantive objection have not been met in this case.
After a hearing that lasted a little less than an hour, the Coastal Resources Management Council decided that there are still questions with the application that need to be addressed.

“Last night, despite the recommendations from the CRMC staff and their counsel, the board voted unanimously to send the application to a hearing officer or subcommittee,” said Howard Sutton, President of the Stone Harbour Condominium Association.

Parties on both sides of the issue will have an opportunity to speak at the next public meeting, which will be scheduled within 45 days.
“We are please that the CRMC board realized that this is a contested issue,” said Sutton. “We look forward to aggressively pursuing our case.”

With additional reporting by Christian Silvia.