CRMC Subcommittee Votes After Delays Regarding Illegal Country Club Seawall

CRMC Subcommittee Votes After Delays Regarding Illegal Country Club Seawall

Two weeks after Save the Bay issued a letter blasting the RI Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) for deciding to postpone the Policies and Procedures Subcommittee’s hearing for the second month in a row regarding the proposed water type downgrade alongside Quidnessett Country Club, a move that the group said further delays the removal of Club’s illegally built 600-foot seawall, the tide has turned.

On Wednesday, the Subcommittee met and voted unanimously to recommend that the full Council deny the water type change petition submitted by Quidnessett Country Club.

“This was a responsible vote by the subcommittee not to change the rules at the behest of a violator,” stated Topher Hamblett, executive director of Save The Bay. “However, we still contend that the politically appointed Council should not have entertained the petition in the first place and have only aided Quidnessett Country Club’s efforts to circumvent the law. Now it is time for the full Council to put an end to this illegitimate process by upholding its own subcommittee’s recommendation and uphold the enforcement order requiring this illegally-built wall to come down followed by immediate restoration of the shore.”

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Save that Bay said, "It has been over 470 days since CRMC’s staff issued an enforcement order to Quidnessett Country Club to take down the wall and restore the shore. The illegally-built wall continues to impair shoreline access, and negatively impact Narragansett Bay."