NewburyportNews.com, Newburyport, MA
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OLD OPINION
Letter: Harbor Commission has no jurisdiction over parking
Published: January 30, 2008
To the editor:
As a former member of the Harbor Commission (I retired from the commission at the end of 2006 after serving nine years), I have read with considerable interest the article and letters in The Daily News about the commission's Jan. 10 public hearing to consider the water sheet application for expansion of the Newburyport Hilton Marina.
While I did not attend that meeting, I did participate in a great many meetings that reviewed water sheet applications and from what I can gather from the article and the letters, particularly the Jan. 19 letter from my former colleague Josiah Morrill, the commission's required procedures, as specified by the city ordinances, were followed faithfully. The area of greatest concern, apparently, was parking and here, as Mr. Morrill, noted, the Harbor Commission has no jurisdiction; its jurisdiction ends at the water's edge.
The city ordinance has a requirement of 1.2 parking spaces per slip, but the Harbor Commission has no authority to require the water sheet applicant to submit a parking plan. The commission's obligation is to report the total number of required parking spaces to the Newburyport code enforcement officer, whose responsibility it is to follow up to ensure compliance.
Those who are concerned about parking should ensure that this individual exercises his responsibility in this case.
EDWARD I. BARZ
Newburyport
As a former member of the Harbor Commission (I retired from the commission at the end of 2006 after serving nine years), I have read with considerable interest the article and letters in The Daily News about the commission's Jan. 10 public hearing to consider the water sheet application for expansion of the Newburyport Hilton Marina.
While I did not attend that meeting, I did participate in a great many meetings that reviewed water sheet applications and from what I can gather from the article and the letters, particularly the Jan. 19 letter from my former colleague Josiah Morrill, the commission's required procedures, as specified by the city ordinances, were followed faithfully. The area of greatest concern, apparently, was parking and here, as Mr. Morrill, noted, the Harbor Commission has no jurisdiction; its jurisdiction ends at the water's edge.
The city ordinance has a requirement of 1.2 parking spaces per slip, but the Harbor Commission has no authority to require the water sheet applicant to submit a parking plan. The commission's obligation is to report the total number of required parking spaces to the Newburyport code enforcement officer, whose responsibility it is to follow up to ensure compliance.
Those who are concerned about parking should ensure that this individual exercises his responsibility in this case.
EDWARD I. BARZ
Newburyport
