The attempt of Bay View Road owners to band together to curtail traditional use of the beach in front of their properties (limiting everyone else to a six-foot postage stamp at the end of the right-of-way) is clearly headed for trouble. You can’t legislate the feelings of people about traditional usage, about the logic of a beach as an extension of the sea and, as such, a free place.
There’s the whole issue of whether the private owners should be able to benefit from town-financed engineering that has increased the beach size. But even aside from that questionable ploy, the owners should think twice about this misguided attempt to reverse a long tradition.
Why pay all that money for waterfront, owners say plaintively, if you can’t keep it private? Well, there are a few reasons. There’s the waterview, for one thing. That’s a pretty nice feature of beachfront ownership, one would think.
What about your own easy access to the water? That’s got to be worth something.
Maybe if what you want is a remote beach all to yourself—if the sight of others recreating offends you—you shouldn’t buy in the middle of a beach traditionally used by fellow humans.
What about the astronomically high property taxes the beachfront property owners are forced to pay each year? If the land is private, why is it ok that the public gets to use it for free? The only solution, in my view, is to end the privatization of beach land, and let everyone use and enjoy the beaches. But that will never happen, of course, because the state will never give up the tax revenue.
The high property taxes are based on assessed value which includes, location, access to amenities, town services, VIEW, market rate to sell, lot size, house size and many other features. The homeowners are not assessed a separate assessment fee by the town for the engineering costs associated with the beach. The whole town pays to upkeep the erosion of the beach.
In MA public access is from the high water mark in all areas, the homeowners knew this when they purchased their properties, nothing new here. They also knew of the beach usage on this piece of waterfront when they bought.
I think the state would endorse ending privatization of beach rights, but deep pocket homeowners would fight it. There is some old law on the books, that makes MA one of the only states that allows this to happen on waterfront….
Moira – Actually, that’s not true – a property owner’s land is assessed separately from the home (the building). And their tax bill reflects it. And I’m afraid you’re also wrong about the state endorsing the end of the privatization of beach rights. Even someone as powerful as Senate President Wm. Bulger tried to pass legislation on this very issue, only to be shut down due to the enormous cost. (Homeowners would need to be compensated). It has never been raised as an issue since.