NEW CASTLE — A Kittery Point Yacht Club proposal to install a new dock in the back channel of the Piscataqua River off Goat Island has hit murky waters, five-plus months after being granted variances for the project by the New Castle Zoning Board of Adjustment .
The 68-year-old yacht club, located in New Castle on the river’s southern shore with Portsmouth Naval Shipyard on Seavey Island in the backdrop, is restating its case to build the new dock. It would be built on land the club purchased from an abutter in late 2022. Club leaders originally sought approval from the town to build a 150-foot-long dock, but after receiving pushback they have since reduced the proposal to 100 feet.
In February, New Castle's Select Board requested a hearing to appeal the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s decision in January to approve the project, alleging it erred in granting the variances. The rehearing process is underway, with the dock proposal set to be taken up again by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on July 10.
Kittery Point Yacht Club makes case for dock, again
Club leaders say the dock would provide a safer route in the back channel for its student sailors and instructors compared to its current dock on the river, while contending the club isn’t expanding and potentially adding to traffic on Route 1B. Despite the presence of other nearby docks, an attorney for the Select Board has argued the club’s proposed dock would alter the character of the neighborhood, disrupt navigation within the back channel, increase foot traffic along the roadway and elevate the risk of accidents involving pedestrians and passing motorists.
Chief among the club's primary goals is to have a second safer access point to the water, according to Kittery Point Yacht Club dockmaster and board of directors member Doug Pinciaro.
“We’re not creating the ‘Dock Mahal’ here,” he said. “This is something that’s practical for the use of the members of the club.”
“We’re trying to build a nice club, not a bigger club,” added Dave Severance, treasurer for the club and a board of directors member.
The latest rendering for the proposal has shaved off 25 feet from each end of the dock, bringing it down to 100 feet in length.
What is the Kittery Point Yacht Club?
The Kittery Point Yacht Club serves roughly 400 children in its sailing school annually, which is open to the public and not only members, according to Severance. Offering the second dock in the back channel would distribute the mix of youth, teenage and adult sailors between the proposed structure and the existing dock on the river at the club’s primary property across the street.
“We’re not trying to block the channel. We want to be using this channel. For us to construct something that would block things, that doesn’t make sense for this,” Severance said. “We’ve looked at this a million ways. We want to build something as least impactful and (build something) that’s fitting into the entire scenery as (best) we possibly can.”
Critics of new dock raise concerns in New Castle
Safety along the quick current of the Piscataqua River is paramount to the club and a driving force behind the proposal for a second dock, though safety risks on the adjoining roadway have been a frequent counterpoint raised by critics of the project.
After New Castle's Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the Select Board’s request for a rehearing on the proposal, a public hearing was held about the dock in May. Minutes from the May 21 meeting show Select Board attorney Jason Reimers argued the proposal doesn’t qualify for the town’s five criteria points for zoning relief, in addition to saying the dock would affect views and usage of the back channel and create safety concerns with heavier foot traffic crossing the causeway.
Kittery Point Yacht Club countered.
“The club feels that the dock will promote public health and safety, and will not diminish surrounding property values or change the essential character of the community,” the public minutes from the May 21 meeting state.
Select Board members Bill Stewart, the board chairperson, Jane Finn and Pamela Cullen did not respond to multiple requests for comment this week.
Local high school sailing coaches and club members spoke in favor of the proposal on May 21, while some New Castle residents spoke against the project, claiming the dock could disrupt the aesthetics of the back channel, affect navigation and increase traffic.
Club leaders said town public safety personnel could use the proposed dock as a launch if the need for a water rescue ever arises.
“In our opinion, we’ve been very accommodating to the town of New Castle. We get it. There are people that don’t want to see anything here,” Pinciaro said. “We would really like to just gain access. This has been a fishing village for 400 years now. Why did people move to New Castle as fishermen? For access to the ocean … We are here at this yacht club because of access. The town is basically trying to deny us access, which is, in my opinion, not right.”
“Nobody has looked at this probably more than Doug and I,” Severance said. “At the end of the day, we want to build something nice that can be appreciated by everybody and be used by everybody.”
If eventually approved, the dock would be installed between November 15 and March 15, 2025 to avoid disruption to the sturgeon population in the back channel, per the May 21 meeting minutes.
The plan would eventually require approval from New Castle’s Planning Board, in addition to the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services in a separate process.
Prior to being heard by the Zoning Board of Adjustment, the town building inspector rejected the club’s proposal. Pinciaro said the club expected the building inspector to oppose the plan because it did not meet building specifications.
Town Administrator Michael Tully did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
The July 10 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting will be held at 7 p.m. in the Macomber Room at 301 Wentworth Road.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: It not a 'Dock Mahal': Kittery Point Yacht Club urges New Castle to approve new dock
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