Wychmere Snow Inn Redevelopment Withdrawn

 HARWICH – The Wychmere Harbor Snow Inn redevelopment project has been withdrawn from both the Cape Cod Commission and the local planning board. 

 The Cape Cod Commission was scheduled to act on the development of regional impact application filed by Wychmere Harbor Real Estate LLC on March 27. However, in letters sent to both the commission and the planning board March 26, attorney Andrew Singer requested the withdrawals. 

“The applicant will not be proceeding with the redevelopment as previously submitted and will be exploring alternatives,” Singer wrote. He asked for withdrawal without prejudice, meaning the project could be brought back for review.

The project called for the demolition of the Snow Inn, a 30,810-square-foot structure with 32 guest rooms which dates to 1891, It was to be replaced with a new three-story, 84,000-square-foot hotel with 80 guest rooms and an 80-seat restaurant. A number of adjustments to the surrounding grounds were proposed, including an upgrade to stormwater management and a new flood-proof wastewater treatment facility to be located outside the flood zone.    

A commission subcommittee conducted several review sessions on the project over the past couple of months and had sent the application to the full commission with a negative recommendation. 

The project met with opposition from neighbors along Snow Inn Road and Davis Lane. Traffic, pedestrian safety and building massing were a few of the major concerns. 

Coastal resilience issues were a major focus in the hearings. The goal of the regional policy plan is to minimize development in the floodplain, plan for sea level rise, erosion and floods, and reduce the vulnerability of the built environment to coastal hazards.

 The commission staff said the applicant did not adequately demonstrate that there was no feasible alternative, that impacts were minimized, or that there was an overriding public purpose for the project. The increase in floor area, impervious footprint and intensity of use made the proposed project inconsistent with the redevelopment provision of the commission’s coastal resilience objectives, according to the staff report.

The applicant was seeking a waiver from certain coastal resiliency provisions, but commission staff said they did not identify a sufficient basis to support a waiver of strict compliance. The full commission did not have the opportunity to address the issue.

 Efforts to reach Singer for details on why the project was withdrawn were unsuccessful; an email response said Singer would be out of the office until April 23.