Snow Inn Project Goes Before Cape Cod Commission Dec. 16

 HARWICH – A Cape Cod Commission subcommittee will begin the development of regional impact review for the latest version of the redevelopment of the Snow Inn Hotel on Dec. 16. 

The subcommittee will hold a public hearing on the plans to raze the existing hotel and construct a 75,322-square-foot, 72-room facility in its place.

This will be the second attempt this year by Wychmere Harbor Real Estate to obtain development of regional impact (DRI) approval from the Cape Cod Commission to demolish the historic inn and construct a new hotel in its place. An earlier proposal to construct an 83,307-square-foot, 80-room hotel where the inn now stands was withdrawn last March after a commission subcommittee, which conducted several sessions in reviewing the DRI, sent a negative recommendation to the full commission. 

The project had been met with a lot of opposition from residents along Snow Inn Road and Davis Lane over traffic concerns. The subcommittee also cited coastal resilience concerns when issuing its recommendation.   

 Wychmere’s attorney Andrew Singer said the purpose of the withdrawal was to “explore alternatives.”  

 A new application was filed with the planning board in October and was forwarded to the Cape Cod Commission for a DRI review. The proposal downsizes the building and reduces the number of rooms. It also moves the 40-year old wastewater treatment facilities out of the floodplain.

 The Snow Inn has been around in various configurations since 1892. The present structure exists in two buildings: the hotel complex at 34,860 square feet and 32 rooms and the inn at 30,810 square feet, and the adjacent Channel House is 4,050 square feet. The proposal calls for a 75,322 square-foot hotel with 72 rooms.

The present wastewater treatment facility, located in the hotel, will be redeveloped and relocated outside the floodplain. The project also calls for extensive stormwater management upgrades on and off site to significantly control and improve existing runoff from offsite that flows along Snow Inn Road and into the harbor and into the town-owned Merkel Beach conservation area, according to the project narrative.  

The narrative includes a parking management plan and cites the availability of offsite parking to reduce traffic on Snow Inn Road. The proposal includes 207 spaces. The management plan calls for 100 percent valet parking on site and proposes to time events to address peak demands, including availability of parking and operational flow.

No changes are proposed to the building, services, and amenities located on the outer perimeter of the Beach Club property, including adjacent to the Wychmere Harbor Channel and Nantucket Sound, according to the narrative. 

The commission’s subcommittee hearing will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 5 p.m. at the community center.