The Wicwas Dilemma - Conservation vs. Development
 

Do you have a right to build a house on your own land as long as you follow the local zoning ordinances?

This story is a microcosm of what is going on around all of the lakes or, perhaps, your cove or association on the big lake. Development vs. Conservation.

Brian Moriarty wants to build a home on an island he owns on Lake Wicwas. Others have gone to great lengths to protect the natural habitat such as obtaining conservation easments or even donating land to the LRCT and don't like the idea too much.

Follow the links below to a Citizen Article as well as the webpage "Save Lake Wicwas" which presents abutters concerns.

This is an interesting dilemma. I'll be curious to see how it plays out.

CITIZEN ARTICLE - "Island Home Ferry Sparks Controversy in Meredith"

SAVE Wicwas . com

Development?
 

The key words were "Spec House". IS this the future of this ramp and the affected land? IT's not one house it's multiple ones. Wicwas? That's a really small lake.

Once again, people attempt to use the government to thwart the rights of a landowner. Another case of I've got mine I don't want you to get yours. The guy has permits and should have a case about the boat ramp contingency which doesn't belong on a building permit. Boat ramps all over the state are used to move materials to island properties. Leave the guy alone and let him build his house......

c'mon now
 

If his plumbing isn't working will he be allowed to use any public rest rooms? After all, if he's like me, he could be tying that up for 10 minutes or more. Better go before the board on that one.

Use of public ramps
 

Ramps I believe were/are installed for recreational use not commercial. Let them use the construction/barge companies own piers. If they don't have any the next thing is to borrow Bob Bahres helicopter. :laugh:

How about a compromise?
 

The desire to prevent building on the lake/pond is unrealistic. The conservationists should focus their efforts on enforcing the Shorline Protection rules and work with the owners to build a minimal impact home....one that dissappears from view when viewed from the water. All very doable with colors and tree screening.

The ramp restiction HAS TO BE illegal and contestable in court. It is a public ramp and, unless there are explicit exclusions as to it's use, it can be used for any lawful purpose.

I sympathize with the conservationists, but I'm sure this won't be the last home built on the lake....island or not.

Huh?
 

Then call them recreational ramps, not public ramps, Until then, bring on the barge

Been there
 

Having built on an undeveloped waterfront lot in Meredith 4 years ago. I can sympathize with the developer. At the time I was the homeowner and wonder if there would be as much uproar if this wasn't a subdivision (a whole 2 houses).



If they lot owners want the island to remain undeveloped they should offer to buy the land as is done on Squam. If they are not ready for this type of investment then they should work with the builder to find some middle ground. Calling a 2400 sq/ft house a McMansion is not a good start..........

isn't the boat ramp on Lake Wicwas a narrow hand-carry only ramp for use by kayak, canoes and boats that can be carried as opposed to a boat on a trailer. It was designed narrow and has a locked post to restrict the use of trailered boats. Plus there is no normal access driveway for a vehicle to manuever a trailer. Considering that this boat put-in was intended to be a hand- carry only ramp seems to exclude a construction barge and using the ramp area for staging construction materials. A hand-carry only ramp has an intended design that gives an easment to kayak, canoes and similar boats like fly-fishing mini-pontoon floats and would be intended to exclude trailered motor boats and constrction barges even if they are not motorized. This boat -put in is not your standard motorboat ramp. It is a canoe carry ramp that excludes trailered motorboats.

Wrong ramp
 

FLL, you must be thinking of a different ramp, maybe on Pemi Lake. The one on Wicwas is completely paved and almost 2 boats wide. Plenty of boats use it every weekend based on the # of empty trailers on the side of the road.

Oops, nmust be I have the two lakes confused. Thanks for pointing that out.
It reminds me a little bit of the Shep Brown Boat Basin, also in Meredith, wanting to build some new storage sheds about two years ago. The large turn-out of people against that had everything to do with the selectmen's decision to deny with prejudice. The politics of the decision vs the opposing legal arguments. I bet it's not an easy decision for the Meredith selectmen.

Building Permit Appealed
 

The saga CONTINUES.

Wondering why one has to subscribe online to read...mcdude if it's possible can you just give us a rundown on the article? Thanks it's appreciated! :)

Landowner?
 

Yes, but this spec-builder is on the Moultonboro Board of Selectmen.

As a government insider, he can thwart rules in building a spec-house. (And you don't want just any old spec-house built next to you. Ask me how I know).

He was recently quoted as saying: Translation?

He will be trucking building materials across protected Wetlands.

Lake Wicwas is also the drinking water source for the Town. You want a leach-field on an island there?

Some "landowner".

Sorry that link doesn't work without signing in. This "signing-in" thing is something relatively new for the Citizen....

Anyway....this guy wants to build a house on an island on Lake Wicwas. Some of his neighbors have gotten together and appealed the building permit. Things are now on hold, yet there are certain time frames that the builder must meet to be in compliance with the building permit....(Reader's Digest version)

"The Lake Wicwas Association and Brooks Banker have appealed Edney's issuance of the building permit to the Zoning Board of Adjustment that will meet next on Nov. 10. Dean Dexter also appealed the decision, but missed the filing deadline, according to planning officials." - from the Citizen Article.

An aside to the Foster's article...signing in is free, unlike the Granite State News.

....only a matter of time.....
 

UPS - I predict that it will only be a matter of time before one will have to buy a subscription to read the CITIZEN on-line as well. (Why else would they have started this "signing-in" thing?) Then we'll have to rely on this forum even more to get local lake news! :cool:

....the saga continues....
 

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll...049/-1/CITIZEN

PS - this link does NOT require signing in.

Mr. Brooks' Lake?
 

Jeese.....if the approval process for all properties required mitigation of all the factors posed my Mr. Brooks, there would be no further development in NH, period. I guess he should have bought the island years ago.:rolleye2:

It asked me to sign in McDude.I'm not really concrened with what this site will do with my info because you probably would have posted if there were problems,but I do have a problem in general,registering to see a website.I don't like it!

Just get a yahoo email
 

Just get a yahoo email and use that to register, all the spam will go there. More and more places are requiring registration. It seems like just recently all the newspapers I read switched over.

BTW if you're really concerned about your privacy, just don't go on the internet. Check out this site, in a few seconds you'll realize it's already to late.

http://www.geobytes.com/IpLocator.htm

Login Bypass
 

This works on most:

http://www.bugmenot.com/

It worked on the citizen login for me.

By the way, the geobytes we site showed me in a city, 20 miles away, not particularly accurate.

Lake Group to buy island.
 

Looks like a compromise is coming on Lake Wicwas.

http://www.unionleader.com/article.a...4-a765fa28e7ae