Monday's storm further threatens Truro beach house

2022-06-15 14:56:25 By : Mr. Yu Bai

TRURO — A historic boathouse-turned-home at Ballston Beach may have become a little more precariously perched after Monday's storm, which brought fierce waves and high winds to the Outer Cape.

The owners of the home at 133 South Pamet Road are already scheduled on Jan. 24 to ask the Zoning Board of Appeals for a variance to move the house back from the edge of the dune.

"I just went out there," Benjamin Zehnder, a lawyer who represents owners Tom and Kit Dennis, said Tuesday. "It looks like there's been some significant eroding of the coastal dune."

There may or may not be a new urgency, as a result of the storm, Zehnder said.

"I don't even know," he said. "I got a call from the (town) building inspector this morning about the erosion and I've been reaching out to the various people that we need to talk to to understand what the impact is on permitting. But at this point, again, I was just made aware of this this morning."

The property owners will do whatever they can to protect the house and the environment, Zehnder said.

The intention is to move the house back and onto an adjoining property that is also owned by the Dennis family, Zehnder said. That is the original reason for the Jan. 24 zoning board hearing, he said.

"I'm not sure whether the board will grant that permission or not," Zehnder said.

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The Dennis family already received permission in August from the town Conservation Commission to make the planned move back from the edge of the dune, Truro Health and Conservation Agent Emily Beebe said Tuesday. A possible emergency certification could be considered by the commission if needed, Beebe said.

The family bought the 1,500-square-foot renovated boathouse in 2014 for $825,000 in a self-described rescue mission, according to a 2015 interview. Kit Dennis said at the time she fell in love with the boathouse for its relaxed feel and tolerance for sandy feet and wet bathing suits. By 2015, the couple had already moved the house back from the dune's edge once. 

The couple also bought the former Kline house at 27 Stephens Way in South Truro when the waterfront structure was the subject of an extended court case between the town and the wife of the builder. The Dennis family and the town ultimately reached a mediated $3 million settlement.