310 CMR, § 9.38

Current through Register 1536, December 6, 2024

Section 9.38 - Use Standards for Recreational Boating Facilities

(1)Public Recreational Boating Facilities. Any project that includes a public recreational boating facility, any portion of which is located on Commonwealth tidelands or Great Ponds, shall include measures to ensure patronage of such facility by the general public. In applying this standard the Department shall act in accordance with the following provisions:

(a) all vacant berths shall be assigned in a fair and equitable manner to the public patrons of said facility, by means of a waiting list or other comparably unbiased method; nothing in this provision shall be construed to prevent berthing assignments based on vessel characteristics, or the offer of first refusal rights to existing patrons of the facility who wish to relocate to a vacant berth;

(b) any contract or other agreement for exclusive use of berths at said facility shall have a maximum term of one year, and may be renewable upon each expiration for an additional period of up to one year;

(c) reasonable arrangements shall be made to accommodate transient boaters, including, at a minimum, a procedure for making any berth available for transient use during periods of vacancy in excess of 24 hours;

(d) all exterior pedestrian facilities on the project site shall be open to the general public, except where access restrictions are necessary in order to avoid significant interference with the operation of the facility or to maintain security at slips, ramps, floats, and other docking facilities; any such access restrictions shall be stated in the license.

(2)Private Recreational Boating Facilities.

(a) Any project that includes a private recreational boating facility, any portion of which is located on Commonwealth tidelands or Great Ponds, shall include measures to avoid undue privatization in the patronage of said facility. In applying this standard, the Department shall act in accordance with the following provisions:

1. no berth in a marina shall be assigned pursuant to any contract or other agreement that makes use of the berth contingent upon ownership or occupancy of a residence or other nonwater-dependent facility of private tenancy;

2. no berth in a marina shall be assigned pursuant to a contract or other agreement for exclusive use with a maximum term that exceeds one year, unless:

a. for existing marinas, the lease agreement, master lease agreement or notice thereof for such berths was recorded at the Registry of Deeds prior to July 6, 1990 in which event all berths subject to such agreement shall be exempt from the provisions of 310 CMR 9.38(2)(b); or

b. for new marinas or berths in an existing marina not grandfathered pursuant to 310 CMR 9.38(2)(a), the following conditions are met:

i. said marina is located on tidelands outside of Designated Port Area;

ii. the Department expressly authorizes the assignment of long-term exclusive use of such berths in the license, and the license includes a condition requiring written notification to any assignee that said license does not convey ownership of Commonwealth tidelands;

iii. the number of berths authorized in the license does not exceed 50% of the total berths in said marina; and

iv. said marina provides water-related public benefits commensurate with the degree of privatization, as deemed appropriate by the Department.

(b) No project shall include a private recreational boating facility with fewer than ten berths on Commonwealth tidelands or Great Ponds, if the Department receives written certification from the municipal official or planning board of the municipality in which the project is located that such facility does not conform to a formal, areawide policy or plan which establishes municipal priorities among competing uses of the waterway, unless the Department determines that such certification: