SOURCE: HULL ZBA. CLICK THE IMAGE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PROJECT.

By Christopher Haraden

Two days before the zoning board of appeals was scheduled to vote on the proposal for nine townhouses at the foot of Allerton Hill, the developer withdrew its challenge to the planning board’s denial of the project at 839-845 Nantasket Avenue.

The ZBA heard a total of six hours of testimony over two weeks and scheduled a vote for Wednesday, September 2 on The Point Nantasket Realty LLC’s appeal of the planning board’s unanimous rejection during the site plan review process. Had Wednesday’s hearing gone forward, the board could have upheld the May 14 denial or sent the project back to the planning board for further action.

Click here to read the full letter to the ZBA from the developer’s attorney

In a letter dated August 31, attorney Adam Brodsky informed ZBA Chair Richard Hennessey that his client – the development team of Chris Reale of Hingham, who formerly owned the Paragon Boardwalk property at Nantasket Beach, and Hingham builder Tom Fleck, whose father once ran the boat yard at the site – “voluntarily dismisses its appeal of the planning board’s denial of site plan review and the building commissioner’s denial of a building permit.”

The developer proposed building nine “residential cottages” connected by a common deck at the former Sunset Marine property, as well as a pavilion, boat ramp, boardwalk, and other amenities on approximately 3.28 acres. The proposal called for demolishing the existing structures, which have been boarded up and surrounded by fencing for years, and repairing the existing dock.

The property was previously operated as a combination of residential and marine-related uses. The Point Nantasket has a purchase-and-sale agreement with ARC DC, which purchased the site, once owned by businessman William R. Kelley, from a court-appointed receiver for $1.05 million in 2018.

Brodsky did not respond to a request for information about whether the developers plan to submit a revised plan or if they are abandoning the project. In 2021 and 2023, Reale and the eventual developer of the Boardwalk site, the Procopio Companies, withdrew their applications before votes were taken by local boards. Procopio later won approval of a slightly different project at 189-197 Nantasket Avenue.

While the Allerton plans were under review, the property owner fenced off a privately owned boat ramp at U Street that had traditionally been used by recreational boaters and the town’s fishing fleet. The owner cited insurance liability and denied that the move was retaliation against neighbors who voiced opposition to the plan.

In its denial, the planning board cited inadequate time “to properly evaluate the project” and said that the applicant had not provided enough information. The developer asserted that the board had overstepped its authority and bowed to pressure from project opponents.

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