Dune Shack District Preservation and Use Plan/Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect
 
Date Start Time End Time Time Zone Location
May 10, 2011 5:30 PM 7:00 PM Province Lands Visitor Center
off Race Point Road
Provincetown, Massachusetts
508-487-1256

A public meeting to discuss the plan is scheduled for May 10, 2011, from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at Province Lands Visitor Center, off Race Point Road, Provincetown.

 
Description:
The Dune Shack Historic District Preservation and Use Plan/Environmental Assessment/Assessment of Effect (EA) is available for review by the public. Please join us at the public meeting. The purpose of the EA is to establish a Dune Shack Historic District Preservation and Use Plan that provides clear direction and consistency for NPS managers, dune shack dwellers, users, and advocates.

The EA addresses stewardship, access, and occupancy of the historic district. Under the preferred alternative, the public would continue to have daytime access to the historic district on foot, with vehicle tour operators, and on guided ranger programs. Non-profit groups would continue to provide opportunities for overnight stays by the general public. To perpetuate historic district traditions, private residential use would continue under the NPS competitive leasing program. Periods of occupancy by individuals and non-profit groups would range from three to twenty years depending on the administrative instrument. The objective would be to achieve a balanced mix of uses, in which approximately 40% of the shacks would be used as private residences; 40% would be used by non-profits with opportunities for public overnight stays; and the remaining 20% would be allocated to either category. Individuals or groups that occupy the shacks would continue to perform preservation maintenance and bear the maintenance costs. The addition of amenities, such as solar panels, septic systems, and electricity would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. The EA briefly discusses several alternatives that were considered but subsequently dismissed from detailed analysis. These include: operating the shacks as bed and breakfast businesses; using all the shacks as private residences and eliminating overnight use by the public; vacating the buildings and interpreting the district as a museum; using the shacks as backcountry shelters; using volunteers to maintain the shacks in exchange for occupancy.

Meeting Directions/Instructions:
Province Lands Visitor Center is located approximately 1-1/4 miles down Race Point Road from its intersection with state Route 6.