Planning Board, residents talk Bay Point Club concerns

May 3, 2022

In a meeting dedicated solely to the Bay Pointe Club Monday night, Planning Board members and current Bay Pointe residents alike discussed current problems and plans for the future.

Developer Stonestreet Corporation President Tim Fay presented the company’s plans for Bay Pointe’s next phase, if its purchase of several acres of land from the town proceeds smoothly. He also reviewed the history of the property, going back into the 1960s to explain the flip-flopping ownership of the about 100 acres of land.

Stonestreet, a Rhode Island-based development company, bought the Bay Pointe Club in 2012. The property includes a golf course and townhouses, which are being built and opened for occupancy in several phases.

Dubbed Windward Pines, the project was tied up for years as the developer, Rhode-Island based Stonestreet Corporation, and the Planning Board clashed over issues of lot sizes and wastewater treatment.

In January 2016, the Planning Board approved the plans, but imposed several conditions. Stonestreet officials objected and filed suit in Land Court. Eventually, the differences were settled by mediation. Planning Board members approved the plans in August 2017.

Now, Fay is working to acquire a 6.5-acre plot of land currently owned by the town on Onset Avenue. Fay said the land would allow the developer to complete its entrance on Bay Pointe Drive.

Fay also talked about an agreement between Bay Pointe Club and Bay Pointe Village over the ownership of a central pump station on the property. The Stonestreet executive worked out a written agreement in the past, he said, to finalize who owns and maintains the pump — the Bay Pointe Club.

Residents brought that and more issues to the table that they felt should be addressed before the developer is granted the ability to proceed with its next phase of development.

More than a dozen residents have submitted letters to the Planning Board detailing their worries about Bay Pointe’s next phase of development, as they say there are still issues with their already constructed homes.

The first resident to approach the board, Sheila Hastings, said she wanted to know what would happen to the pump agreement if a new developer takes over the property.

Fay confirmed that the agreement would live on and be sold along with the property if that ever happened. No such sale is currently being discussed.

Another resident asked if Phase IV of Bay Pointe’s residential development would include netting for houses that line the back of the ninth hole of the golf course.

A major point of worry, residents said over and over again, are the sidewalks and streetlights along the road between homes now. The solar-powered lights are too dim, several residents said, and the lack of accessible sidewalks worried many residents, some of whom have difficulty walking.

Charlie Rowley, an engineer whom the Planning Board frequently consults, said earlier in the meeting that the planned sidewalks should also have curb cuts to provide reasonable access to people with mobility issues.

After a quick back-and-forth, Fay said he was happy to put in access ramps quickly, assuming that wouldn’t trigger other ADA-required changes to the homes’ parking lots.

The meeting was continued to May 9, where public comment will also be heard.