Frustrations over proposed Safe Harbor plan continue

Residents continued to air their frustrations about Safe Harbor expanding its footprint at a Conservation Committee meeting Wednesday, March 18. 

Both board members and residents were concerned about how the project would change the town’s aesthetics and impact the neighborhood it sits in.

Safe Harbor Marina, located at 3 Green St., is looking to tear down and replace two buildings currently servicing the marina. The larger is used for boat repairs, while the smaller houses office space. 

This marina is among several a Dallas, Texas based organization owns and runs. Private equity firm Blackstone bought the organization for $5.65 billion in April 2025.

Safe Harbor Marinas purchased the property from Brewer Yacht Yard in 2017.

Conservation Commission member Paulajean O’Neill said she was concerned the new buildings would change the neighborhood’s look. She requested a picture or schematics of how the marina looked before and how it might look after the project is complete. 

Safe Harbor’s Attorney Steve Guard requested clear explanations of the town’s aesthetic requirements. Guard said the larger of the buildings will expand slightly but look mostly the same as the current steel structure. 

Wareham resident James Morrisey said he has lived in town since the ‘80s and has already seen the area change. He said he doesn’t want to have to look at a building wall from his backyard.

“The aesthetics are very important and I wish the board would take that into consideration,” Morrisey said during the meeting. 

Rebecca Hensley said the Safe Harbor plan seems to be an expansion, not a simple upgrade like Safe Harbor representatives claimed. 

“We live next to and among a neighborhood marina, and have for as long as we've ever known it,” Hensley said. “Now we're being asked to live next to a marine services building, which is a very different thing.”

Scott Soby asked the Safe Harbor team why they think there has been so much public interest in their project since many residents attend the commission meetings. 

Guard responded there is interest since it's a business in a residential neighborhood. 

“Everybody wants to look at this like it's an expansion of the operation— it's not,” Guard said. “It's a reconfiguration of the operation and much of the operation will be then put inside the building.”

Resident Tim Bigelow said he was concerned the marina would take business away from small boat owners in the area. 

He also requested the Select Board, Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals be involved in the process before the Conservation Commission authorizes them to continue. 

“If we go through the process and we say, ‘Well, from a Conservation Commission perspective, it's okay,’ it feels like it can be a rubber stamp for the next group,” Bigelow said. 

O’Neill asked how many customers Safe Harbor will be able to serve once their new project is complete. 

Guard said Safe Harbor will accept fewer clients once the new project is complete, since the marina will focus on clients with bigger boats. 

“Small boats can't afford to go into this building,” he said. “They generally will find other accommodations because we have less space for small boats, and bigger boats can go in.”

The commission requested Safe Harbor return with 3D schematics and a specific plan for the vegetation they want to use for the next hearing. 

The next Conservation Commission meeting discussing Safe Harbor is scheduled for Wednesday, June 3.