Tensions rise over delays for Harborview Restaurant and Marina

The Harborview Marina and Restaurant faces headwinds as it attempts to open as scheduled, and its founder Danny Warren has exchanged pointed fingers with the Wareham Planning Board, claiming their approval process for the building is dragging on. 

The project — a pavilion, restaurant, ice-cream stand and marina along the downtown waterfront — first broke ground in March 2022.

As the building nears completion, Warren has scheduled several events at the Harborview for early October, including the building’s grand opening, a retirement celebration for former Select Board member Alan Slavin and an event thrown by the Democratic Party celebrating the retirement of longtime State Senator Marc Pacheco. 

However, Warren said those events may have to be canceled, if Planning Board approval “drags on” beyond two weeks. 

“I need to know if it’s going to drag out, tell me now,” Warren said. “We can stop talking, I can go home and eat supper, and tomorrow, I’ll tell the DNC that ain’t happening, that we don’t got to worry about nothing anymore.”

Planning Board members insisted that the correct process needed to be followed. 

The construction of the Harborview building is complete, for the most part. The Planning Board is concerned with what’s not done: The landscaping around the building, including the trees, shrubs and grading. 

Ordinarily, all parts of a building need to be completed before it can open its doors to the public. However, the Planning Board can accept “surety” — a sum of money provided through cash, a bond or other measures — that acts as a guarantee from the landowner that they will complete the work, and lets the building open with a few t’s left to cross and i’s left to dot. 

Warren was willing to put up the required money — he offered to give the Planning Board $100,000 in cash the following day. He claimed he had made the same offer in discussion with the board the previous week, and that the board had quoted him several different figures before canceling a planned meeting to seal the deal. 

Planning Board Chair Carl Schulz accused Warren of “putting your schedule for opening on the Planning Board. That’s inappropriate,” he said. “That’s inappropriate. The process for approvals — we’re not making this up.”

“I agree totally. It’s inappropriate,” said Warren. “But it’s also inappropriate to say, ‘We’re going to come on Thursday and settle this,” then not do so, he added. 

Schulz said the Planning Board needed to follow its procedure for putting up surety: first the Planning Board had to accept it, then the Select Board needed to vote to approve it, then the Planning Board could vote to sign off on the project. 

Following a heated exchange between Warren and Schulz, the board voted to accept a $93,000 surety agreement, with Schulz abstaining, and planned to meet again Thursday, Sept. 19 following the next Select Board meeting. 

This timeline would allow for the Harborview project to be approved within two weeks. However, Planning Board members made it clear that even once they gave their approval, the town’s Division of Inspectional Services would still need to issue its own approval before the building could open. 

“Danny, we’re trying our best to make it happen,” said Planning Board member Sam Corbitt.