SWAMPSCOTT — More than three years after a seawall collapsed beneath Mission on the Bay, plans for a permanent repair are beginning to move forward.
The Conservation Commission on Tuesday opened its review of a proposal that would replace the temporary emergency repair installed after the May 2023 collapse with a long-term shoreline stabilization project. The proposal could also bring a public boardwalk to the waterfront in front of the restaurant.
LEC Environmental Consultants President Ann Marton attended the meeting and gave commissioners a presentation on the current state of project plans. Marton said the proposal is the result of years of engineering studies, environmental review, and permitting discussions.
The preferred alternative is a stone revetment, a sloped barrier of large boulders designed to absorb wave energy before it reaches the seawall. The revetment would extend about 30 feet from the existing wall and tie into neighboring sections of shoreline on either side of the property, according to project plans.
Engineers also evaluated a concrete “sister wall” that would be constructed in front of the existing seawall, though Marton said ecological standards generally favor solutions that work with natural shoreline processes rather than adding another straight wall.
“Technically, there’s a preference to not have a hardening vertical structure along a seawall,” Marton said. “From an engineering perspective, the revetment is a softer approach than a wall might be.”
Project materials presented to the commission estimated the revetment would cost roughly $975,000 and take about four months to construct. The sister wall alternative was estimated at approximately $1.9 million and more than nine months of construction. Consultants also argued that the revetment would provide habitat benefits and require less long-term maintenance.
Marton said the revetment was designed to minimize impacts on natural resource areas while continuing to provide habitat for wildlife such as blue mussels that inhabit the area.
“The revetment is sloping to minimize the interaction of waves and tides and minimize disturbance to any of the other resource areas,” she said. “It will continue to provide habitat for the spawning period for blue mussels.”
Property owners and consultants are also in ongoing talks with state agencies that have resulted in another addition to the repair project.
As part of the Chapter 91 permitting process, which governs development along tidelands and public access to the waterfront, project representatives have proposed constructing an elevated boardwalk along the front of the restaurant.
“We spent a year plus talking to state agencies, in particular collaborating with Chapter 91 about permitting,” Marton said.
Those discussions led to the inclusion of a public-access boardwalk along the restaurant.
“They have pressed to provide public access along the shoreline at the street level, even though there is public access along the shoreline on the beach,” Marton said.
The boardwalk would be elevated above the revetment and remain open to the public. Portions would be located on both the Mission on the Bay property and adjacent town-owned land, although project representatives noted discussions with Chapter 91 officials are ongoing, and the final public-access requirements have not yet been determined.
Commissioners raised questions about lighting, wildlife impacts, and construction logistics. DPW Director Gino Cresta also expressed concerns about using nearby town-owned land in Linscott Park as a staging area for construction materials.
The commission ultimately continued the hearing to July 28 to allow time for a peer review and ongoing discussions with state permitting agencies.
Even if the permitting process moves forward smoothly, project representatives cautioned that construction is unlikely to be completed this year.
Marty Bloom, one of the property’s owners, said a contractor has already been selected and is prepared to begin work once permits and approvals are secured.
“The hard part is actually the easy part,” Bloom said. “The restaurant is now getting all the permits.”
