Projo — RI couple's lawsuit challenges whether CRMC has say over homeowners' seawalls. Why it matters.
When the Prudence Island lighthouse went from federal to local control — Prudence Island Light is now controlled by the Prudence Conservancy, a passage marked by a ceremony on June 1, 2024.
Dec 30, 2024
By Antonia Noori Farzan
Key Points
A blanket ban on new seawalls and rock revetments along certain parts of the coastline means that homeowners have limited ability to defend their properties against erosion.
A class action lawsuit seeks to overturn that policy, which would have major implications for Rhode Island's coastline.
Seawalls and other structural shoreline protection measures tend to make erosion in the surrounding area worse and cut off public access.
PORTSMOUTH – In 2018, Timothy and Anne-Marie Corbett paid $2.2 million for a four-bedroom home near Sandy Point Beach in Portsmouth. The real estate listing featured photographs of a lush, green lawn with panoramic Sakonnet River views and gushingly described it as "one of the most spectacular waterfront sites available."
Over the years, that lawn has grown smaller as the ocean has gotten closer. According to the Corbetts' lawyer, Michael A. Kelly, approximately 30 feet of the couple's property washed away in storms during the last two winters.
He blames the Coastal Resources Management Council, which prohibited the Corbetts from using heavy boulders to fortify the crumbling bluffs at the edge of their backyard – a defense mechanism that can help stave off erosion but often at the expense of neighboring properties and nearby beaches.
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