Effort Underway to Save Chappaquiddick Home on Eroded Bluff
Sara Brown

Wasque Point is a remote place; this is the far southeastern corner of Chappaquiddick, an island off an island. The name comes from the Algonquin word Wannasque, which means “the ending.” Where the land ends, there is nothing but Atlantic Ocean, dotted with flocks of scoters bobbing where the waves break, and then it’s ocean as far as the eye can see.

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As Plan Unfolds to Move House at Wasque Point, Trustees Have Concerns
Sara Brown

While elaborate plans continue to unfold for moving a large Chappaquiddick house, the Edgartown conservation commission is grappling with a new issue: whether actions taken to stem the erosion can continue after the house is moved.

For months, the situation unfolding at Wasque Point where a rapidly eroding coastal bluff is swiftly approaching an 8,800-square-foot house, has captivated the Island.

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MVC Eases Ruling that Could Have Blocked Relocation of Erosion-Threatened Home
Sara Brown

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday approved changes to a 22-year-old decision regarding a Chappaquiddick subdivision, removing an obstacle to possible relocation of the Schifter house.

In 1990, the MVC approved O. Stevens Leland Jr. and Timothy Leland’s application to divide a 27-acre parcel of land adjacent to Poucha Pond into a four-lot subdivision.

One lot was deeded to O. Stevens Leland, who built a house there in 2001.

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Schifter House May Be Moved
Sara Brown

Plans are underway to relocate a large house on Wasque Point that is threatened by a rapidly eroding shoreline.

The bluff on Richard and Jennifer Schifter’s Chappaquiddick property has been eroding at a rate that coastal geologists call alarming and unprecedented. Despite emergency measures to stanch the damage, the ocean is coming ever closer to the Schifters’ 8,800-square-foot house.

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Emergency Plan Approved for Chappy Home Threatened by Erosion
Sara Brown

With the failure of a previous plan to try to stem the erosion that threatens a Chappaquiddick house and a severe tropical storm headed up the East Coast early next week, the Edgartown conservation commission Wednesday approved a new emergency plan of action for the property.

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