Appeal urged on park construction permit

WELLFLEET — U.S. Rep. William Delahunt, D-Mass., urged Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne yesterday to appeal a decision by the Wellfleet Zoning Board of Appeals allowing a large home to be built on a bluff within the Cape Cod National Seashore. Selectmen, the Seashore, and a group of citizens had asked the zoning board to overturn building inspector Paul Murphy's decision in April to issue a permit to Mark and Barbara Blasch to knock down a 2,000 square foot home and replace it with one that is almost 5,700 square feet. They say such a large expansion within park boundaries requires a special permit and allowing it without the oversight that comes with the special permitting process would give a green light to development that could alter the park forever. The ZBA upheld the building inspector's decision June 26. "If the... [read full story]