Beach For Sale
At same beach in East Greenwich where I took the yesterday’s picture of the day I saw this real estate sign just ruining the pristine scenery. Then I thought I just have to photograph this if for no other reason than the powerful message that I can send when you see this real estate sign in front of this immaculate beach. The message is one of how many affluent people like to believe they can own the shorelines if for the right price.
Granted the sign was far enough up on the beach that they are actually able to own the land up there, but still the fact that the sign was beach side instead of roadside just really struck me as inappropriate and presumptuous; as if they believe they can own the shore. I understand that this is really more of marketing tactic, as oppose to a genuine effort to impediment. However, I believe the message is still the same. Further, even though the land area above the high tide line can be purchased, property owners must yield at times beyond the high tide line in order to not impede typical shore activities. While other states have various ways of providing access to the shore; Rhode Island, being the ocean state, has written into its Constitution a guaranteed right for all citizens to access the shore. Despite this fact, many coastal residents regrettably go to great lengths to impede this access. Nonetheless, the Article I section 17 of the Rhode Island Constitution provides the citizens with the right to “enjoy the privileges of the shore.†Further, some privileges such as the right to fish, swim, gather seaweed and pass along the shore are explicitly included in the state constitution as a result of the constitutional convention in 1986.1
One example of how residents attempt to impede access in Newport near the cliff walk and in many other places around the state there are signs at costal access locations saying that parking there is restricted to residents, however most all of the residents in those areas have large compounds with ample parking space or at least a driveway; so they have no need to park along the roadside. Fortunately, if you know your rights and are courteous about it most of the time you will not encounter problems with access, aside from the physical impediments place on some shorelines.
1Nick Battista, Access to the shorline lmited by property in Rhode Island(http://www.risaa.org/newsletter/1008/1008_22.pdf)
2Jim Bedell, Narragansett Times (http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1714&dept_id=73826&newsid=14846534&PAG=461&rfi=9)
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Tags: beach, public access, real estate, shore, shoreline, sign
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today onPicture of the Day-Beach For SaleHere’s a quick excerptWhile other states have various ways of providing access to the shore; Rhode Island, being the ocean state, has written into its Constitution a guaranteed right for all citizens to access the shore. Despite this fact, many coastal … [...]