HomeMy WebLinkAboutEmail Estoppel Certificate -- CR at 200 Communication WayFrom: Karle, Darcy
Sent: Tuesday, December 3, 2024 11:09 AM
To: Cavanaugh, Kimberly
Subject: FW: Estoppel Cer ficate -- CR at 200 Communica on Way
A achments: 2024.12.02 Exhibit S - ESTOPPEL.Conserva on Restric on.pdf
Importance: High
Hi Kim
Please forward this to the Commissioners and copy the mee ng materials.
Thank you
From: LaRosa, Thomas <Thomas.Larosa@town.barnstable.ma.us>
Sent: Monday, December 2, 2024 4:47 PM
To: Karle, Darcy <Darcy.Karle@town.barnstable.ma.us>; 'Tom Lee' <tlee@horsleywi en.com>
Subject: RE: Estoppel Cer ficate -- CR at 200 Communica on Way
Hi Darcy and Tom,
A ached please find a PDF of the final estoppel cer ficate.
I talked with A orney Hawley. They don’t have anyone who can a end in person. I think that may be
okay because they don’t have anyone that remains onboard with ins tu onal knowledge of the CR. I
don’t think it would be helpful to have people present that cannot respond in a meaningful way. They
do have one person, Ryan Sauls, who will be watching by Zoom. He unfortunately thought the Zoom
link was for par cipa ng in the mee ng. I advised that I believe the link is for watching only.
Given that it doesn’t sound like there’s a viola on, and also that the Restora on Plan is not a CR
requirement and Eversource is not subject to the CR, it seems that this should not be a controversial
ma er. Again, an estoppel cer ficate is a straigh orward thing and is addressed in every EEA-
approved CR. The new owner will be subject to the CR, and the objec ve of the estoppel cer ficate is
to be able to rely on the ConComm not asser ng viola ons that occurred prior to the new owner
taking tle to the property.
Please feel free to share this email thread with the Commission. Thank you.
Tom
Thomas J. LaRosa
First Assistant Town Attorney
Town of Barnstable
367 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Thomas.LaRosa@town.barnstable.ma.us
508-862-4620 (telephone)
508-862-4724 (fax)
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From: LaRosa, Thomas
Sent: Friday, November 29, 2024 4:15 PM
To: Karle, Darcy <Darcy.Karle@town.barnstable.ma.us>; 'Tom Lee' <tlee@horsleywi en.com>
Subject: Estoppel Cer ficate -- CR at 200 Communica on Way
Hi Darcy and Tom,
I am following up on my conversa on of Wednesday with Darcy. An Estoppel Cer ficate concerning
the CR held by the Town, through the ConComm, on a por on of the property at 200 Communica on
Way is on the agenda for the Commission’s December 3rd mee ng. The CR is recorded at the Registry
of Deeds in Book 32580, Page 1. The requirement for the Estoppel Cer ficate arises under Sec on
III(M) of the CR requires, which states:
Upon request by Grantor [the property owner], Grantee [the Town] shall, upon thirty (30)
days prior wri en no ce, execute and deliver to Grantor any document, including an estoppel
cer ficate, which cer fies Grantor ’s compliance with any obliga on of Grantor contained in
this Conserva on Restric on, and which otherwise evidences the status of this Conserva on
Restric on as may be requested by Grantor.
The Estoppel Cer ficate was requested at the beginning of November such that the 30 days will expire
shortly. The Estoppel Cer ficate is being requested as part of the planned sale of the property from
the current owner to the new owner. The Estoppel Cer ficate, once executed and delivered, will
allow the new owner to rely on the Commission’s representa on that the property owner is not in
default or in viola on of the CR. The a ached estoppel cer ficate reflects my edits to the document.
Some ques ons have been raised about a Landscape Restora on Plan referred to in the CR. Under
Sec on II(B)(7) of the CR, the Grantor has the reserved right:
to conduct or permit the following uses and ac vi es on the Premises notwithstanding
anything herein to the contrary, provided such uses and ac vi es do not materially impair the
Purposes or Conserva on Values of this Conserva on Restric on: […]
7. Measures designed to restore na ve bio c communi es, or to maintain, enhance or restore
wildlife, wildlife habitat, water quality improvement, or rare or endangered species including
selec ve plan ng of na ve trees, shrubs and plant species, in accordance with the Restora on
Plan a ached hereto as Exhibit C (the "Restora on Plan") or otherwise with the prior approval
of Grantee.
This means the property owner has the right, but not the obliga on, to undertake the measures in the
Restora on Plan. If the property owner does not undertake the Restora on Plan, that would not be a
viola on of the CR. I believe the Restora on Plan may be a requirement within an agreement
between the Cape Cod Commission and the property owner. If the commitment to the Cape Cod
Commission exists, the CR simply allows the property owner to fulfill that commitment without
viola ng the CR. Also, it would be for the Cape Cod Commission (and not the Town) to enforce any
such commitment. Due to the concerns raised regarding the Restora on Plan, I have added a sentence
at the end of numbered paragraph 3 of the Estoppel Cer ficate to reflect the Town’s understanding of
the status of the Restora on Plan within the CR.
Darcy and I discussed that the site is different from most land covered by a Town-held CR because
most of the CR premises is located within Eversource’s electric transmission right of way (ROW).
Eversource’s ROW is located there under a 1967 easement granted to its predecessor in tle, Cape
and Vineyard Electric; and Eversource’s use of the ROW is not subject to the CR because its 1967
easement predates this 2019 CR. Accordingly, while Eversource ongoing electric transmission uses
would not be permi ed under the CR if the easement did not exist, because the easement exists and
predates the CR, no enforcement could be taken under the CR concerning Eversource’s easement
ac vi es. With that, we discussed the unlikelihood of any lack of CR compliance.
If the Commission believes the property owner is in compliance with the CR, I offer the following as a
possible vote by the Commission; and the Commission may alter the dra vote to suit its needs:
The Conserva on Commission approves of and authorizes the Conserva on Administrator to
execute and deliver, on behalf of the Conserva on Commission, an Estoppel Cer ficate,
substan ally in the form presented at the Conserva on Commission’s December 3, 2024
mee ng, as requested of the Conserva on Commission under the “conserva on restric on
and limited public access grant ” recorded in the Barnstable County Registry of Deeds in Book
32580, Page 1.
If you want to discuss further early next week, please let me know. Thank you.
Tom
Thomas J. LaRosa
First Assistant Town Attorney
Town of Barnstable
367 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
Thomas.LaRosa@town.barnstable.ma.us
508-862-4620 (telephone)
508-862-4724 (fax)
The information contained in this electronic transmission ("e-mail"), including any
attachment (the "Information"), may be confidential or otherwise exempt from
disclosure. It is for the addressee only. This Information may be privileged and
confidential attorney work-product or a privileged and confidential attorney-client
communication. The Information may also be deliberative and pre-decisional in
nature. As such, it is for internal use only. The Information may not be disclosed
without the prior written consent of the Town Attorney's Office of the Town of
Barnstable. If you have received this e-mail by mistake, please notify the sender and
delete it from your system. Please do not copy or forward it. Thank you for your
cooperation.