Luxury House in Wellfleet Teeters on the Edge: Could It Tumble Into Cape Cod Bay?
Perched on a bluff high above the beach on Cape Cod Bay, a luxury home is in danger of tumbling into the waters below.
Erosion has taken its toll, wearing away the bluff up to the concrete footings that are holding the multimillion-dollar home upright. Officials in Wellfleet are worried that the home’s eventual collapse will destroy the oyster beds where New England’s oyster farmers cultivate the treasured bivalves.
The inevitable fate of the home is an unforgettable reminder of the power of the sea, where climate change has caused water levels to rise.
The home, which was constructed in 2010, was built on Cape Cod on the peninsula’s bay side. In 2018, the home’s original owners, Mark and Barbara Blasch, sought permission from the Wellfleet Conservation Commission to erect a 241-foot-wide seawall to curtail erosion. The commission’s members rejected the proposal, citing concerns that it would harm the beach and its surrounding environment.
After losing their appeal in court, the Blasches sold the home to New York attorney John Bonomi, who purchased it in 2022 for $5.5 million, even though he knew the danger that erosion would pose. A report prepared for the Wellfleet commission estimated the bluffs upon which the home stands are eroding at the rate of 3.8 to 5.6 feet per year.
According to John Cumbler, who serves on the Wellfleet commission, Bonomi chose to sell the home to CQN Salvage. According to an Associated Press report, Bonomi’s attorney, Tom Moore, said that the town “is on notice to take whatever steps it deems prudent to prevent the collapse of the embankment and the other consequences of further erosion. CQN Salvage is ready to work alongside the town in such efforts but will not fund them.”
Pending what happens with a June 1 enforcement deadline from the commission to CQN Salvage, the home remains standing. Wellfleet is left to watch and wait for what comes next.
