A multimillion-dollar house overlooking Cape Cod Bay is teetering on the brink of collapse, a stark illustration of the relentless power of coastal erosion exacerbated by climate change.
The home, perched precariously on a sandy bluff in Wellfleet, is a ticking time bomb, its concrete footings exposed as the land beneath it steadily disappears, The Independent reported.
Once boasting expansive sliding doors that opened onto a deck and hot tub, the house now stands barricaded, a desperate attempt to prevent an imminent plunge to the beach 25 feet below. The previous owner, aware of the encroaching erosion, had already dismantled the deck and a bedroom tower before halting further work and entering a dispute with the town. The property has since been sold to a salvage company unwilling to finance its demolition.
A New York man, attorney John Bonomi, bought the house in 2022 for $5.5 million, even as its future was in doubt. Bonomi's attorneys declined to comment for this story.
A report prepared for Wellfleet last year by Bryan McCormack, a coastal processes specialist with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant, estimates that the bluffs are eroding at a rate of 3.8 to 5.6 feet a year. The report estimated collapse in up to three years, but likely sooner.
The report said a collapse could send debris into Wellfleet Harbor, where the town's namesake oysters, well known to shellfish lovers, take two to three years to reach maturity.
“The house has a lot of fiberglass insulation in it. It has toxic material in it," Cumbler said. “If that toxic material gets into Wellfleet Harbor, which is where the currents will take it, it could endanger the oyster industry in Wellfleet, our major industry outside of tourism.”
At the January meeting, Bonomi's attorney, Tom Moore appeared by video and told the commission that the “bare minimum estimate” to remove the house was at least $1 million.
“So, you plan to do nothing and allow it to fall into the water?" Lecia McKenna, the town's conservation agent, asked Moore.
“I plan to ask you to not let it fall into the water,” Moore responded.
The commission voted to extend to June 1 the deadline to comply with its enforcement order.
For now, the town is left to simply watch the house. When the AP recently visited the site, 20 mph winds were hitting the bluffs and sand could be seen trickling down.
