Conservation Commission approves mobile sauna trailers on Plum Island with storm-removal conditions

Conservation · Meeting of May 19, 2026

Newburyport's Conservation Commission unanimously approved a mobile sauna operation in a Plum Island flood zone, with conditions requiring prompt storm removal. The 5-0 vote cleared Scog and Stone Sauna Company, represented by co-owners Prince Boateng and Josh, to keep two trailer-mounted saunas at a parking lot at 80-82 Plum Island, with the commission characterizing them as temporary and seasonal installations rather than permanent structures. A central unresolved question — whether the trailers constitute a vehicle or a structure under state law — remains before the State Building Board of Appeals, which removed a cease-and-desist order pending its final ruling.

The commission declined to specify a 180-day time limit in its determination, leaving that enforcement trigger to the city's zoning administrator and building commissioner. Separately, the commission was briefed on an anticipated Notice of Intent for a proposed 14-unit residential development at 0-5 Parker Street near the town line, which will require the commission to rule on a variance before either the Zoning Board of Appeals or Planning Board can advance the project.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of May 19, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.