Newburyport Conservation Commission sets January deadline for unpermitted Plum Island sauna

NEWBURYPORT — January 20, 2026 — Newburyport Conservation Commission sets end-of-January filing deadline for unpermitted Plum Island sauna business. The commission, meeting by Zoom on January 20, voted unanimously to issue an invalid order of conditions for 13 Hale Street after a site visit confirmed that no work was ever performed under a 2010 wetlands permit, with consultant Justine Fox of Williams and Sparages representing property owner Palmer Capital Corporation. The session's most substantive discussion centered on a commercial sauna and cold-plunge operation on the north end of Plum Island run by a business owner identified as Prince Botang, who placed trailer-mounted sauna units on or near the Captain's Lady property without obtaining conservation, zoning, or Chapter 91 waterfront permits. Member Julia Godferson, who recalled an earlier 2025 meeting at which the city told Botang the proposed beach location was impermissible, said flatly: "Next thing we know they've been constructed out there." Conservation Agent Kelsey told the commission Botang has agreed to file a Request for Determination of Applicability by month's end; if the deadline is missed, enforcement action will be on the agenda.