Safe Harbor pulls application for Onset marina expansion

Safe Harbor Marina has withdrawn an application to expand its footprint in Onset Bay after months of resident opposition to the project.

In July, a representative for Safe Harbor submitted a letter to the Wareham Conservation Commission notifying the board of the company's intent to withdraw its application for the site. The commission received and accepted Safe Harbor's withdrawal during the commission's meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 5. 

According to the letter, Safe Harbor is "in the process of re-evaluating the long-term program for the Marina." It is currently unclear whether Safe Harbor plans to reapply with the current proposal, propose a different project or abandon the expansion altogether.

A representative from Safe Harbor in Onset was not immediately available for comment. 

The proposed expansion would have torn down and replaced several buildings at the current Safe Harbor site, one of which would be replaced with a 41,000-square-foot building housing offices and a mechanic shop. 

During a Conservation Commission meeting in March, Safe Harbor's attorney Steve Guard said the project was a "reconfiguration of the operation," rather than an expansion of it. The marina's current offerings include wet slips, moorings and storage, according to the company's website. 

However, the marina's repair shop would more than double in size compared to the current one, moving away from the water and closer to the residential Gray Street. The marina currently sits in the center of a dense residential neighborhood.

Earlier this year, a group of residents assembled the Onset Bay Marina Oversight Organization, which sent several letters to Wareham boards and commissions expressing uneasiness about the project. Residents wrote about concerns related to the character of Onset and costs to the town. They pressed the company for details on how the expansion would be completed. 

The Onset marina is among several owned and operated by Dallas, Texas-based private equity firm Blackstone Infrastructure Partners. The firm bought the Safe Harbor organization for $5.65 billion in April 2025.