In Rhode Island, like much of the nation, public access to the coastal zone is diminishing because of exclusionary practices by coastal property owners. In response, a conflict between coastal access proponents and coastal property owners has gripped the halls of power – from the local to State level – leading to the passage of a new statute that attempts to bolster the public’s constitutional right to access the shore. The rights of private property owners have come up against this commitment by the State, perpetuating the conflict forward – all while the coast faces the duality of increased development and the increased effects of climate change. This work builds on existing research on the commons to critically engage with this conflict at the State level and in the Town of Westerly. Textual analysis of relevant State and municipal documents and public comments gathered by the State’s Commission for Coastal Access was done at both levels. Textual analysis paid particular attention to narrative elements present in documents and how these elements relate or don’t relate to prior research and historical developments of the commons. Keeping in line with the literature review, the ways these elements affect the production of the coastline was also considered. In summations, textual analysis of key documents built towards an understanding of the narratives as they have unfolded within the case study areas. Documentation of the narrative indicated that fire districts manage and enclose the commons and that the narration of the process of enclosure in planning documents contributes to the issue of privatization. In contrary to theories on the commons, spatial conceptions remained under referenced in the narrative – especially when compared to other elements that supported a claim to the space of the coastline, such as rights-based rationales. In relation to these findings, I stress the importance of continued critical engagement with narratives and commons theory as a means of identifying contributing factors and possible solutions to diminishing amounts of coastal access in the State.