Testing for the presence of PFAS — compounds linked to a broad array of harmful health effects — is set to begin in Wellfleet and Truro. The testing is part […]
CONSPIRACIES
Misinformation on Covid Vaccines Abounds
The U.S. Surgeon General urges everyone to join the fight, a ‘moral imperative’
A bitter rift has opened between those vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated. Evidence of it is easy to find: just check out the comments […]
OLD RELIABLE
Hotel Project Back in Court and Likely Headed to Trial
Legal action could keep it stalled for years
PROVINCETOWN — Christine Barker’s proposal for a mixed-use waterfront development on the former site of the Old Reliable Fish House is once again mired in Land Court, with two of […]
POST MORTEM
A Learning Curve on Green Burials in Outer Cape Towns
Sandy soil needs shoring up for nature-based practices
Efforts to accommodate those looking for a more back-to-nature form of burial, known as green burial, continue to move ahead on the Outer Cape, but there’s been a bit of […]
CIVICS
Outer Cape Towns Struggle to Fill Board Vacancies
Are there just too many boards and committees?
Filling vacancies on municipal boards and committees is a challenge in all four towns on the Outer Cape. Part of the problem, most leaders agree, may be the sheer number […]
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Outer Cape Projects Attract Mostly Off-Cape Developers
Provincetown’s CHR will not be bidding, but the CDP joins a proposal
Two large affordable housing projects proposed in Wellfleet and Provincetown have attracted the interest of several off-Cape developers. The Provincetown-based developer Community Housing Resource will not submit proposals for either […]
LITERARY LIFE
New Owner Sought for Provincetown Bookshop
The shop was a haunt for a host of famous people during its long tenure
PROVINCETOWN — The well-loved bookstore where Norman Mailer and Robert Motherwell could frequently be found browsing will soon close unless some bibliophile steps forward to carry on the business. The […]
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
Lawsuits Stall Habitat Houses in Wellfleet and Truro
Appeals usually fail, but delaying tactic can still kill a project
Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod, whose efforts are generally welcomed by communities, has been embroiled in court battles for the last several years over plans to build four affordable […]
AFFORDABLE HOUSING
After 20 Years, 8 Units May Be Built in Wellfleet
The town and abutters settle suit on Paine Hollow project
WELLFLEET — A court fight that has derailed the building of eight affordable rental units on Paine Hollow Road appears to be on the verge of resolution. Lawyers for the […]
TRURO TOWN MEETING
Three Key Town Boards May Be Chosen in New Way
Citizens’ petitions would require changes in the charter
TRURO — Three articles on the June 26 annual town meeting warrant, all submitted by citizens’ petition, call for changing the ways certain town board members are chosen. Each one […]
THE HOUSING CHALLENGE, PART 2
The Complex Funding Behind Affordable Units
All agree that no one is getting rich building them
One of the reasons so few developers are interested in building affordable housing on the Outer Cape is the extreme complexity of funding such projects. Another reason: the profits are […]
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT
Great White Realty and Zehnder Take Zoning Board to Court
They seek to reverse decisions blocking controversial property use
WELLFLEET — The Great White Realty Group has filed suit in Mass. Land Court to overturn recent decisions by the zoning board of appeals that stopped the development of 1.3 […]
THE HOUSING CHALLENGE, PART 1
Who Builds Affordable Housing Here?
The list of interested developers on the Outer Cape is short
The list of developers expressing interest in a handful of affordable housing initiatives now in the works on Outer Cape Cod will likely be short. Taking on such a project […]
BY RIGHT
DeVasto Pleads for Broader ADU Bylaw
‘People are living in illegal spaces with hot plates,’ he tells planning board
WELLFLEET — Select board chair Michael DeVasto told the planning board at its recent hearing on zoning bylaw changes that the need to allow more accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by […]
DEVELOPMENT
New Plan for Old Reliable Wins ZBA Approval Again
On a smaller footprint, people see a project that will ‘bring a place to life’ or ‘erode its character’
PROVINCETOWN — The zoning board of appeals has approved both special permits and a height variance needed for a major mixed-use development on the former Old Reliable Fish House property, […]