This article was updated on Oct. 26. PROVINCETOWN — When Robert Compton purchased his condominium at the Residences at Seashore Point four years ago, he imagined an ideal retirement. Seashore […]
Housing
REDEVELOPMENT
Developer Scales Back Plan for ‘Underground Mall’ Apartments
Breaking the ‘housing monoculture’ to build ‘workforce housing with a small w’
ORLEANS — The developer who purchased the former Bayberry Plaza on Route 6A, also known as the “underground mall,” has downsized his plans for housing on the site. Last fall […]
TOWN MEETING
Monday’s Provincetown Warrant: Heavy on Housing
A land purchase and two short-term rental regulations lead the agenda
PROVINCETOWN — There will be 14 articles in the town meeting booklet on Monday, Oct. 23, but only a few of them are likely to provoke much discussion at town […]
THE HOUSING CRISIS
Short-Term Rental Rules Won’t Dent Vacation Home Market, Study Finds
But some limits and deed restrictions could protect the community
PROVINCETOWN — A year after the select board first discussed the need for a study on potential short-term rental regulations, researchers at the UMass Donohue Institute turned in its 60-page […]
DEVELOPMENT
Walsh Property Plan Cut From 252 to 160 Units
Select board approves 18 recommendations, including phased development
TRURO — The proposed number of housing units at the 70-acre Walsh property dropped from 252 units to 160 after a 9-to-2 vote of the Walsh Property Community Planning Committee […]
PERMISSIONS
Five Years and Counting on a Fix at Beach Point
Plans, money, time, permits, and neighbors converge at Ebb Tide condos
TRURO — The Ebb Tide on the Bay Condominiums at Beach Point are closer to the water than any of the other Shore Road dwellings around them, and over the […]
HOUSING
Town Meeting to Consider New Short-Term Rental Measures
Boards address ‘misinformation’ in email from taxpayers’ group
PROVINCETOWN — Eight of the 15 warrant articles being prepared for an Oct. 23 special town meeting are related to the town’s ongoing housing crisis. They include a $2-million purchase […]
HOUSING
Two-Thirds of Survey Responses Oppose Walsh Committee’s Plan
The group is split on phasing, which could slow the project but boost its appeal
TRURO — A last-minute surge in the number of responses to its survey of public opinion had the Walsh Property Community Planning Committee discussing the possibility of a phased approach […]
STOPGAP
6 Homeless Families Land Briefly in Eastham Motel
They were separated from family in a state program ‘past the brink’
EASTHAM — For nine days at the end of August, after Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency because of a shortage of shelters for unhoused families, six families […]
SHORT-TERM RENTALS
A Stuttered Rollout for the Community Impact Fee
Early returns were low, but summer receipts will be arriving soon
At their spring town meetings in 2022, voters in Provincetown and Wellfleet adopted a “community impact fee” on investor-owned short-term rental properties: a 3-percent surcharge on bookings. According to the […]
BEACH POINT PERMITS
Shore Road Owners Face Tough Reviews of Proposed Changes
Truro ZBA looks to uphold intent of bylaw or ‘you’ll just have walls’
TRURO — The view along Shore Road stirs recollections of days gone by when families with modest incomes could spend a week or two in simple cottages on the water. […]
EDUCATION
Housing Crisis Hits Schools — and Will Get Worse
Enticing new staff to towns where teachers can’t live is ‘a really hard sell’
Faced with significant turnover of teachers, administrators, bus drivers, and support staff, every one of the Outer Cape’s schools is feeling the effects of Cape Cod’s year-round housing shortage. When […]
LEDGERDEMAIN
Short-Term Rental Taxes Boom — but Not in Provincetown
Receipts from state rooms tax actually fell despite strong sales reports
PROVINCETOWN — The Outer Cape had another banner year for rooms tax receipts, with revenue up 42 percent over last year in Eastham, 46 percent in Wellfleet, and 47 percent […]
DUNE SHACKS
As Deadlines Draw Near, Park Service Clams Up
Silence from agency’s director, but Seashore supt. offers falsehoods
PROVINCETOWN — Janet Armstrong is not sure exactly when she has to leave the dune shack where she took her first steps as a toddler in 1952, 71 years ago. […]
HOUSING
Walsh Committee Readies Plan for Fall Town Meeting
A website, surveys, and tables at the dump for gathering last-minute input
TRURO — The 70-acre Walsh property, which has been in the town’s possession since 2019, has been sitting in limbo on the eastern side of Route 6 since it was […]
