Most meetings in Truro are remote. Go to truro-ma.gov and click on the meeting you want to watch. The agenda includes instructions on how to join.
Thursday, June 30
- Finance Committee, 8:30 a.m.
Wednesday, July 6
- Walsh Property Community Planning Committee, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 7
- Climate Action Committee, 2:30 p.m.
- Historical Commission public hearing, 5 p.m.
Conversation Starters
Housing Production
Truro’s community planning consultant JM Goldson did not have any surprises for the crowd of 50 people who came to a June 21 forum on the town’s housing production plan. Her report: the housing situation here is a crisis. Only 2.3 percent of the housing units in town are considered “affordable,” though the Cloverleaf property, for which a building permit was recently approved following dismissal of a lawsuit, will have 39 mixed-income units and boost that number to 5.8 percent.
Goldson noted the dire need for middle-income housing. In Truro, 27 percent of households are “cost burdened,” meaning that more than 30 percent of their income is spent on housing. Seasonal residents now own more than 80 percent of the housing stock, and Goldson confirmed that in 2021 the median income of second-home purchasers in Truro was $242,501, while the median income of year-round residents was $68,914.
Some forum participants pitched creative solutions, including dormitory-style seasonal housing. Bob Panessiti, who chairs the economic development and finance committees, said that Truro ought to make more use of Chapter 40B, the statute that allows town boards to make exceptions to zoning bylaws and fast-track projects to build affordable housing.
A second community forum will place in mid-September after more specific strategies have been identified. The housing authority aims to present the final plan by December. —Nora Markey
