Meetings Ahead
Some meetings in Provincetown are in person, some are online, and some are both. Click on the meeting you want to attend on the calendar at provincetown-ma.gov for a link to an agenda and details.
Thursday, Oct. 6
- Zoning Board of Appeals, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Friday, Oct. 7
- Select Board, 11 a.m., Town Hall
Tuesday, Oct. 11
- Board of Health, 4 p.m., Town Hall
- Licensing Board, 5:15 p.m., Town Hall
- Select Board, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Wednesday, Oct. 12
- Sewer Expansion Public Forum, 5 p.m., Town Hall auditorium
- Planning Board work session on Shank Painter Road plan, 6 p.m., Town Hall
Conversation Starter
Affordable Housing Permit
At its meeting on Sept. 29, the zoning board of appeals voted unanimously to issue a 40B comprehensive permit to the affordable housing project at the former VFW site at 3 Jerome Smith Road. The project is slated to include 65 apartments in four buildings and will be built and operated by The Community Builders, a nonprofit developer based in Boston. TCB already manages the 50 affordable apartments at Province Landing on Shank Painter Road.
Town Manager Alex Morse told the three boards at Monday’s housing workshop that the town’s $3-million commitment to the project could be met with a combination of funds, including excess receipts to the tourism and general funds, each of which took in more than half a million more than was budgeted in the last fiscal year.
The increase in rooms tax revenue to nearly $5.1 million per year has led to significant overages in each of the four funds to which it is currently directed.
The state legislature has not yet passed the town’s home rule petition that will direct 30 percent of all rooms tax revenue to housing. In the meantime, identifying the excess receipts in other funds and diverting them to housing is the priority, Morse said. There is also a $750,000 balance in the town’s affordable housing trust fund that can be used toward the town’s $3-million contribution, Morse said.
The contribution is larger than initially proposed, partly because of an increase in construction costs, but also because TCB successfully purchased a half-acre parcel at 55R Captain Bertie’s Way for $1.4 million. That purchase allowed for the fourth building on the property and a significant increase in the overall unit count. The town would have undertaken that purchase directly, likely with free cash, Morse said, so it was appropriate to factor that in when considering the town’s $3-million share. With 65 units planned, that would be a $46,000 contribution from the town for each new apartment. —Paul Benson
