Discussing Community Planning at Mashpee Commons and Affordable Housing Problems on Cape Cod

Clip Summary

Bob visits with Jim Vaccaro and Tom Ferontie of Mashpee Commons, in New Mashpee, Massachusetts. This urban and community development is set to evolve over years. It has a mix of business, retail, professional, and housing space. There are apartments above storefronts and offices. By the time Mashpee Commons is complete, it will have 380 homes, including apartments, condominums, senior housing, and single-family homes. By choice and in deference to Act 40B, 25 percent of the new homes will be affordable to those earning a modest income. Vaccaro points out that there is a serious work-force housing shortage on the Cape. The goal of this project is to be part of the housing solution. Bob remarks that the architectural style is a classic New England mix, as if it grew over generations. Ferontie explains that the goal was to meld the Nantucket and Cape Cod styles in terms of materials, colors, and architectural details like cornices and windows, but keep a skeleton that is contemporoary and efficient. Most buildings are steel frame with brick or wood veneers. Bob talks with Pat Fiero of the Housing Assistance Corporation about the difficulty in finding land and developing affordable housing on Cape Cod. Fiero tells the story of Dennis, Masssachusetts, where a forward-thinking zoning bylaw allows development of undersized lots if used for affordable housing. The reality is that neighbors have banded together to block such projects, so they do not come to pass. Known as the NIMBY (not in my backyard) response, such thinking prevents people who work in these communities from being able to live in them. It also keeps many who have grown up in these towns from being able to raise their families there.