Cape Cod Commission releases draft Regional Housing Strategy

The Cape Cod Commission (Commission) has released the draft Regional Housing Strategy.

The Regional Housing Strategy is a bold plan that sets out strategies and recommendations to address housing supply, affordability, and availability issues facing the region. Successful implementation of the Regional Housing Strategy will provide residents with safe and attainable housing and a more reliable workforce and customer base for our local businesses.

The Strategy is grounded in data, research, and input provided by numerous stakeholders with a wide range of perspectives and expertise. Commission staff and stakeholders learned from one another and from examples and practitioners across the country to identify strategies and recommendations for the Cape.

With the data and information necessary to target key short- and long-term actions to improve housing availability and affordability, the Regional Housing Strategy outlines a path forward for improving access to a more diverse supply of affordable and attainable housing consistent with the built character of Cape Cod. It includes key regional recommendations, identifies local zoning opportunities to better facilitate development and redevelopment of housing, and empowers local and regional stakeholders to take action to sustain and enhance Cape Cod’s year-round community.

Several existing and forthcoming resources will support implementation of the Regional Housing Strategy. These include model bylaws for mixed-use development, seasonal workforce housing, and form-based code lite for multi-family housing development, among others. Communities can tailor the model bylaws to suit their needs and circumstances. Towns may also utilize design guidelines for multi-family housing and retrofit considerations. The housing profiles and Data Cape Cod will continue to provide demographic, economic, and housing data, and a decision support tool (under development) will provide actors with information and resources for better understanding the impacts of different housing development types in their communities.  

View the Regional Housing Strategy by visiting www.capecodcommission.org/housing. Comments on the draft should be sent to housing@capecodcommission.org and will be accepted through Monday, January 29, 2024.