New Group Looking to Promote Year-Round Residency

PROVINCETOWN – A new group is attempting to sway at least ten families to convert their summer homes in Provincetown into full-time ones this year.

1^st Home Provincetown is responding to what vice chairman of the board of selectmen Erik Yingling said is an 18 percent decline in full-time residents in recent years.

“To have that kind of atrophy is pretty substantial when you have a population of under 3,000 people,” Yingling said. “We have a really diverse community and we don’t want to lose the middle class.”

The group was founded by Cass Benson, who owns the Harbor Lounge, and Mark Berryhill and Michael Kelley, who own a TV production company.

The long-term goal of 1^st Home Provincetown is to gain 40 more full-time residential families by 2018.

Yingling, who attended a recent meeting in support of the group’s mission, said he fears Provincetown will become a seasonal community, despite many benefits of living there year-round.

About two-thirds of the town includes second-home owners, according to Yingling.

He said he believes many desire to retire to Provincetown, but could do so sooner if they wished.

“We have high-speed internet, access to Boston within 20 minutes with high-speed ferries, so why not pitch to people that they can work remotely but still have access to other places,” he said.

Attendees of the late May meeting included various community representatives, including school committee members, business owners and more.

He said 1^st Home Provincetown has already recruited “a couple” families to move to the town on a full-time basis.