Baker and Local Leaders Highlight Housing Issues on Cape

Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito meet with local officials.

FALMOUTH – Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined Falmouth officials and regional leaders Thursday to address the affordable housing crisis the Cape Cod and Islands region is experiencing. 

During the meeting, Baker highlighted the need to expand housing inventory amid one of the hottest years for sellers on record, which shows no signs of slowing.

“For the past 30 years, we’ve been building about a third of the new units of housing that we used to build.  If you actually look at what’s happened to our population and what’s happened to the actual number of homes we’ve built, it’s not even close,” said Baker.

“One of the things that happens when you don’t keep up, is you create shortages. And when you create shortages, you create demand. And when you create demand, you create price fights. I think all of us have seen that happen in a very small microcosm way as we come out of the pandemic. But we were already there.”

Recent legislative efforts by Baker now allow simple majorities to pass zoning bylaw amendments for affordable housing policies, but the effort has not slowed the real estate market that has been booming ever since the summer of 2020, exacerbating an already existing housing crisis. 

Despite being one of the most prosperous states, said Polito, Massachusetts is also one of the most expensive states to live in nationwide—partially due to the housing issue.

She stressed the importance of flexibility at the local, municipal and county levels to help solve the issue.

With the state’s recent Future of Work report, Baker and Polito focused on the long term effects of COVID-19 on the economy and workforce. 

Data from the report showed that labor is moving from its historical home of urban centers and cities to other parts of the state, including Cape Cod, as remote workers choose to spend their time away from office hubs.

For some, that also means spending more time at their second homes on Cape Cod year round, said Baker.

The report also showed that amid the changing workforce climate, over 200,000 new housing units will need to be added to the state’s inventory by 2030 to keep up with demand. 

The Cape is already feeling the effects of the strained housing availability, with a staff and workforce shortage being experienced by businesses across the region, said Polito. 

Cape Cod Commission Executive Director Kristy Senatori said that across the Cape, there is a less than 1 percent vacancy rate for year round rentals. 

She said that she has seen individuals coming to her organization for assistance that are homeless despite having full time jobs.

Plymouth/Barnstable State Senator Susan Moran said that the surge of popularity surrounding the AirBnB industry has also contributed to the lack of affordable renting options.

“We’re starting to see a turn where neighborhoods are really starting to say enough with the AirBnB’s, because sustainability on the Cape is also an issue. We need workforce, we have 60% over 60 [years of age] and it’s growing,” said Moran. 

Local leaders said that more state and federal funding would be a big help to developing more local housing options.

They emphasized a need for housing variety in the region, with options for both first-time homeowners and renters alongside second-home owners.

About Grady Culhane

Grady Culhane is a Cape Cod native from Eastham. He studied media communications at Cape Cod Community College and joined the CapeCod.com News Center in 2019.



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