Courtesy of Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod
HYANNIS – The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates has approved about eleven million dollars in ARPA spending for Cape Cod’s housing sector after some conflict over whether or not to withhold some of the money.
At the meeting that saw the measure’s approval, Assembly members debated whether to hold back on $1.5 million of the funds until after a housing report by the Cape Cod Commission could be completed later this year.
Wellfleet Delegate Ann Green was among those who had urged the expedited allocation of the full amount.
“It’s $1.5 million that perhaps the towns could access, and other entities could access, and implement this upcoming season,”
Harwich Delegate Elizabeth Harder said she supports the wait.
“Everyone wants to know when they’re getting model bylaws. That’s what everyone I’m dealing with in housing right now are requesting—it’s zoning bylaws and all that. So we wanted to save the 1.5 in order to help the towns,”
The committee formed to advise the county on how best to use the COVID relief funds said that the lack of affordable, year-round housing is the biggest threat to sustainability for the Cape’s economy.
The committee recommended that $1.5 million of the funds should go towards workforce housing, with $3 million for sheltering and medical respite, and $6.9 million for affordable housing.
About Grady Culhane
