MASHPEE – During a recent joint meeting between the Mashpee Select Board and the planning board, the Cape Cod Commission outlined the regional policy plan that will guide the creation of the Mashpee Commons expansion developmental agreement between the town, commission and property owners.
“This is the first three-party agreement process the commission has undertaken. We, as the commission and the town, have an opportunity to really define what that process looks like,” said Commission Executive Director Kristy Senatori.
She said that the commission recommends that it and town conduct parallel reviews, keeping a constant pace to the development agreement that does not have a fixed, required timeline like other processes.
Senatori said that there will also be plenty of opportunity for public input on the process.
“There would be a public hearing at the commission level where a development agreement would be approved by the commission then forwarded to the town for approval,” she said.
A five member subcommittee would be responsible for receiving public testimony, discuss permitted uses and project impacts, and direct the drafting of the development agreement before making recommendation to the full commission.
“In the case of a three agreement such as this, if the commission adopts the agreement then it is then presented to the municipality for consideration.”
Senatori said that the process will help shape similar processes in the future, as this is the first agreement that they are handling involving three parties.
Board members raised concerns about keeping the community’s character, which Senatori said would also be considered during design, as well as taking into account future developments and sustainable infrastructure.
She also said that the legal authority of the agreement would be similar to a contract, allowing some modifications after its implementation including rescinding of endorsement, but that originally draft decisions would be key.
Board members said that they would seek town counsel on what tools they can use to ensure that the town will be able to review the development in a few years time and either make changes or pull town support, in case the expansion is moving in a direction that the town disagrees with over the course of the proposed 25 year agreement plan.
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