BARNSTABLE – Public meetings continue this week for a Cape Cod Commission housing study which will help in developing a strategy to address future housing supply needs.
The commission tapped Crane Associates, Inc., which is working in collaboration with Economic and Policy Resources, Inc., to develop regional housing market analysis of the county and all 15 Cape Cod towns to recognize the region’s needs.
The first meetings earlier this month focused on economic and demographic forecasts which indicate a possible 3.3 percent population growth in the county by 2025, along with an increase in employment by 5.5 percent and 3.4 percent more households over the same period of time .
“We are expecting some very modest growth,” said Heather Harper, an affordable housing specialist with the Cape Cod Commission. “These are well, well below what we saw in the peak economic cycles on Cape Cod but do demonstrate some modest growth between now and 2025.”
The demographic analysis also indicates that year-round housing units are in strong competition with seasonal units. The conversion of housing from year-round to seasonal is expected to continue causing more supply challenges.
The data shows that the amount of housing in the region would be adequate if not for the challenges presented by seasonal units.
The meetings today and Thursday will look at the gaps between existing housing and current and future demand.
“What we will be working on at the next meeting is really talking about the housing supply and what exactly supply is available to meet the incomes of people who live on Cape Cod,” Harper said.
The Commission is looking at income ranges from 50 to 120 percent of the median income for renters and owners on Cape Cod.
“We’ll be able to document what the unmet demand for housing supply is across the region and on a town by town basis,” Harper said. “We’re really looking for the community to come out, review the information that is presented and give us any feedback that they have about either if the information seems plausible to them and how it feels to them.”
The Commission will then use the information gathered to initiate the conversation about strategies to tackle the issue of unmet housing demand on Cape Cod.
The meetings for the Lower and Outer Cape regions are today. The Lower Cape meeting is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Chatham Community Center and the Outer Cape meeting is from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Wellfleet Library.
On Thursday, meetings continue for the Mid and Upper Cape. The Mid Cape meeting is at the Cape Cod Commission in Barnstable from 9 to 11 a.m. with the Upper Cape meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. at Mashpee Town Hall.
By BRIAN MERCHANT, CapeCod.com NewsCenter
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