Cape Cod Community College Seeking Control of Adjoining Public Parcels

May 15, 2023

HYANNIS – At the recent Barnstable County Commissioners meeting, Cape Cod Community College President Dr. John Cox spoke about neighboring parcels of land and the need to have more local control over their use.

During his presentation, Dr. Cox discussed the sub-parcels that were pooled together when the Mid-Cape highway was built, and what the college has done to gain control over the outcome of the 21.45 acres.

“We’ve gone through the administrative transfer, we’ve had the title searches completed, and we’re now at the point where we had the public hearing and we’re seeking the time constraints to work through the rest of the process,” said Cox.

He also said the property has been maintained and cared for by the college, as it has trails and is used for outdoor classrooms as well.

“We’re optimistic this process will be completed by the end of August, and the property will be shifted over as the owner of record. Meaning the board of trustees would have more say over the future changes of the purpose,” Dr. Cox said.

Cox said there are no plans to change the land, but if there ever were they would go through a public process that would include legislation.

The motion brought forth at the meeting was to authorize the execution of a waiver to reduce the 120 day notice requirement to 30 days.

The motion also included the transfer of the land from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and delegating responsibility for control to Cape Cod Community College.

A unanimous decision in favor of the motion was given by the Barnstable County Commissioners.