CHATHAM – As many Cape Cod residents continue to struggle with a difficult housing market, two local municipalities have found markedly different ways to contribute to housing solutions.
In Sagamore, Housing Assistance and Boston-based nonprofit Preservation of Affordable Housing announced the development of Cape View Way, a 42-unit property serving low-income and disabled residents, with locals receiving preference for initial occupancy.
The two organizations had previously collaborated on Brewster Woods, a 30-unit affordable property along Route 6A.
“The 42 units at Cape View Way will make a life-changing difference for dozens of Cape Cod families and individuals,” said Alisa Magnotta, CEO of Housing Assistance.
“Cape View Way is an example of how partners can combine their strengths to create safe, stable housing. Working together, we can take steps to address the region’s protracted housing crisis,” she said.
Elsewhere on the Cape, Chatham’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund’s Board of Trustees closed on a 1-acre property offered by its previous owners, Mira Rabin and Tom Whitman, in response to the Town’s request for housing proposals.
The pair offered the property below both assessed and fair market value on condition that it be deed-restricted and sold as an affordable home.
The town’s trustees hope the project can serve as a model for other Chatham property owners who are concerned about the lack of affordable housing in much of the region.
While the American Rescue Plan Act and the Massachusetts Affordable Homes Act have allocated millions in federal and state funding to address the issue, regional bodies such as the Cape Cod Commission have released a Regional Housing Strategy, emphasizing increased zoning for mixed-used development and redevelopment of existing housing stocks to alleviate the burdens faced by regional renters and prospective homebuyers.
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