Eastham board offers suggestions future uses for 3 town-owned properties – Cape Cod Times

EASTHAM — Residents had a chance to weigh in on how the town should use the T-Time, Town Center Plaza and Council on Aging properties at a public forum Thursday. 

Members of the T-Time Development Committee gave a short presentation on their nine-page draft recommendation report.

For the town-owned 11-acre T-Time parcel, a community center anchored by the recreation department and Council on Aging top the list. Limited senior and workforce housing, with plentiful green outdoor space for community gatherings are being suggested. A pool is in the mix. 

Accommodations for existing businesses, senior and workforce housing and retail spaces have all been suggested for the Town Center Plaza parcel. 

The committee recommends affordable, senior and workforce housing be built on the COA site.

Joan Lockhart said she wants to see housing first and foremost on the T-Time parcel. She said median home sales rose 26% in the last year, and many rental units have sold and become unavailable, making it nearly impossible for teachers, firefighters, town hall staff and others to live in town. 

“We’re facing a catastrophic housing shortage,” she said.    

But Francie Williamson, who is on the Board of Health, said development plans must take into consideration the fragility of the environment in Eastham.  

“We’re not going to solve the issue of being able to house every firefighter, police officer, teacher and store worker who works and lives here,” she said. “We don’t have enough land.” 

T-Time Committee Chairwoman Karen Strauss said the committee had been very cognizant of the challenges development brings.

“We have limited resources, a shared aquifer that’s used by everyone and we must be concerned about that,” she said. 

But, she added, the development guidelines the committee is operating under stressed environmental stewardship, building on developed property rather than clearing new land and considering wastewater treatment needs.  

“These parcels should be developed with environmental stewardship in mind,” Strauss said, “with minimum impact, proper wastewater treatment, and building designs that go towards net zero. We’re building for the future.” 

There were some who thought a community center should be high on the list of priorities for the town. One participant said there was too much emphasis on housing. He said he wanted the committee to focus on recreation and solving the traffic problems along the Route 6 corridor.  

Committee member Stephanie Fields said the state has the final say on any traffic calming measures on Route 6. The state won’t allow the town to install a traffic light near the T-Time parcel, she said.  

Edmund Casarella, chairman of the Recreation Commission, said the T-Time property should include room for recreation. 

“The need for a community center is overwhelming,” he said. “I just can’t emphasize it enough. It’s long overdue and it complements the community.” 

Eastham voters agreed to buy the T-Time property in May 2019 for $1.6 million. The committee has been meeting since then to research possibilities for development there. More recent discussions have included the two other properties.

The town’s housing production and five-year strategic plans, as well as the importance of maintaining the Town’s character, have been taken into account, according to committee member Scott Kerry. 

A townwide survey garnered reactions from 2,200 residents. The committee plans to mail postcards to residents under 40 years old who haven’t been well represented in the surveys, Strauss said.

Two more public forums are planned: 5 p.m. Wednesday at  the Salt Pond Visitors Center amphitheater, and 7 p.m. on Oct. 6.

“We want to hear from as many people as possible,” Strauss said. 

The Oct. 6 meeting will be broadcast on local access Channel 18 and via Zoom teleconferencing software. For more information go to eastham-ma.gov/t-time-development-committee/events/117226. 

Go to zoom.us/join, and if necessary download the Zoom app. Once you are in Zoom, enter the meeting ID number 869 2722 1497, hit enter, then enter the password 385490.

People can send emails with comments and suggestions to a dedicated T-Time Committee email address at ttimecommittee@eastham-ma.gov. For more information, go to http://www.easthamttime.org/. 

Contact Denise Coffey at dcoffey@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.