Pine Oaks Consistency With Town Plans Debated

 HARWICH – As the board of appeals begins to weigh the comprehensive permit that could allow a 242-unit affordable housing development in North Harwich, conflicting views of the project's consistency with local planning documents have emerged.

In an appeals board hearing on the Pine Oaks Village IV project on Sept. 17, Town Planner and Community Development Director Christine Flynn said the town’s affordable and attainable housing needs are well documented and the project “is consistent with the town’s 2025 Housing production plan (HPP), 2025 final draft local comprehensive plan (LCP) and the Cape Cod Commission’s regional policy plan’s housing goals and objectives.”

In a letter to the appeals board this week, Local Planning Committee Chair Joyce McIntyre, whose committee shaped the plans, strongly disagreed with Flynn’s view that the Pine Oaks proposal is consistent with the HPP and draft LCP. 

The documents “prioritized small housing development projects that integrate affordability and families into underutilized buildings in the community’s seven villages,” she wrote.   

“Harwich told us over and over again that they want to protect trees and habitat and maintain local village character,” McIntyre wrote. “The HPP and LCP should not be used to justify what feels like moving backwards: sacrificing pristine acreage to build overly dense apartments, for the bare profit of a few.” 

Efforts to reach Flynn for comment were unsuccessful.

The appeals board members on Sept. 24 held a project review assessment session on the Pine Oaks Village IV comprehensive permit request in which they began discussing aspects of the project for which they will need additional information and how they will move forward. The board has held several sessions on the comprehensive permit proposal. Last week’s meeting was dedicated to the board weighing the information gathered to date and discussing with town counsel Amy Kwesell of KP Law how to move the project toward a conclusion.

At the beginning of the session, Appeals Board Chair Brian Sullivan informed the board that the applicant, Mid-Cape Church Homes, Inc., has agreed to extend the statutory timeframe in which the board must close the hearing. State law provides 180 days for deliberations, which put the deadline at Oct. 21. 

Mid-Cape Church Homes attorney Peter Freemen wrote in a letter to the board that it would have until Nov. 20 to close the hearing with the expectation that the board will not need to take all of the additional 40 days to make and file a decision.    

 The board agreed it did not need to look further at external traffic issues, internal development such as road widths and parking issues, recreation issues or the relocated childcare facility. 

It was agreed there are issues regarding site plan in need of addressing, including concerns raised by the board’s consultant VHB Inc. Sullivan said he was planning a sit-down with Flynn to go over outstanding issues. He also said he would be meeting with Conservation Administrator Amy Usowski to get a clear view of conservation issues.  

Among the areas of concern was the secondary road that leads into the property from Main Street and whether it should be widened and utilized. Sullivan said it was his opinion and that of the planning department that opening the road could reduce traffic along Queen Anne Road by 15 percent while providing a more direct access into Harwich Center.

That concept was met with some protest from member Marilyn Raatz. It was suggested the board check with Department of Public Works Director Lincoln Hooper on how to approach widening the road and work with the police department to see if it would raise safety issues. There was also discussion as to whether a three-way stop should be installed at the Intersection of Main Street and Queen Anne Road.

The affordable housing components for the project, and whether the units would remain affordable in perpetuity, drew discussion. Kwesell said there would be a provision for local preference and the state would allow for affordability in perpetuity.

 The board agreed to meet on Oct. 14 and 15 at the 204 Cultural Municipal Building to work on project waiver issues and conditions relating to their findings. Town counsel said decisions on the waivers could require a change in plans, so conditions should be approved afterward.