CPC Weighs Funding Requests Baptist Church, Housing Among Applications

 HARWICH – The community preservation committee has received 11 applications for Community Preservation Act funding in the coming year. Among the applications are several requests for affordable housing and natural resources funding.

The major request seeks $667,500 for the preservation of the exterior of the West Harwich Baptist Church filed by John Carey. 

According to the application submitted to the community preservation committee (CPC), the funds would be used for phase two of his development plan to convert the church into a cultural and community center he has dubbed the West Harwich Meetinghouse. The funds would be used for exterior renovation, the critical work required to stabilize and preserve the structure for future generations, according to Carey. 

The improvements will secure the building against further deterioration and provide the foundation for its long-term restoration and reuse, he wrote.

There are a number of applications for funding under the community housing category within the Community Preservation Act (CPA). Those requests are led by the town’s affordable housing trust, which is seeking $650,000 to allow for analysis, promotion of public discussion, maintenance and the creation of affordable housing units to meet housing needs. Funds would also be directed to assist renters in financial difficulties, according to the application. 

Pennrose LLC, the company selected to develop the 60 units of affordable and workforce housing on the former Marceline property at 456 Queen Anne Rd., has three requests before the community preservation committee.

The major request is for $500,000 from the community housing category to develop the affordable and workforce housing community at the property. According to the application, the proposed development aligns with the Harwich Local Comprehensive Plan and other relevant housing plans in the community. 

 The plan encourages a mixed-income, inclusive community, which is a core goal of comprehensive planning in Harwich and across Cape Cod, the application asserts. Approximately 17 residential buildings of varying scale would support a “neighborhood within a neighborhood” model, it continues. 

 Pennrose is also seeking Harwich financial assistance for two projects it is undertaking in Chatham. The company has filed applications for $100,000 in the community housing category for each of the two developments. The company was selected by the town of Chatham to develop 42 affordable and workforce units on Meetinghouse Road and 48 affordable and workforce units at 1533 Main St.

Although the developments will be located in Chatham, they will directly benefit Harwich by addressing the regional shortage of affordable and workforce housing, according to the application. Pennrose also noted that housing pressures on Cape Cod extend across town lines, and many Harwich residents work or have family in Chatham.

“By creating new units for households earning 30 to 110 percent of area median income, the project eases demand on Harwich’s limited housing stock and expands opportunities for residents seeking affordable homes close to work and services,” the Pennrose application reads.

The recreation department is seeking $350,000 from the recreation category to replace irrigation systems at the Veterans Memorial Field complex behind the community center, at Memorial Softball Field and at Potters Softball Field. They are considered by the recreation department to be three of the more heavily used town fields.

The conservation and natural resources departments are looking for $138,000 from the recreation category to conduct a diagnostic assessment of Hinckley’s Pond. The pond went through an assessment several years ago and received an alum treatment, but additional water quality issues have arisen that require in-depth water quality and sediment assessments and a management plan, according to the application.

The natural resources department has two applications seeking funding in the recreation and open space categories: $35,793 to replace outdated water quality monitoring equipment and $25,107 for educational materials and to replace tanks and floors in the town’s shellfish lab on Wychmere Harbor.

The Community Development Partnership is seeking $10,000 from the community housing category to assist in funding the Lower Cape Housing Institute, which addresses housing needs on the Cape.

One application is identified as confidential seeking funding under the open space category. 

The CPC has set a schedule of applicant interviews starting with the affordable housing trust and the Community Development Partnerships institute request on Nov. 13. The two Pennrose requests and the recreation department irrigation request will be heard on Dec. 4 and the West Harwich Baptist Church, Hinckley’s Pond assessment and natural resources department requests would be discussed on Dec. 11.

Applicants receiving a favorable recommendation from the CPC will be placed on the annual town meeting warrant.