Editor:

Our state officials have created a perfect environment for crisis capitalists to override reason, thoughtfulness, zoning, environmental issues, traffic/safety concerns, social justice and general fairness. The hostile 40B process that the developers of the proposed Pine Oaks 4 have instituted hamstrings a town’s zoning board into granting unreasonable waivers for developers. If a ZBA denies waivers, the developer can appeal the ZBA's decision to the state to overturn the denial, leaving the ZBA with no control or oversight over the project whatsoever.

Like the proposed Pine Oaks Village 4, the Hanover Hyannis apartment complex is a 40B project. And like POV4, all of the units are rental. Forcing and funding these enormous all-rental housing developments is an odd choice for a state that ranks so poorly in home ownership. The Boston Globe reported in August that Massachusetts has the fourth lowest home ownership rate for adults aged 25-34 of any state. Additionally, Massachusetts ranks poorly (often in the bottom 10) among the states for young adults and even middle-income families to own property. Why then is there not a stronger statewide push for starter homes?

Banking giant Goldman Sachs recently purchased the first phase of the Hanover Hyannis apartment complex for $129.5 million. The state funds these enormous 40Bs with huge amounts of taxpayer dollars, forces them into towns that can’t absorb them, then allows the developers to sell them off to banks who will collect rent from these cash cows in perpetuity. Through their laws and actions, state officials are helping to create a system of housing where the banks own the housing and everyone rents from them. The state puts the burden of these huge developments onto communities, which pay the price for the inaction and failure of government at every level to regulate and control the short-term rental market. 

The community of North Harwich needs the Cape Cod Commission to be the voice of reason and conduct a discretionary review of Pine Oaks Village 4, which would be an environmental and safety disaster for a community that does not deserve it and most certainly did not create the housing crisis that we are in now.

Sherri Stockdale 

Harwich

Editor:

While the town’s efforts to revitalize Route 28 are commendable, the continued deterioration of Bishop’s Terrace on Captains’ Row remains a serious and unresolved concern.

For years, this building has been allowed to fall into disrepair. Broken windows, missing fascia, a leaking roof, and the storage of vehicles on the site are plainly visible. There also appear to be signs of unauthorized occupancy, raising legitimate safety and public welfare concerns. This prolonged neglect has turned the property into a glaring eyesore and a risk to the surrounding neighborhood.

Most troubling is that this is not a funding issue — it is an enforcement issue. The town already has tools through code enforcement and other legal mechanisms to require the owner to stabilize and maintain the property, yet those tools have not been used. What is lacking is the willingness to hold the owner accountable.

Bishop’s Terrace should not be allowed to continue deteriorating while the rest of Captains’ Row is being revitalized. The town should act immediately to enforce existing codes and regulations. If current authority is insufficient, then additional enforcement powers should be sought through appropriate regulatory changes or town meeting action.

The town has a responsibility to ensure that properties within its borders are properly maintained and do not pose risks to the community. Prompt and decisive action is long overdue.

Louis Urbano

West Harwich

Editor:

A heartfelt thank you to the Lower Cape communities and surrounding towns for the tremendous support of the Lower Cape Outreach Council. From the 3,000-plus participants in the Turkey Trot to those who donate toys, clothing, food and your funds, your neighbors are being helped like never before by your generosity. 

With increasing demand for all of the services provided by LCOC your help has never been more important. Our community is special and it's the people that make it the special place it is.  Thank you!   

Jim Botsford, board of directors

Lower Cape Outreach Council

Editor:

      Kudos to the staff for that excellent piece on “Monomoy Theatre Gaslighting” (Dec. 11). It is exactly about what I wanted to write last week on the news the previous week about the situation between Chatham Productions, current owner of the property, and the town of Chatham. This issue between the two parties has been going on for five years now, with no end or resolution in sight. It’s enough to construct a production to play at the theater when it finally does reopen. Being the eternal optimist, I believe it will rise from the ashes (figuratively) and reopen at the Monomoy Theatre.

However, for that to happen, I firmly believe that its fate is in the hands of the town of Chatham who believes the “building is historic and culturally significant to the town.” The editorial nicely pointed out the building’s historical importance to the town, especially the theatrical aspect over the 60-plus years it was run as a summer training ground by the Ohio University training program. It is always a great pleasure to read actors’ bios from current productions on the Cape who have trained at Ohio University and the Hartt School and also performed at the Monomoy Theatre. I think to myself, “they started right here.”

After five years, it should be very clear that Chatham Productions is not going to restore the Monomoy Theatre. It should also be very clear that the town of Chatham has to bite the bullet and take a much stronger position to revive the Monomoy Theatre and get it functional as a close to year-round theatrical venue. The town of Chatham should aggressively move to get the Monomoy Theatre property back, either taking by eminent domain if possible or budgeting the money to buy that piece of property back. I also believe that a GoFundMe campaign would find a lot of financial support from the Lower Cape and beyond. I for one attended almost every production there for the four years we lived here before it closed.

The town of Chatham also has at least two very prominent people who have been associated with the Monomoy Theatre over the years. There’s Alan Rust, who was the artistic director for 39 years and is very active in bringing the works of Shakespeare to Kate Gould Park for three years. The second person is the bestselling author and actor Bernard Cornwell, who has performed in numerous Shakespeare plays at Monomoy. I am confident these two men could spearhead the resurgence of the Monomoy Theatre when the town of Chatham gets the property back.

I believe a ghost light still burns somewhere in the Monomoy Theatre, and I believe the ball is squarely in the town of Chatham’s court. The town must be much more proactive in bringing the Monomoy Theatre back to life rather than trying to coerce and/or bully Chatham Productions to do something they do not want to do and clearly are not going to do. Grab the ball, and clearly shout out, “Game, Set, Match” as you take the theater back home where it belongs.

I am sure Alan Rust and Bernard Cornwell could paraphrase numerous Shakespeare lines for what comes next. I’ll start with this one: “My Kingdom for the Monomoy Theatre.”

Steve Clouther

Harwich

Editor:

In response to Ms. DeeDee Holt’s “Tree Cutting Answers Sought” letter to the editor on Dec. 18, I submit the following:

The Chatham Airport Commission does not plan to clear-cut trees from 60 acres of woodlands surrounding the airport this January. What is planned is the selective removal of trees within an area 6.99 acres in size, not 60 acres, and there will be minimal impact on wildlife habitat. In fact, for the 2023 annual town meeting Article 43, Ms. Holt, the Friends of Trees group, and I agreed that any tree work to be done would take place during the winter months when the ground is hard, trees are dormant, and it will be least intrusive to animal habitat.

The answers to many of Ms. Holt’s other questions — how many trees will be removed and from where; will there be a survey conducted and measures taken to protect wildlife; will contractors be monitored to ensure no unintended tree removals occur — are very long and involved and are answered in the vegetation management plan, the environmental assessment, and various permitting documents and approvals. However, I can provide quick answers: Approximately 200 trees will be selectively removed over the entire area (see order of conditions – there will be a donation of $70 per tree for each tree removed); measures will be taken to protect wildlife habitat (see vegetation management plan); and on-site monitoring of the work will take place (see order of conditions).

Why the tree removal? The airport is committed to maintaining safe and efficient aircraft operations now and into the future. The obstruction removal project is designed to ensure the continued safety of flight approaches, maximizing protection for pilots, passengers, those on the ground and the surrounding community. This initiative aligns with the airport’s responsibilities under Massachusetts General Law Chapter 90 and fulfills its contractual obligations under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant assurances. The project also supports compliance with federal safety standards to the greatest extent practicable. This project has nothing to do with adding new hangars.

“What alternatives have been considered, if any?” The environmental assessment lays out the alternatives considered and the selection of the preferred alternative in Chapters 4 and 5. Obstructions in airport approach surfaces are in direct conflict with maximizing safety. The airport commission is committed to the operation of a safe airport. It’s all about safety.

Huntley Harrison, chair

Chatham Airport Commission

Editor:

To all of us of a certain age, especially if you live alone as I do, this weekend I had a stupid accident…I nearly drowned! I was cleaning a slimy koi pond and fell in face first and could not extricate myself! I wear a rescue button and pushed the button. Rescue was here in about 15 minutes. No one would have found me! My takeaway is get and wear a life alert/rescue button! It saved my life!

Dan Eldredge

South Chatham

Editor:

Just curious, when did Santa replace Jesus as the reason we celebrate Christmas?

Pete Norgeot

Orleans

Editor:

I am continually baffled by America's not creating a plan to end school shootings. Where is the leadership to say, enough; let's put all of our resources together, as we did to defeat the Axis powers and polio, and to get a bunch of geniuses with slide rules to put a man on the moon. We have shown that when the United States unite, we can do anything. Some 99.99999 percent of Americans do not want our children shot to death when we send them to school. Yet we are being held hostage by the other .00001 percent who believe children should be shot to death.

Politicians and pundits have divided the 99.99999 percent with ridiculous narratives about guns vs. no guns, etc. It is time for the 99.99999 percent to band together, to end our national passivity, and unite to create a plan to defeat the vile, disgusting minority who would murder innocent children.

Robert David Cohen

Brewster

Editor:

Now that the massive Pine Oaks Village 4 housing debacle has been referred to the Cape Cod Commission and the Sundae School Ice Cream condo reinvent has been decided, let’s turn our attention to another housing project that, like the POV, will destroy another large parcel of nature, impact the character of a neighborhood, create unbearable traffic problems, ignore environmental concerns, and turn a deaf ear to the wishes of a community. We’re talking about the Marceline property at 456 Queen Anne Rd. (corner of Queen Anne and Route 124).

We can all agree that affordable housing is a must for Cape Cod, but the large-scale housing project the housing trust has proposed is a poor fit for this location, despite what Harwich town officials want you to believe. Affordable housing should not get a free pass to negate environmental standards, create traffic nightmares, and impact a local watershed. Affordable housing should fit into the existing community within small pockets and use abandoned properties. Instead, these large projects overtake and overwhelm neighborhoods ill-suited for such, pretending it’s all for the greater good. We all know it’s wrong and yet Harwich town officials are unable or reluctant to assert control.

The Marceline proposal needs to redo the traffic study to include an analysis of longer than two days and to include Friday and a weekend, downgrade to less than 35 units, reduce the building height, move the entrance/exit to Route 124 and the bus stop to inside the complex, scrap the clubhouse and fitness center (we already have a fabulous center one mile from this site), and eliminate a proposed left lane on Queen Anne Road at the traffic light.

Please let your voices be heard on Jan. 8 at 1 p.m. in the town hall Griffin Room. I’m not sure if the 1 p.m. meeting slot is designed to lessen public involvement, but these meetings need to be scheduled in the evening for full community participation.

Jan Raffaele

Harwich