Brewster Voters Block Housing On Pond Property; Overrides, Seasonal Community, STR Rules Pass

BREWSTER – In the first town-wide vote on the future of the Sea Camps Pond property’s 10 acres, more than 250 voters approved two citizens’ petitions permanently designating the land for conservation, effectively barring its use for affordable housing and wastewater treatment.

Town meeting also approved three overrides for the Nauset School District, Brewster Elementary Schools and the town’s operating budget; took up the seasonal community designation; approved a short-term rental bylaw; and indefinitely postponed a more restrictive leash law. 

Articles 28 and 29, sponsored by petitioner Seamus Woods of the Brewster Conservation Trust, were arguably the hottest topics of the night. After around an hour and a half of deliberation, both were approved by voters. The sweeping action comes in the midst of an ongoing feasibility study by the affordable housing trust to determine if the allotted 10 acres are viable for housing and wastewater treatment. The vote will halt the study altogether. 

Article 28 asked voters to approve an amendment to the Sea Camps Comprehensive Plan, which was approved at town meeting in 2024. The amendment designated the 10-acre area on the Long Pond parcel as “conservation and water supply protection,” removing any language surrounding potential affordable housing and wastewater treatment. Article 29 invoked a state law to place a permanent conservation restriction on the land.

As Woods began his introduction to the article, residents lined up at the open microphones to share their opinions on the proposal. 

“Foreclosing the possibility of any project on this site, without this information [the feasibility study] seems shortsighted and is inconsistent with the previous decisions made by town meeting,” said John Dickson, member of the Sea Camps advisory committee. 

While some had shared Dickson’s viewpoint to let the feasibility study play out before determining the viability of the area for housing, most speakers supported the article. 

Many in favor of the article argued that the parcel was purchased for open space and recreation, and since it is situated in a Zone II water protection area, protecting the town’s drinking water is the priority. 

“This area is already, in my opinion, overdeveloped, and considering the environmental sensitivities, it doesn't make sense to me to do further development,” said John Keith, president of the Brewster Ponds Coalition. “I believe that there are affordable housing locations in other areas of Brewster.”

Hayley Winfield, a Brewster resident, offered a suggestion for the proposed affordable housing project. 

“I am the biggest supporter of affordable housing, probably in this room,” she said. “I grew up in affordable housing. The pond property is not a place for affordable housing, particularly, when there is a large piece of land, owned by the town, in the middle of town, on a bus route, on the bike path, next to the dog park.” The Brewster Police Station parcel is 41 acres, with at least 10 available for development, she said. 

While Article 28 amended the comprehensive plan, it wasn’t binding. Article 29 permanently protects the property as conservation land under Article 97 of the state constitution and authorizes the select board to place a conservation restriction on that portion of the pond property. 

Article 28 passed 285-120, while Article 29 passed 264-97. 

Three overrides totaling $1.98 million passed by majority vote. 

The Brewster Elementary Schools’ $180,000 override was the first to come before voters, and brought discussion surrounding individual costs per student. Many speakers also questioned the need for two facilities, Stony Brook Elementary School and Eddy Elementary School, when school populations were dwindling. 

Peter Sturr, a member of the finance committee, opposed the override. Using Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) comparisons, Sturr argued that Brewster has some of the highest per-student expenditures in the commonwealth. 

“If you look at the budget for 2027, and you take that $13.9 million, divided by 420 students, you're over $33,000 per student in Brewster,” he said. “[That’s] very, very high.” 

Sturr pointed out that a regionalization study of Nauset district elementary schools is ongoing, noting Brewster’s declining school population in the last 20 years. 

Town Manager Peter Lombardi said the results of the regionalization study would likely be released next month. There is a very real possibility that regionalization is the preferred scenario for both elementary schools, he said. 

When asked about class sizes, Brewster School Committee Chair Katie Jacobus said classes range from 13 to 19 students. 

Resident Donna Bundock, who has previously worked as a teacher, questioned how enriching a classroom environment can be with such a limited number of students.

“If you're operating a class… and you've only got eight students in class, that does give them a lot of individual attention, that's more like a special ed group size class,” she said. “But…you're depriving them of social interactions with other peers. So if you put the number back up to 15, then you have more interaction in the classroom, with the teachers and the peers. I really think we need to look at combining the schools.”

In terms of the $17.9 million Nauset School District budget and $550,000 override, many residents questioned the legitimacy of School Choice in funding the school population. 

The state caps School Choice tuition at $5,000. While some argued that it covers student needs like textbooks and computers, others said it didn’t come close to the real cost per pupil to run the school. 

Brewster resident Chris Powicki urged Superintendent Glenn Brand to rethink the distribution between the towns in the district, calling Brewster’s portion inequitable. Because Brewster has about 45 percent of the students in Nauset, the onus is usually on residents to pick up the tab. Lombardi said there are talks of moving to rolling student population averages, which could help lessen the drastic jumps based on annual enrollment. 

With only a few clarifying questions, the $1.25 million override for the town’s $29 million operating budget was approved. 

Concerns over tiny houses caused the most back and forth when discussing the seasonal community designation, which offers towns an array of tools to help support year-round attainable housing. Density, small-lot development and mobile homes were key topics in some residents who opposed adopting the designation. 

Lombardi reiterated that the designation does not immediately implement zoning laws; it is up to the town to pick and choose what works best. The designation was ultimately approved. 

Pushback on the short-term rental (STR) registration and inspection bylaw focused on an uptick in fees for operators. While select board Vice Chair Amanda Bebrin said the bylaw was not intended to be punitive, some speakers said they felt they were being punished. 

Building Commissioner Tom Delaney explained that the bylaw was the only path forward in a new state-mandated inspection process. Last fall, the state passed a law that requires STRs to be subject to building code safety inspections. 

Delaney said the registration system is not a want, but a need. Ultimately, the article passed by a majority vote. 

A citizens’ petition to enforce a stricter leash law on all town-owned property caused quite a stir among residents. With about an hour of back and forth, including personal anecdotes of dogs who prefer off-leash roaming, unsavory run-ins and unfortunate attacks, the article was indefinitely postponed. 

The remaining 18 articles passed without much deliberation. All union contracts granting personnel market-rate and cost-of-living adjustments were approved. A revolving fund for the preschool family support program was established. 

Community Preservation Act funding was granted for two housing projects. Additionally, the town voted in favor of appropriating $275,000 for the purchase of 2.05 acres of wooded upland of W.H. Besse Cartway. The parcel is located between 41 acres of town-owned conservation land at Long Pond Woodlands and the Sea Camps Pond Property. 

All other budgetary transfers and capital project expenditures were approved. 

While the overrides passed at town meeting, an additional vote at the ballot box on May 19 is required. 

The almost six-and-a-half hour meeting was adjourned around 12:30 a.m.