18-unit Main St. Apartment Building Proposed

CHATHAM – An 18-unit apartment building is being proposed for Main Street property that is currently the site of two small commercial structures.
The 5,400-square-foot building proposed for 1134 Main St. would include 12 two-bedroom “attainable” rental apartments as well as six two-bedroom units for seasonal workers, according to a filing with the historic business district commission. 
The project, proposed by Old Main Street LLC, is scheduled to go before the commission for a pre-application conference on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
Two small commercial buildings currently exist on the two parcels, which total 21,000 square feet. Monomoy Salvage operated out of one of the buildings for many years; the other was formerly a basket shop. The property has been on the market for $950,000; as of Monday a sale was listed as pending. According to the filing, both buildings would be demolished to make way for the apartments.
The two parcels are currently owned by the Carol A. Sherman Trust of Mashpee and have a combined assessed value of $803,700, according to assessing department records.
While the property is in the R20 residential district, where apartments would not usually be allowed, recent changes to the state’s zoning laws allow the zoning board of appeals to grant a use variance for multi-family dwellings, according to Community Development Director Kathleen Donovan. The project would need approval by the planning board as well as the ZBA “at a minimum,” she wrote in an email.
The proposed colonial-style building would be 80 feet long and 28 feet high with three stories, according to the information filed with the HBDC by Tom Kennedy, who along with Patricia Kennedy is listed as manager of Old Main Street LLC. The Kennedys own or manage numerous properties in Chatham and Harwich. 
The first and second floors would contain six two-bedroom apartments while the six seasonal units would be on the third floor. Each rental unit would be approximately 750 square feet; there would also be 18 basement storage units and 28 parking spaces. 
As noted in the filing, the town generally limits building height to two-and-a-half stories. The proposed building would also have a flat roof.
The property is sandwiched between Main Street and Old Main Street, and access would be off Old Main Street. The structure would be set back from Main Street so as to diminish the visual impact, according to the filing. A bus stop would be on the Main Street side of the property and bike storage would be provided for seasonal workers.
According to the filing, the developers intend to retain ownership of the property “as a long-term income producing property.” No indication is given in the filing as to the units’ monthly rent.
The units would help alleviate the dearth of year-round rental apartments in town, which the filing calls “the elephant in the room.” An internet search early this week turned up one one-bedroom apartment for rent in West Chatham for $2,200 a month. Ads in this week’s Chronicle include one one-bedroom apartment for rent for $2,400 a month as well as two furnished rooms in a single-family house renting for $1,425 and $1,350 each.
The Cape Cod Commission’s 2025 housing profile of the town lists 15 percent, or approximately 495, of the town’s 3,300 year-round housing units as being renter occupied. It does not break the figure down between apartments and single-family homes.
The Oct. 21 pre-application conference begins at 4 p.m. at the annex.