HARWICH – The affordable housing trust is looking at the use of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) in a public/private partnership as a way to develop affordable housing. In the trust’s June 27 meeting, resident David Bernie and Scot Butcher of Chatham, a tax incentive finance/tax credit service provider, laid out a route to expanding affordable housing stock without development costs to the town. The 1...

HARWICH – The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection is proposing major changes to septic system regulations to address the impacts of nitrogen discharge on surface water quality. The proposed changes would require accelerated nitrogen discharge reductions in 30 watersheds across the Cape, requiring that they be completed within 20 years, half the time previously stipulated. The changes to the re...

HARWICH – Organized by two recent Monomoy High graduates, a protest took place in Brooks Park last Thursday gathered to voice opposition to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Though boisterous at times, the protest began quietly with a moment of silence for women who have died due to unsafe abortions. The protest was organized by Jade Kennedy and Olivia Prisco, 2022 graduates of Monomoy Regi...

HARWICH PORT — The vacant lot with the white picket fence across Route 28 from Cumberland Farms in Harwich Port may soon contain a mixed use development with a couple of restaurants, retail space and five residential units on the second floor. Main Street HP LLC will be going before the planning board on July 12 seeking a site plan review special permit and use special permit with waivers for the development. ...

HARWICH — Local resident Ann Marie Ellis has been named the town’s next finance director and town accountant. The selectmen affirmed the appointment this week, praising Ellis’ two decades of municipal and professional experience. “I’m pleased to present my recommendation of Ann Marie Ellis. She has an exceptional resume backed up by professional and academic experience. She’s another good person who knows what...

HARWICH -The Barnstable County Commissioners have settled the budget funding dispute with the Assembly of Delegates over staffing for the county’s information technology department. That’s good news for the town of Harwich, which contracts with the county for computer support. The commission did not get all the funds it was seeking in its budget proposal, but the $97,457 the commission voted in a supplemental ...

HARWICH - There will be a few changes along Main Street in Harwich Center, as the owner of the Main Street Marketplace and Royal Smoke Shop is looking to add two apartments to each of the buildings. Saumil Patel, who previously built a convenience store and two apartments at the former gas station site at 711 Main St., was before the historic district and historical commission on June 22 seeking certificates o...

Summer’s here. The harbors are filled with boats, sun worshipers are on the beaches, clam rolls are back on the menu, and The Cape Cod Chronicle’s “Helping Neighbors” campaign has returned. This is the sixth summer that The Chronicle has held its fundraising drive for the Family Pantry of Cape Cod. Since 2017, summer visitors and seasonal residents have joined locals in contributing more than $420,000 to hel...

HARWICH – The town’s extensive review of the Cold Brook Eco-Restoration Project got underway with the filing of permit requests with the conservation commission. The project, a partnership between the town of Harwich and Harwich Conservation Trust, seeks eco-restoration and nitrogen mitigation of fallow cranberry bogs. The commission received its first presentation of the project on June 15. Commission members...

HARWICH — For almost every town building project, there are a few people eagerly waiting for the job to be completed. But in this case, hundreds of constituents are literally peering through the fence every day looking for signs that the work is finished. It’s the new playground behind Harwich Elementary School, and despite pandemic-related setbacks and other challenges, it’s nearly complete. “Our kids have...

There was a sense this week that the Barnstable County Commissioners and the Assembly of Delegates would like to resolve their budget differences before the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, when contracts for information technology services with Harwich and Bourne are slated to begin. Despite pleas from assembly representatives from the two towns, as of early this week the situation has yet to be resolv...

HARWICH — There’s no doubt that the Community Preservation Committee has advanced a number of important projects in Harwich, including major open space purchases, affordable housing initiatives, recreational improvements and historic preservation efforts. But many citizens don’t know that these projects were funded under the Community Preservation Act without the use of town budget funds, committee members said. ...