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With support from a grant awarded by the Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation (MOOR), within the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the Commission will collaborate with the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and the Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts to create a comprehensive database featuring detailed site descriptions and images of recreational areas across Cape Cod. The project aims to improve planning and public access to information about the region's diverse natural resources.  

May is Bay State Bike Month, a celebration of two-wheeled transportation organized by MassBike, the state's bicycle advocacy organization. This month-long event highlights the many benefits of biking and encourages more people to try it.   On Cape Cod, a number of projects are underway to improve access for cyclists and pedestrians, bringing the region closer to realizing Vision 88, an effort to create a network of off-road shared use paths from Woods

May is National Historic Preservation Month, a time to celebrate the importance of preserving the places that shape our communities and reflect our shared history. On Cape Cod, historic preservation plays a vital role in protecting the character and charm that define the region. 

Commission staff recently presented the Year One CEDS Annual Report to the Barnstable County Economic Development Council (BCEDC), detailing the region’s progress on the 2024-2029 CEDS. Highlights from the first year include efforts that support zoning reform, climate planning, infrastructure investment, housing incentives, and broadband expansion. 

The Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) welcomed Luisa Paiewonsky, Executive Director of the Megaprojects Delivery Office of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), to its May 19, 2025 meeting for an update on the progress of the Cape Cod Bridges Program. 

A framework for establishing a Cape Cod Housing Trust and Housing Land Bank is complete. Created in collaboration with consultants Outwith Studio and Utile along with land bank consultants out of Ohio, the framework provides recommendations and next steps for potentially establishing the entity(ies) based on feedback received from stakeholders at numerous meetings throughout the fall and early winter. The framework emphasizes sustainable development and the importance of community engagement in ultimately bringing the entities to life.

A status on projects currently under review by the Cape Cod Commission.

The Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER)'s Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance (CRMA) Grant Program and Training Site Initiative is seeking proposals from municipalities, local government units, and federally recognized and state acknowledged Tribes interested in replacing or removing undersized, perched, and/or degraded culverts or bridges in MA located in areas of high ecological value. The purpose of this funding is to encourage applicants to replace aging culverts with better designed crossings that meet improved structural and environmental design standards and flood resiliency criteria. Applications are due Monday, May 12 at 4pm. 

We know thousands of vehicles cross the Bourne and Sagamore bridges each day, but what about the people who don’t drive? To better understand how non-motorists are using the bridges and to plan for future needs, the Cape Cod Commission placed “eco-counters,” portable infrared sensors that detect heat to count pedestrians and bicyclists, near both the Bourne and Sagamore bridges. Data shows that hundreds of pedestrians and bicyclists traverse the canal bridges every year.  

The Cape Cod Commission is in the process of updating the 2018 Regional Policy Plan (RPP), which provides regional planning which provides regional planning policies, goals, and objectives to guide development and protect the Cape’s unique natural, built, and community resources. As part of this planning process, the Commission partnered with the Donahue Institute at UMass Amherst to conduct a resident survey designed to better understand public perspectives on local and regional planning challenges. Survey results are now available.