Newsroom

Commission staff are partnering with the Pleasant Bay Alliance towns of Chatham, Harwich, and Orleans to implement a model coastal resilience bylaw and its accompanying regulations. Staff are collaborating with local officials in each town to adapt the model bylaw and regulations to meet specific local needs.

Each year, the Cape Cod Commission receives funding through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Living Communities to provide technical assistance to towns in our region. The District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) program helps municipalities with sustainable development and encourages partnerships to achieve planning and development goals that align with state and regional priorities.

Over the years, DLTA funds have supported housing and wastewater initiatives, studies of redevelopment options and economic development strategies, and targeted local planning and zoning efforts. Seven projects received 2026 DLTA funds.

The Cape Cod Commission is pleased to welcome two new staff members and an AmeriCorps service member to our team. Read more to learn about Planner II Jasmine Olins, Regulatory Planner Ellen Carlson, and AmeriCorps member Ciara Chagnon.

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities is working to finalize the regulations for implementing the Seasonal Communities Act. Cape Cod Commission staff recently submitted comments on the draft regulations, recommending clear alignment between definitions of primary residence, greater specificity around how municipalities should approach zoning for undersized lots, and a more consistent minimum occupancy requirement that reflects the intent of year-round housing.

Across Cape Cod, leaders are moving from diagnosing the housing crisis to delivering solutions. At OneCape, state officials, local innovators, and community partners highlighted strategies, from adaptive reuse to deed-restricted rentals, that are showing that the Cape can expand year-round housing while preserving its character. 

The Cape Cod Commission has extended the comment period for the draft 2025 Regional Policy Plan. The public may submit comments through Wednesday, September 24, 2025.   

The Regional Policy Plan (RPP) is the Cape Cod Commission’s blueprint for balancing growth with stewardship of the region’s unique natural and community assets. Required under the Cape Cod Commission Act, the plan outlines a regional vision and growth policy, sets goals and objectives, and provides the framework that guides both local planning efforts and the Commission’s regulatory review.  

The Town of Eastham established a District of Critical Planning Concern (DCPC) in 2017, known as the Eastham Corridor Special District. It covers commercially zoned lands along Route 6 and is in place to protect community character, encourage mixed-use development, enhance the North Eastham economy, improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and access, minimize traffic conflicts, expand affordable housing opportunities, and reduce stormwater impacts. Updates to the DCPC were recently approved by Eastham voters and the Cape Cod Commission.

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

This Regulatory Update provides a status on projects currently under review by the Cape Cod Commission. Visit www. capecodcommission.

Each year, the Cape Cod Commission receives funding through the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities’ District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) program. This initiative enables the Commission to support Cape towns with technical planning assistance that fosters sustainable development and aligns with both state and regional priorities. This year, DLTA funding is helping advance two important local housing initiatives in the towns of Sandwich and Falmouth, each addressing different but important aspects of housing development and smart growth.