District Local Technical Assistance Program helps towns prepare for future challenges 

Each year, the Cape Cod Commission receives funding through the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development 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, funding has been used to support initiatives in housing and wastewater, study redevelopment options, and support local planning efforts. 

This year, nearly $200,000 in DLTA funds have been awarded to towns on Cape Cod.  

Region-wide, the Cape Cod Commission will contract with a consultant to update and expand upon the 2017 Regional Housing Market Analysis. As with many areas around the nation, Cape Cod is experiencing a significant shortage of decent, safe, and affordable housing. The updated analysis will provide demographic, economic, and housing supply and demand projections through 2040. In addition, the project will capture expanded detail about the region’s housing needs, particularly as they relate to the region’s workforce, year-round residents, and rental market. This analysis will provide the basis for development of a Regional Housing Plan to support coordinated efforts across the region to increase the affordability and types of housing available while maintaining the local character of Cape Cod. Additionally, the completion of this updated analysis will provide critical town-level data to aid local housing planning and production efforts. 

The Town of Sandwich is updating its Local Comprehensive Plan (LCP), which was last updated in 2009. The process will involve community outreach through surveys, interviews, and in-person charrettes. The goal is to create an LCP consistent with the Cape Cod Commission’s Regional Policy Plan framework to identify goals and objectives for the town’s priorities.  

The Town of Wellfleet, working to address challenges in developing and accessing affordable housing, aims to update its current Housing Needs Assessment and Action Plan, which the Selectboard adopted in December 2017. The updated plan will guide the efforts of multiple groups in town working toward developing affordable and community housing to meet a critical need.   

Following the launch of its fully integrated online permitting system, the Town of Falmouth is looking to develop and distribute an Economic Development Guide that would provide a permitting roadmap. The Guide will identify necessary permits and licenses, which Town departments are involved, and the necessary steps for proceeding through the permitting process. The goal is to ease the permitting process and ultimately spur greater economic development in Falmouth.   

The Town of Bourne will receive assistance to examine its current zoning laws to determine compliance with new multi-family housing zoning requirements for Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) communities, and, if needed, to develop a targeted action plan to adopt a multi-family district compliant with new regulations.   

Learn more about the DLTA program: www.capecodcommission.org/our-work/dlta/