Commission considering changes
May 12, 2006 -- Margo Fenn, executive director of the Cape Cod Commission, told the Barnstable Town Council that the commission is considering changes to its land use regulations in three areas to assure they are responsive, flexible and effective.
“During my time at the commission, we have heard complaints from developers and from some town officials that it is hard to comply, that the regulations are too difficult, time consuming and expensive,” she said during a one-hour presentation and question-and-answer session.
Possible changes she outlined include:
Limited Review
For new, smaller projects, the commission’s scope of review would focus only on areas of high impact, such as traffic, and would disregard others where there is little impact.
Threshold Changes
For projects that must undergo the commission’s rigorous review, the current threshold of 10,000 square feet of commercial space may be increased to encourage development in designated growth centers without commission review. And thresholds for review might be decreased outside growth centers, meaning commission scrutiny of smaller projects there.
Regional Policy Plan Update
As it does every five years, the commission is in the midst of updating its principal regulatory document, the Regional Policy Plan, which establishes minimum performance standards that must be met for construction projects. Fenn said the RPP update would identify where regional growth centers would be located.
The commission, Fenn said, has already made other regulatory changes to allow more flexibility. They include:
Projects of Community Benefit
The commission has allowed a hardship exemption where it can waive or modify standards for a non-profit project such as a hospital or community organization. Examples are the Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, the Cape End Manor nursing home in Provincetown, the YMCA inBarnstable and the Riverview School in Sandwich.
Growth Incentive Zone
The commission has approved a special high-density growth area for downtown Hyannis where most development will be exempt from commission review, in return for reduced density in other areas of the town. Other growth incentive zones are under consideration elsewhere on the Cape.
Redevelopment/Change of Use
Where property owners want to upgrade and reuse existing structures, the commission has a limited review process, which simplifies permitting for redevelopment.
Also, Fenn gave the Barnstable Town Council a summary of financial costs and benefits of the commission to the town. She said Barnstable has paid $6.62 million in assessments to support the work of the commission since its origin in 1990.
She outlined a series of funds that the commission has helped the town obtain:
• $390,000 in grants
• $14.5 million in mitigation work or payments from developers to the town
• $26 million in transportation projects
• $2.3 million for affordable housing
• Plus other planning services and technical assistance that she itemized in detail.
Fenn made the presentation to update the council on the role of the commission in the town of Barnstable. She said she made a similar presentation in October 2004.
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