Housing, Land Top Brewster CPA Requests

BREWSTER – Nearly $1 million in Community Preservation Act funding requests will go before voters at the spring town meeting, largely focused on housing and open space initiatives. The remaining $1.5 will shift funds into CPA reserve accounts and cover outstanding debts.

At the beginning of 2026, reserve balances were at just over $1 million for historic preservation, $366,252 for community housing, just under $1.8 million for open space and recreation and $2.5 million in the undesignated reserve. Estimated revenues for 2027 are projected at just over $1.6 million. 

The major request in community housing is from the Brewster Affordable Housing Trust for a lump sum to be added to the housing opportunity fund — a relatively new initiative. CPC Chair Sarah Robinson said in prior years the BAHT has put in individual applications to support housing programs such as the Preservation of Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) homes, the Brewster Rental Assistance Program, the Affordable Buydown Program and the housing coordinator salary. Since 2023, the select board, BAHT and the CPC have held joint discussions on the creation of the housing opportunity fund to make housing initiatives easier. This will be an annual allocation that streamlines the process and provides BAHT greater flexibility. Individual CPA applications for funding of new housing projects will still come through as individual applications. 

The request is for a $550,000 transfer. This would include the allotted 10 percent of 2027 revenues coming in at $168,945, plus $231,055 from the community housing reserve and $150,000 from the undesignated CPA reserve. The funds will only be used for CPA-eligible community housing initiatives.

Select board member Pete Dahl said he was a bit “bothered by putting together things that aren’t itemized.” Although he said he was in total agreement with what the CPC was doing, he indicated he would appreciate more detail when presented with an annual transfer for a broad array of projects.

Paul Ruchinskas, the CPC liaison to the affordable housing trust, said Brewster was one of the only communities that presents individual requests for affordable housing CPA funding. He said it began at the early stages of the trust to gain resident trust and show that the board knew what they were doing when it came to funding affordable housing projects. 

Ruchinskas said it has been incredibly successful over the past five years, but it ultimately has become burdensome for town staff to put together the applications. 

Town Manager Peter Lombardi reminded the board that any BAHT funding over $250,000 requires a select board vote, so there will still be a checks-and-balances process for what the funds are used for. 

Two separate requests fall under the undesignated fund balance. The Housing Assistance Corporation has put in an application for $105,000 to support the creation of a new assistance resource center in Hyannis. According to Robinson, this will serve as the region’s emergency shelter for homeless individuals on Cape Cod and the islands. The building will be located at 480 West Main St. in Hyannis. The updates from the previously used office space will include 50 beds, five of which will be reserved for medical respite, a kitchen, a common room and staff offices. 

“No CPA funds will be used for shelter programming, operations, staffing or services provided by Catholic Charities or any other entity,” said Robinson. “HAC is seeking funding from every CPC on the Cape to undertake this renovation project. This $105,000 request will fund a $100,000 award, with $5,000 set-aside to be used for CPC legal expenses related to the award administration.”

 The second project is a two-year request to fund the Lower Cape Housing Institute in 2026 and 2027. The amount ($20,000) is requested by the Community Development Partnership which runs the institute to help educate local elected and appointed officials from eight towns across the Lower Cape, including Brewster. Since 2018, 70 Brewster officials have gone through the program. 

There is one request for funds for land acquisition. The land evaluation committee is seeking $275,000 of CPA funds to purchase a two-acre lot on WH Besse Cartway, an area between the Long Pond Woodlands property and the Sea Camps pond property. The property will remain open space and under the stewardship of the conservation commission. The town will also grant a conservation restriction to the Brewster Conservation Trust in exchange for a $25,000 contribution toward the land purchase.  

The town is looking to acquire the land in what it describes as a bargain sale with the owner, who originally listed the property for $450,000. Town officials negotiated the price down to $300,000. 

Under the CPA, at least 10 percent of revenue must be applied to each of three categories. If there are no funding requests, that money gets placed in a reserve account. For historic preservation projects, this totals $168,945. Another $48,520 would be transferred to the open space and recreation reserve account. A portion of that funding will cover $120,425 of debt principal and interest for the bonds for the BBJ and the Bates properties, located in West Brewster, which were acquired by the town in 2006 for conservation purposes. The town holds multiple bonds on both properties, two on the BBJ property and one on the Bates property. Debt payments were scheduled through at least the 2027 fiscal year. 

The community preservation committee is also requesting $84,471 in administration and operating expenses. The remainder of just under $1.1 million would be transferred to the reserve account. 

The select board voted unanimously to recommend all CPA funding requests and transfers at town meeting.