EDC Charged With Developing Community Sustainability Plan

CHATHAM – Many of the recommendations made by the Chatham 365 task force in 2019 have been implemented, but there are others that either need updating or further work. The select board is asking the economic development committee to step in and take up that task by developing a community sustainability plan.

 Some of the pending recommendations have to do with economic sustainability, while a few — such as having a joint Chatham-Harwich beach sticker for year-round residents and a community pool — may require further action by the select board.

 The Chatham 365 task force came together to try to find ways to make the year-round community more sustainable, including raising wages, addressing the housing crisis and promoting the year-round economy.

 “The purpose was to identify problems and shift town policy to help preserve the character and heart of the town,” select board member Shareen Davis, who served on the task force, said at the board’s April 28 meeting. A matrix submitted to the board details the group’s accomplishments, “but there’s still some more to be done,” she said.

 Board member Stuart Smith agreed that the economic development committee (EDC) is well-suited to take on those tasks. Among his top concerns are enhancing year-round employment opportunities.

 “It’s so important,” Smith said. “We’re losing our year-round folks, and it’s partially because certainly it’s expensive to live here, and the second thing is there just aren’t those high-paying jobs that will support homeownership and things of that nature.

 “This is a heavy lift,” he added, “but it’s certainly well worth the endeavor.”

 A good place to start is developing a community sustainability plan, as recommended by Chatham 365, said Community Development Director Kathleen Donovan. Funding is available to hire a consultant to work on a plan in conjunction with Housing and Sustainability Director Gloria McPherson, who was hired in the wake of the task force recommendations. McPherson has a background in economic development, Donovan noted.

 Among the issues that could be addressed as part of a plan are corporate ownership of short-term rentals, sewer connection costs, and closing the gap between wages and housing costs.

 A plan would not just update Chatham 365 recommendations but also develop new ones that may have emerged in the seven years since the task force was disbanded, Donovan said.

 Among the completed recommendations of the task force were encouraging a local seafood processing facility, accomplished by the Chatham Harvesters Cooperative; development of sewer funding assistance programs and the free grinder pump policy; establishing childcare and pre-school subsidy programs; instituting electronic voting at town meeting as well as giving the select board more leeway in setting the date of the annual session; and providing mortgage assistance for qualified homebuyers through the affordable housing trust board.

 Proposals in reaction to some Chatham 365 recommendations will go before voters at the May 11 annual town meeting. Funding will be sought for the “Lease to Locals” program that provides incentives to landlords to rent to year-round residents; plans to renovate the Center for Active Living on Stony Hill Road will be subject to a vote; and two articles will deal with a residential tax exemption, although the select board will not vote to implement the tax break for year-round homeowners until September.

 The select board voted unanimously to ask the EDC to develop a community sustainability plan aimed at creating a “viability and sustainable year-round Chatham.” Board members agreed that the EDC was the right vehicle for the job.

 “They’re a talented group, so my expectations are high,” said vice chair Jeffrey Dykens.