Harwich CPC Faults Select Board for Rejecting Housing Warrant Articles

Other Committee · Meeting of March 12, 2026

Harwich Community Preservation Committee members sharply criticized the Select Board's opposition to housing-related CPA warrant articles at the March 12 meeting, vowing to prepare written justifications for the May town meeting. The Select Board voted 0 to 5 against supporting two Penrose development projects and opposed funding for the Lower Cape Housing Institute, while backing the Affordable Housing Trust's seed money only narrowly, 3 to 2. Committee members noted that the Affordable Housing Trust's uncommitted balance has fallen to roughly $280,000 after commitments of approximately $1 million to Pine Oaks and additional funds toward Penrose.

"They're finally starting to put money towards projects to make things happen," one member said, "and to now say, oh, we don't like the way they're spending it — it's disconcerting and it's disappointing." The committee also accepted a completed draft grant agreement template and reported that a state bill's three provisions most troubling to CPA advocates have been removed as the legislation moves to Senate Ways and Means.

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Source: the Other Committee meeting of March 12, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.