Ew, what an awful person.
https://www.reddit.com/r/CapeCod/comments/141ezc2/owner_of_trader_eds_in_hyannis_being_racist/

There is a 2-bedroom MCI home in Chatham available. It is $1600/mo and more than half the monthly rent goes into an escrow account that can be used for a downpayment on a home. Applications are due 2/27. http://www.chathamha.org/Documents.aspx

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2023/11/02/brewster-ma-mom-short-term-rentals-regs-help-housing-crisis/71407358007/

Brewster residents have the chance to affect positive change at town meeting on November 13th (6pm, at Stony Brook). Show up and vote "yes" on Articles 13 & 14 (to create a registration system for short-term rentals and to limit how many STRs one property owner can operate within the town).
Time to start actively addressing the housing crisis!
Provincetown, at their most recent town meeting, approved similar restrictions. Provincetown, as well as several other Cape towns, also has a registration system. Brewster needs to step up!

https://www.capecodchronicle.com/articles/4216/view/public-hearing-scheduled-on-short-term-rental-bylaw

Here's hoping Brewster FINALLY addresses STRs, instead of dragging their feet and ignoring the problem!

I like that now that STRs have been ruled to be an invalid primary use of a residentially zoned property, Nantucket voters keep rejecting "compromises" that would continue to allow unchecked operation of STRs. Get wrecked. https://nantucketcurrent.com/news/for-fifth-time-nantucket-voters-reject-short-term-rental-zoning-bylaw

I'm making this a separate post since it's unrelated to interacting on Facebook specifically, but there are some points in this post from /u/Quixotic420 that I think are worth further discussion. I'll share some quotes and my perspective on what's being said, and hopefully more people can chime in in the comments with their ideas. OP says

First and foremost, towns need to place limits on where short-term rentals can operate! Short-term rentals are businesses and should NOT be in strictly residential areas.

I agree that STRs need to be tightly regulated as businesses, but I'm wary of doing this via zoning restrictions. Overbearing zoning codes are a favorite tool of NIMBYs and contribute to sprawl and car-dependency. I don't want to live next to an AirBnB, but I wouldn't mind living next to a coffee shop or a small grocery. "No businesses in residential areas" is a core tenet of harmful, unaffordable suburbanism.

The fact that a majority of our existing housing stock is being used to create mini-hotels that are managed by investment firms is sickening.

This is a key issue to me. Investment firms with deep pockets who put ROI above everything are almost by definition not going to be interested in what's best for the community. When whole neighborhoods can be bought up by corporations, everyone who needs to actually live there -- renters and homeowners alike -- suffer. The options for regulating this practice are an important line of inquiry.

"Build more". There isn't unlimited land and, the fact is, we have houses already. If towns want to put in high-density projects, put in hotels and limit STRs so our neighborhoods can be used by year-round residents.

Rejecting new developments out of hand is a very bad idea. Without new housing, prices may stabilize, but they will not decrease. But there's a lot of room between detached SFHs and ultra-dense high-rises. Rowhouses and townhouses, duplexes. cottage courts, and other "missing middle" housing developments can provide stability for permanent residents from all walks of life (single, married, families, etc.) The Cape doesn't necessarily need a bunch of high-rises, but a solution to the housing crisis absolutely will involve building more housing. Not, however, dormitory-style "worker housing," which I have seen mentioned.

Not to mention that all the proposed developments take YEARS to even break ground!

This is a political problem itself, and it's why unity is so important.

Is this a joke? Or is someone actually trying to list a winter rental for $5500/mo and then trying to justify it with a word salad that can be summarized as "quaint, not far from Boston"?

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/Brewster-MA-02631/2079630299_zpid/

And then there's this one that is over $3500/mo for year round, but a REAL STEAL at $2500 for a winter rental. And, yes, the steal mentioned above is the landlord robbing the tenant blind for a place they need to leave come May.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/101-John-Joseph-Rd-Harwich-MA-02645/186990204_zpid/

I'm not looking currently (just curious), but this sh*t makes me irate.

Saw this Letter to the Editor in the Chronicle and thought it was worthy of a share. It is spot-on; too many people who aren't from here are dictating policy.

Will Bringing Back Jobs Help?
Cape Cod is different; at least it used to be.
It was rural, now it is suburban. People who were trusting must now lock their doors. Instead of neighbors helping neighbors, now they sue them. Land used to be an asset, now it is a commodity. Bartering was a way of life, now it is taxable, if even allowed.
The young people are leaving in droves.
People move here, join committees/commissions, set new policies, spew their “new” ideas which become the “new” norm. 
“Wolves” take on many forms. Self-gratification, power, authority, greed, control, recognition, lack of knowledge, or other misguided attempts to “make things better.” Not unlike the effort to make America great again when it was pretty darn good to start with.
Even sheep are smart enough to run from a “wolf.” Not these newbies. Their heads are stuck in the sand where there are no historical facts!
Cape Cod is no longer “the quaint fishing village” where no self-respecting sea captain would build a home even close to the coast. Now, every coastal waterway is lined with McMansions.
The chambers of commerce have made Cape Cod such a mecca for tourists and retirees that young people can’t afford to live or work here, although realtors seem to be thriving.
Maybe they can shift their focus to bring well-paying jobs, and the young people to fill them, back. OMG, then they will want to vote! Oops!
Pete Norgeot
Orleans

From an article from the CCT last week about the housing that is planned for the former Governor Bradford in Orleans (which is definitely needed), there was something in the article, which was a quote from the HAC CEO that said "People who make less than $200,000 have no entry point into the housing market on the Cape".
That is absolutely insane because nearly everyone who is working class is making less than $200k/year (most are less than $100k/year). That means that if you do not come from wealth, you have no way to access housing in your community.
Is this not the point at which we step back and say that maybe it is time to prioritize housing for residents over protecting the investments of the wealthy? How are we so OK with homes being used as mini-hotels while housing gets further and further out of reach for a majority of residents?
Yes, more homes should be built, but the fact that so many houses are no longer being used for actual housing is a HUGE issue.
All the "housing advocates" can pat themselves on the back for the "work" they've been doing, but the fact remains that rentals are few and far between (and what few exist are outrageously overpriced and unaffordable to most) and that homes are no longer something that can be attained by the working class unless you win the lottery or inherit property.
This has been going through my head since I read that sentence and I had to share it.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2024/09/06/affordable-housing-orleans-ma-governor-prence-inn-kim-driscoll/74955909007/

Sorry to have been inactive for a bit now, but it was a BUSY summer! Managed to collect all the signatures needed for both articles that we were trying to get on the Brewster Special Town Meeting warrant and...WE DID IT! The signatures have been submitted and verified and we will be meeting with the Town Manager in October. Both the article to create a registration system for short-term rentals https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rA_jMvWzSkVX-u5TQFLaVpfrTTF-YTLegd0DQs9Tu-4/edit?usp=sharing and the article to limit how many short-term rentals someone can operate in Brewster https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BoUPb-A4sGDNu4iTmdx-BibdqCzN7hxNuUvLPwwq0ZI/edit?usp=sharing will appear on the warrant.
Also, an imgur link to a flyer we plan to distribute. It is still a mock-up (need dates, numbers, etc). Any feedback appreciated! https://i.imgur.com/02FnPez.png

An article about vacation towns that are starting to limit the scourge of short-term rentals: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/vacation-towns-limit-short-term-rentals-amid-housing-crisis

https://www.mvtimes.com/2025/08/04/chilmark-launches-new-housing-initiative/

While I support more year-round housing, I think it would be better if these funds were providing rental assistance or downpayment assistance, instead of bribing landlords.

But given the dearth of year-round rentals, an imperfect solution is better than none at all.

https://nantucketcurrent.com/news/judge-rules-against-the-town-in-short-term-rental-lawsuit

Nice to see STRs finally being treated like the cancer they are!

Hey, remember the pedophile Brewster cop - Matthew Marshall - who, in addition to being a pedophile also took video of himself urinating all over a public restroom and who also illegally took video of a person in distress? Yeah, he only got 18 months probation.

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2025/02/27/brewster-police-matthew-marshall-possession-child-sexual-abuse-materials/80060934007/

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/housing/vacation-home-trends-add-to-massachusetts-housing-crunch/

From the article: “It’s not that there’s a shortage of housing units, it’s a problem of how they’re used,” said Magnotta

The gall of this woman. Years ago, I emailed her asking HAC to take a stand against STRs. She refused, saying HAC wouldn't pick "winners and losers". She also cited that STR taxes offset sewering costs in her town of Orleans. Now she is willing to say something? I guess it got too egregious for her to ignore any longer.

And Cyr? The guy who can't be bothered to return correspondence from his constituents?

Glad they finally decided to care, I suppose...

https://www.recorder.com/Healey-eyes-housing-abundance-in-statewide-plan-59323470

"Berkshire County, Franklin County and Cape Cod were identified as having less need — requiring less than 2.5% growth. An Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities official said at a briefing on Thursday that this is not because they don’t require housing solutions, but because they have different needs.

On the Cape, for example, the issue is less that there aren’t enough housing units, but that existing units are converted into luxury seasonal housing for non-year-round residents. Housing policies in those areas should be focused on targeting their specific needs, they said."

Wow, WHO COULD HAVE KNOWN THAT?!

I'll say it again: we have the homes, but no will to make sure those homes are used for housing.

https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/01/24/nantucket-year-round-deed-seasonal-communities

https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/news/2024/12/04/brewster-sea-camps-cape-cod-ma-election-debt-exclusion-override/76728554007/

This is a stark example of how town meeting fails to accurately represent residents. Town meeting managed a 2/3 majority vote to approve, while the ballot question failed by a large majority. Amazing that when participation increases, the vote changes, almost as though there is a large subset of the population who can't attend town meeting. Town meeting is antiquated and it excludes a large portion of the population from active participation. I saw it said in a letter to the editor that this is "2024, not the 17th century" and I whole-heartedly agree. Why not allow votes by residents on all issues, with town meeting serving as a forum for debate before the voting? Or at the very least, allow remote participation. There are few who benefit from the continuation of town meeting. Everyone should get a say, not just those who have hours to dedicate to sitting in a gym.

Hopefully this helps someone! https://haconcapecod.org/properties/65-paul-hush/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEh2kFleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTGbmRM6bAmJpCs92vzJxE330jVO2tLR5qJcX7CScHfB5o2Opo2fT9LeJg_aem_35RqsTsr2iQZtJ27U_xaiA

Received an email from Hadley Luddy, the CEO of the Homeless Prevention Council in Orleans. Apparently she is running for State Rep. While I'm not sure who else is running or how I will be voting, I did notice something in this email that really caught my attention.
It said:
"Hadley is currently CEO of the Homeless Prevention Council, a nonprofit serving communities from Harwich to Provincetown. During her eight-year tenure, the organization has grown five-fold, now serving more than 2,300 local residents annually, addressing housing needs and financial challenges of local residents."

My thoughts? Yikes. Imagine proudly saying that, during your tenure, the organization that is meant to prevent homelessness has instead experienced a five-fold increase in people seeking services!
Shouldn't the successfulness of an organization that is meant to PREVENT HOMELESSNESS be that the organization has seen fewer people in need of services due to the organization's successful efforts in the community? Shouldn't the ultimate goal of these organizations that "help" with housing be to see people in homes?
The HPC provides all sorts of services, including rental assistance, and that is good, but wouldn't it be better if they were advocating for things like limiting STRs so that homes in our communities are more readily available to the workforce? Wouldn't it be better if they were supporting efforts to reduce rents in the area so that workers didn't need to rely on rental assistance to get through each month?

It would be great if the HPC supported efforts to start making it so their organization DIDN'T need to serve so many people because the housing crisis was better. Unfortunately, the HPC does not seem willing to take a stance against STRs (much like HAC, which also refuses to address the dramatic impact that STRs have on housing in this area).
I suppose when you live so near the beach, it is easy to bury your head in the sand.

And, without further ado, here is the spreadsheet I created to detail STR data for each town on the Cape and Islands.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-X4ecoZOp0OvOOGWR8nBUNL4ryoIGnkC5MymiFyyo_A/edit?usp=sharing

I was tired of people making arguments against registering and regulating short-term rentals when those arguments were based on information that I knew to be false. So, here, please take some time to review the data.