Editor: 

As a resident of Harwich Port, I recently attended the seasonal resident taxpayer meeting held by the Harwich Select Board and various town department heads. I had the opportunity to express my concerns about the impact commercial growth has had on the quality of life in Harwich Port neighborhoods, particularly the safety issues caused by increased traffic, limited off-street parking and the growing number of short-term rental vehicles parked along residential streets.

I was pleased to discover the very next day that the Harwich Police Department had installed No Parking signs near the stop signs at the four-way intersection of Pleasant and Cross Streets, an intersection that can become difficult and dangerous to navigate when vehicles are illegally parked nearby.

I wish to publicly thank Police Chief Kevin Considine, who listened attentively to my concerns at the meeting, and Lieutenant Aram Goshgarian, who personally addressed the parking issue at the intersection, for their prompt response to our neighborhood concerns.

It is gratifying and reassuring as a taxpayer to see that residents’ concerns are heard, respected and acted upon by our town government and, in this instance, by the Harwich Police Department. Thank you.

Bill Holley
Harwich Port

Editor:

The Chase Park parking lot has become a contractor parking lot for workers performing work on Shattuck Lane private way. This has become a daily occurrence since last summer. This blocks use of the park for picnics, visitors can not park to visit the town's historic Godfrey Windmill, and the town's croquet and bocce courts are practically inaccessible. Can we institute two-hour parking usage, no contractor parking or other solution?

When contractors work for me, they park on my land.

Robert Guldner
Houston, Texas

Editor:

But…but…but…Chronicle, you missed the point.

The affordable housing development that is being proposed in Chatham is not construction of one, two or three single family homes on an acre or two plot, which our zoning is designed to allow. But it is the design and construction of multifamily, two or three story apartment complexes, with a high concentration of residents, young and old, a housing complex that far exceeds the normal zoning allowed. But is “40B” the answer?

OK! But…what do we do?

Roll over and let economics (i.e. profitability), decide? But…do we attempt to insist on design standards that provide for the health and safety of current and future residents of the multi-family housing complex?

More affordable housing is required on Cape Cod. But…we cannot solve the problem in Chatham, there is insufficient open land available in Chatham. But…there is open space for development on the Cape. It is not NIMBY. But…it’s fact. 

But…yes, we can help and if done right, as other towns have, and we can do more. But…let’s do it right.

Frank Messina
South Chatham

Editor:

Dennis Select Board Chair Christopher Lambton is an outstanding candidate to represent the First Barnstable District towns of Brewster, Dennis and Yarmouth at the State House. While Cape Cod is a collection of individual towns, the challenges we face rarely stop at town lines. Water quality, housing, environmental protection, strong schools and a sustainable year-round economy are regional issues that require both local understanding and a broader Cape-wide perspective. Chris Lambton brings both.

I’ve heard Chris describe his path in public service, and his record is impressive. He has made a real difference in Dennis by advancing water quality, open space, housing and school initiatives, work that has direct relevance throughout our district and across Cape Cod. His efforts exemplify Democratic values, but they also demonstrate something equally important: an ability to turn those values into practical action. And he has been a productive community leader while running two businesses, raising a family and coaching youth sports.

On a personal level, I am particularly moved by Chris’s commitment to honoring his late mother, who died of ALS, through an annual event that raises funds for ALS research. My late husband also had this devastating disease, so I know firsthand what ALS takes from individuals and families. I am deeply grateful for Chris’s efforts to help find better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.

We need a state representative who understands that the future of Brewster is connected to the future of our neighboring towns and to Cape Cod as a whole. Chris has demonstrated that kind of leadership in Dennis, and I believe he will bring it to Beacon Hill. 

Fran Schofield
Brewster

Editor:

In the midst of the political hurlyburly, it sometimes helps to take a step back and look at the arc that has been drawn over the year in relation to the residential tax exemption. It all started in May 2025 when a new member of the board persuaded a majority to change long-held views and support this initiative addressing affordability of living in Chatham.

Fast forward a year and the town meeting last May voted to ask the select board to defer the RTE for a year so that the full landscape on this affordability issue could be evaluated. The select board themselves did some good work to mitigate the impact on the year-round renting population, which is where we suspect the real problem lies in making Chatham accessible. I’m talking about the Lease to Locals scheme that Shareen Davis spearheaded, and the affordable housing property tax exemption that Brian Phillips successfully persuaded town meeting to support. 

Both sides of the argument accept that the RTE is not perfect, and is a blunt tool to address the affordability problem. The finance committee have subsequently done great work to establish how it could be made sharper and more perfect, and are now just asking for a little more time to complete their work. The encouraging thing is that, for the moment, there is near unanimity in the town that help is needed, together with a determination of residents and non-residents alike to do something about it.

Given this consensus, it would be a great shame if the people who are tasked with making this decision felt that any wavering would be seen as a sign of weakness. It is not. It is an acknowledgement that focused research and open debate can produce a great result that works for the whole town.

Chris Wray
North Chatham

Editor:

If we want someone who has worked hard and cares about protecting the environment, public education and infrastructure that makes our towns great places to live, I have full confidence that Chris Lambton will deliver as the First Barnstable District Representative in the State Legislature. His many accomplishments in his eight years on the Dennis Select Board provide evidence to that fact. He has the right values, experience and proven ability to serve us with distinction. Residents of Brewster, Dennis and Yarmouth deserve it. 

Sharon Tennstedt
Brewster

Editor:

“It's not that we don’t want affordable housing,” but… So is the claim of the opponents of the Pennrose affordable housing development on Meetinghouse Road in Chatham. Their demand that the developer construct a sidewalk along the north side of Meetinghouse Road is unreasonable and an obvious front for not-in-my-back-yardism. The developer’s plan for a walkway to access the bike path and then the road is much safer than a sidewalk along the gully at the front of the property.

During this year-long painstaking process, Pennrose has been responsive to all legitimate concerns regarding this project. They have bought adjacent land, reconfigured buildings and revised floor plans. It would be foolhardy for the zoning board of appeals to impose stipulations intended to kill the project because of opponents' animosity towards the developer. Unreasonable conditions will be overturned on appeal and ultimately cost Chatham taxpayers unnecessarily.

Rev. John M. Sullivan, pastor
Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
Chatham

Editor: 

Hearty congratulations to the Cape Cod Baseball League Champion Harwich Mariners! What an exciting playoff run, resulting in another championship! I want to illustrate my respect to Coach Steve Englert and the players for another reason.

On two separate occasions in July, Coach Englert brought a number of players to visit the Harwich Council on Aging to attend the men’s and women’s monthly breakfasts. It gave our seniors an opportunity to hear from the players and coach. All were kind and generous with their time and attention to all in attendance.

Two things stood out during their visits. At the men’s breakfast, in attendance was a 92-year-old Harwich resident who had been a member of the Harwich Senior Softball Team World Champions. Each and every ballplayer as well as their coach took time to meet, congratulate and take photographs with our former World Champion, making his day.

At the Women’s Breakfast, we were so pleased to have six players join us. They stayed for countless photographs and to visit with a very proud group of our appreciative women.

Players from all over the country were extremely polite, accommodating and truly appreciative of their hospitality in Harwich.

Coach Englert, is not only a four-time Cape League Championship Coach, but a mentor of these young men, who obviously had the deepest of respect for their coach. Harwich is grateful to Coach Englert and the players, staff and volunteers of the champion Harwich Mariners!

Richard Waystack
Harwich

Editor:

Your editorial "No Buts About It" is a familiar story. Chatham residents working for more and better affordable housing are falsely accused of a hidden agenda opposing affordable housing. It's easy to be misled by this speculation and conspiracy theory, but we can build affordable housing without sacrificing safety, compromising the quiet and peaceful enjoyment of our homes in West Chatham or compromising South Chatham's National Historic District.

Of course affordable housing is a benefit to our community. Lake Street is a good example. But if we expect to have more affordable housing in Chatham, we should plan more carefully. The planning board's proposal is another good example: moderate density including small cottages on small lots typical of Chatham's Old Village were preferred by Chatham residents in a townwide preference survey.

Rick Leavitt
West Chatham

Editor:

On Sept. 1, the Chatham Select Board is set to vote on the residential tax exemption. This is supposed to lower the tax rate for year-round homeowners while setting a higher tax rate for second home owners.

Many of us in town are older and have obtained trusts to protect our property and assets from Medicaid in case we need to enter a nursing home. If your trust does not specify that you have a life estate and your home has been put into the trust you will not qualify for the exemption as you will be considered a renter. So even if you’ve lived in town, in your home for 46 years and paid your taxes every year, you will be considered a second home owner and levied with a considerably higher tax rate.

If you are in this situation, let your selectperson know that you don’t want this to be voted in. We can only hope that the board does not vote this. Let your voice be known and contact our selectman.

Diane Parrent
South Chatham

Editor:

At the recent Barnstable County Commissioners meeting held in Harwich, members of the Harwich Select Board raised a variety of concerns about Chapter 40B and requested help from the county for changes. Chapter 40B, the anti-snob zoning act, was enacted in 1969 and set a threshold for every community to have 10 percent of its year-round housing available and affordable to low and moderate income households. In the 57 years since its enactment, only 94 of the 351 communities in the state have achieved that target according to the September 2025 state listing. On the Cape only Falmouth and Orleans have achieved that benchmark. Harwich, for example, sits at 5 percent, ahead of only three other Cape towns. One major reason for this lack of progress is the large lot, single-family zoning that was adopted by many communities in the 1970s that has made it challenging to financially create such housing without the density relief that Chapter 40B can provide. As housing affordability is an issue affecting a very broad swath of incomes now, I would encourage Harwich and every Cape community to take a very close look at their zoning to determine if it truly promotes or impedes affordable and multi-family housing in a way that meets the need. For example, on the same page as the county commissioners meeting story, there was an article about the very well-received Harwich Port Village Landing mixed-use building with four commercial spaces and five short-term rental apartments. With year-round rentals a challenge to find for people in most income brackets, why are short-term rentals still allowed by zoning in mixed-use cases? Chapter 40B is not the problem with our affordable housing problem; as Pogo observed, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

Paul Ruchinskas
Brewster

Editor:

As a year-round property owner, I oppose a higher real estate property rate for seasonal property owners. I do support the concept of helping year-round residents who are having trouble paying their property taxes. I suggest that year-round property owners who are having trouble paying their property taxes have a means test, let's say looking at tax returns, and if they need help, we help them.

Gill Wilson
Chatham