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Housing Projects & Initiatives
Click on the tabs below to learn about housing developments in progress or in the pipeline to create more residential housing units in Provincetown.
- 3 Jerome Smith
- 26 Shank Painter
- The Barracks Project
- 288A Bradford
- Harbor Hill
- Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
3 Jerome Smith Road (former VFW site) Affordable Housing Development
3 Jerome Smith Road is a planned 65-unit new construction multifamily development in Provincetown. The Jerome Smith Road project will provide affordable, resilient housing and amenities tailored to the needs of residents of Provincetown. The development will be comprised of four 3-story buildings on a 1.8-acre site providing rental housing for households earning 30% of area median income (AMI), 60% AMI, "workforce" moderate-income households (80% AMI), and a handful of market rate units. The development provides urgently needed affordable rental housing in a location where year-round rental housing at all price ranges is under intense pressure from short-term rentals, remote workers, and seasonal owners.
The development will have 18 studio apartment units, 32 one-bedroom units, 10 two-bedroom units, and 5 three-bedroom units. Four of the units will be designated as CBH units for persons with disabilities.
The Community Builders, Inc. (TCB) was awarded developer designation for the site through a Town-led RFP process and purchased the adjacent parcel, 55R Captain Bertie’s Way, which expanded the footprint of the site. Local CDC, Community Development Partnership (CDP) is serving as a local partner/consultant on this project.
At Town Meeting this April, Article 11 requests Supplemental Funding for 3 Jerome Smith Road Housing Development to see if the Town will vote to raise and appropriate, borrow, or transfer from available funds $2,250,000 to be used to subsidize the Town’s portion of The Community Builder’s development of 65 affordable and community housing units at 3 Jerome Smith Road, pursuant to a grant agreement between the Town and the developer, which shall include an affordable housing restriction to be held by the Town; or to take any other action relative thereto. This will transfer $1,650,000 from excess funds within the Tourism Fund and $600,000 from free cash to cover the Town’s agreed upon contribution to the 3 Jerome Smith Road Project (former VFW site).
Additional details and background on the project can be found here.
26 Shank Painter Road (current police station site)
Upon the completion of the new police station on Jerome Smith Road in 2024, the site of the current police station at 26 Shank Painter Road will be available for housing development.
The Town is seeking a developer to build at least 36 housing units on the site, a 0.3 acre parcel. The number of units (36) is based on a community engagement process conducted in 2019 and should be considered a base number, with preferred consideration for additional density. The development should be designed for 1-2 person households and reflect a mix of affordability levels from 30% AMI to 150% AMI, with the possibility of some market units. The proposed units should be predominately rental units, with consideration given to a mix of rental and some ownership condominium units if such condos are needed to ensure financial feasibility of the development.
The Town is currently finalizing a Request for Proposals (RFP) to select a developer to design, construct, operate and manage the 36 mixed-income housing units.
At Town Meeting this April, Article 9E in the CIP includes a $200,000 request for the Demolition and Debris Removal and Site Readiness for 288A Bradford Street and 26 Shank Painter Road. This will allow for the demolition and clearing of the 288A Bradford Street and 26 Shank Painter Road projects in preparation for housing development.
The Barracks
The current Shankpainter Associates parcel is one of the largest underdeveloped General Commercial zoned parcels in Provincetown. A 15,000 square foot structure situated on the site houses the Marine Specialties warehouse and Patrick Studios, which provides artist studio and small business space. Patrick Studios has become a de-facto entrepreneurial and artistic incubator for artists and micro businesses.
The proposed Barracks project located on the same site in a new building will provide workforce housing and dormitory space for educational programs. The Patrick family has sought to develop this property in ways that support the continued viability of the community, aiding in efforts at conservation, preserving our arts community, fostering small business, economic development, and most recently developing workforce housing for people that live and work in Provincetown.
This project proposes construction of 28 dormitory style units, housing 112 people and 16 year-round apartments.
Learn more about this project here.
288A Bradford Street
Approved at Annual Town Meeting in 2022, the Town purchased 288A Bradford Street for both open space and affordable housing development. The agreed upon purchase price was $1,475,000 with an additional $100,000 to handle diligence costs as well as the relocation of two existing tenants and site preparation.
Under inclusionary zoning, up to 15 units could be built on the property, and the Town is currently working to relocate the current tenants and plan for future housing development at this site.
Since the acquisition, the Town has been and continues to work to relocate the current tenants and plan for future housing development at this site. We have been working in partnership with the Provincetown Housing Authority and there are unit(s) available to meet the current tenants needs.
At Town Meeting April 2023, Article 9E in the CIP includes a $200,000 request for the Demolition and Debris Removal and Site Readiness for 288A Bradford Street and 26 Shank Painter Road. This will allow for the demolition and clearing of the 288A Bradford Street and 26 Shank Painter Road projects in preparation for housing development.
Harbor Hill
In 2017, Provincetown residents voted to spend up to $10,700,000 to purchase and renovate 26 units of housing across 4 buildings at Harbor Hill, a former timeshare property in the West End. The purchase was made to create market rate rental housing for year-round residents, and is targeted at households making 80% to 200% of the area median income (AMI).
On October 3, 2018 a $250,000 State Grant was received to create two (2) additional ADA Compliant Units (bringing the total number of units available from 26 to 28). The property now consists of one studio, four 1-bedrooms, twenty-two 2-bedrooms, and one 3-bedroom unit.
Harbor Hill is overseen by Provincetown’s Year-Round Market-Rate Rental Housing Trust, and the property is managed by the Community Development Partnership (CDP).
At Town Meeting in April 2023, voters will be asked to approve CIP Article 9Z which would provide $310,000 in funds for the completion of roof replacement and repairs for all four buildings at Harbor Hill. The Trust began the roof replacement to be done spring and summer 2023, replacing wood cedar shingles with asphalt as required by insurance companies for three of the four buildings. The additional funds will provide for project completion for all four roofs including skylight removal, gutters, downspouts, and all trim replacement. This project is required by the Trust’s insurance company and if not completed by this fall the coverage will be cancelled.
As of December 2022, Harbor Hill is home to 47 adults, 8 children, 12 dogs and 3 cats. The majority of residents work in the service industry or for local government. All units are currently occupied, with applications being accepted for the waitlist. More information can be found here.
Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)
As part of a community wide effort to respond to the crisis of housing affordability and availability in Provincetown, Accessory Dwelling Units are intended as an option for homeowners to provide housing for family members, the elderly, employees, or just as a source of additional income.
What is an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU)?
An ADU is a small, self-contained dwelling unit with private bath and kitchen facilities on a residential property. An ADU is distinguishable from a duplex in that it is clearly subordinate to the primary dwelling unit, both in use and appearance. An ADU can be within an existing building or in a detached accessory building.
What restrictions apply to ADUs?
ADUs are deed restricted to year-round rental only. They do NOT have limits on who can rent based on income, and there is no set rent for the ADU. You will be required to obtain a rental certificate and provide evidence of a year-round lease. ADUs cannot be rented seasonally, weekly or daily.
Where are ADUs permitted?
ADUs are permitted in all Residential and Commercial zoning districts in Provincetown, including the Res 1 zone. Only one ADU may be permitted per lot.
What approvals are needed for an ADU?
ADUs are allowed by right in all zones which allow residential uses. They will require a building permit, as any new dwelling unit is required to meet current building code standards to ensure they are safe. Other permits may be required based on your particular structure or property. For example, Site Plan Review may be required if you are in the High Elevation Overlay District.
Learn more about ADU's here.
The Lower Cape Housing and ADU Resource Center offers technical assistance to homeowners interested in creating ADUs, as well as financial incentives (up to $10,000 for eligible homeowners). Rebates for high efficiency construction may also be available.
Click on the tabs below to learn about housing studies, analyses, and programs that are in progress or in the pipeline to create support more year-round residential housing units in Provincetown.
- Year-Round Deed Restriction Program
- VMCC Feasibility Study
- Route 6 Analysis
- 30 Creek Rd
- UMass Donahue Study
- Down Payment Assistance
- Exemption for Taxpayers Renting to Year-Round Residents
Year-Round Deed Restriction Program
The Town of Provincetown is investigating the feasibility of a year-round deed restriction program, an innovative response to the housing crisis which aims to make existing housing stock accessible to year-round community members. Inspired by successful efforts in Vail, Colorado and Lake Tahoe, California, the program would allow the town to purchase deed restrictions from Provincetown property owners, ensuring that the restricted housing units are rented to year-round tenants.
The Town of Provincetown has worked with the housing directors of Nantucket and of the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, along with Reps. Dylan Fernandes and Sarah Peake, and Sen. Julian Cyr to introduce draft legislation which would make a year-round deed restriction program possible.
At Town Meeting in April 2023, voters will be asked to approve Article 15 which would create a Home Rule Petition to allow the Town of Provincetown to create a year-round deed restriction program to promote year-round housing occupancy. Managed by the Year Round Market Rate Rental Housing Trust (YRMRRHT), with approval from the Select Board, this program would allow the Town to purchase deed restrictions from homeowners and developers to permanently limit the occupancy of a given unit via a year-round housing occupancy restriction for rental or ownership housing. This would be a voluntary program where homeowners could sell a deed restriction to the Town, for a yet to be determined amount, whereby the deed restriction would live with the property in perpetuity and would only allow for the property to be occupied by an owner or renter who lived at the property year-round with no Area Median Income (AMI) restrictions.
Year-round deed restriction programs have proven effective in resort communities with high rates of second-home ownership and short-term rentals, and limited opportunities for the construction of new affordable housing.
VMCC Feasibility Study
In April 2022, Annual Town Meeting voters approved the transfer of $150,000 from free cash to hire a development consultant to assist with an assessment of the Veterans Memorial Community Center site. The assessment was proposed to include financing, cost estimating, and site planning to determine the suitability of the site for affordable and community housing and municipal uses. The existing Council on Aging, Recreation Center, Wee Care Program, Public Works Department offices, Housing office and other municipal services could be rebuilt in a more compact footprint, allowing housing to be developed on the remainder of the site.
The current 41,000 square foot VMCC was built in 1955.
The Town has completed Phase 1 of a space needs analyses and 4 potential development concepts were delivered and shared with DPW and the Building Committee (Feb 2023). Next steps include DPW presenting more details with estimated costs for the options to the Select Board at an upcoming meeting for their input on how to move forward.
Route 6 Analysis
The Town of Provincetown is evaluating a proposal to reduce the number of travel lanes on Route 6 adjacent to other town-owned lands and to realign the right-of-way to potentially allow for the creation of developable parcels to meet the town's critical needs.
In April of 2022, Annual Town Meeting voters supported a non-binding resolution to support this proposal, as well at the transfer of $60,000 in free cash to fund professional consulting services.
Development consultant services are needed to assist with the assessment of planning, engineering, identifying wetlands delineation, flood storage capacity, and endangered species habitat analysis to determine suitability for development of affordable and community housing and other municipal uses on the town-owned property within the Route 6 right-of-way.
As of March 2023, Environmental Partners wetlands scientist went out to visit each of these sites and generally determined where wetlands occur. The initial results of that analysis indicate that additional follow-up is needed to investigate possible buildable sites at Route 6/Shank Painter, Route 6/Conwell St, and Route 6/Howland St.
30 Creek Road
In April 2022, Annual Town Meeting voters approved the transfer of $30,000 from free cash to hire a development consultant to assist with the assessment of the town-owned property at 30 Creek Road. The assessment will include a wetlands delineation, flood storage capacity, and endangered species habitat analysis to determine the suitability for development of affordable and community housing, and municipal uses. The parcel is approximately one-half acre in size.
The area is zoned for multi-family housing and could potentially allow 11 units, or more if it were an inclusionary or affordable development.
In February 2023, Environmental Partners completed the wetlands delineation and existing conditions survey. The wetlands limits are much bigger than anticipated and basically precludes any development on this parcel. EP’s wetland scientist believes the wetland to be isolated and protected under the local bylaw but not under the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Regulations.
Next steps include a site visit to understand the extent of the drainage system that flows into the wetland so that calculations can be done to determine if it can be classified as Isolated Land Subject to Flooding under the State Regulations. If it is regulated under the local bylaw, this step may not be necessary, but it will provide more clarity on its status. In the event the Town does not feel this resource can be regulated under the local bylaw, this analysis is more important.
UMass Donahue Study
The Town of Provincetown has commissioned UMass Amherst’s Donahue Institute to study current conditions of Provincetown’s housing market, as well as the effects of short-term rentals. The Donahue Institute describes the study as follows:
Provincetown’s intense tourist/short-term rental and second home demand is highly impactful and increasing, with negative effects on year-round housing and on housing for the local workforce. This study will seek to evaluate housing need at different income levels for residents and changes in the workforce, featuring and starting with a special deep dive into short-term rentals (STRs) in Provincetown to better understand evolution of the housing market, what size and price of year-round housing is most needed for which populations, impacts of STRs and possible consequences of STR supply restrictions.
Approved by the Select Board in January 2023, the University of Massachusetts Amherst Donahue Institute (“UMDI”) is conducting a study on the short-term rental market in Provincetown. The scope focuses on aspects of the short-term rental market and follows from a larger proposed study that included many other aspects of the housing market.
The project timeline will be from February 1, 2023 through August 31, 2023. The budget includes a traditional written report with findings and methodology as well as a slide deck/presentation for the Town’s website.
UMDI will produce the report first followed by either the slide deck presentation.
UMDI anticipates that this project, including the full report, will take roughly six months to complete followed by the final presentation in approximately one month to follow. However, it is expected that they will deliver interim findings sooner. UMDI will provide updates and excerpts of the analysis throughout the study, beginning with the historical and baseline data, followed by topline results from scenario analysis as they are completed.
The study is currently underway, and will take about six months to complete.
Down Payment & Closing Cost Assistance Program (2022/2023)
Purpose
The Town of Provincetown, through its Affordable Housing Trust Fund & Community Preservation Fund, offers up to 10% of the sale price, capped at $30,000 for each eligible buyer to put towards downpayment and closing costs for the purchase of an eligible affordable unit. It is intended to assist year-round residents qualifying at the CPA 100% AMI [Area Median Income] or less income level who can afford monthly mortgage payments yet do not have enough money to pay the initial home purchase downpayment and closing costs. The goal of the program is to increase homeownership among the low and moderate income households in the Town of Provincetown. This is a zero-percent (0%) interest, deferred forgivable loan program, subject to repayment as described below.
Eligibility
- Available to qualified applicants earning up to 100% AMI [total household income; see below]
- The property must be the homeowner’s principal year round residence; not a second home
- Purchaser must be first-time homebuyer defined as someone who has not owned a home in the past three years, some exceptions.
- First Time Homebuyer Workshop: purchaser must provide certificate from an approved Homebuyer Education Workshop Series [may waive for delayed participation due to COVID].
- Applicant must provide written confirmation that they have been deemed eligible to purchase a year round home through an approved lottery process or have a fully executed P&S for an eligible unit
- Applicant must have a mortgage pre-qualification letter from a recognized financial institution on bank letterhead clearly indicating their qualification to purchase the unit
- The property must be located in Provincetown
Other Requirements/Details
- Available on a first-come, first-serve basis until the allocation for this program is depleted
- Loans are up to 10% of sale price, capped at $30,000 solely for downpayment and closing costs based on a bona fide Loan Estimate from a recognized financial institution
- A minimum of 1.5% of sale price of homebuyer’s funds are required. Loan funds are given at closing, so purchaser will need their own funds for Offer & P&S deposits and other pre-closing costs.
- Funds to be released to closing attorney following receipt of bona fide mortgage loan commitment letter and once the purchase is approved to close
- Downpayment & Closing cost funds loan based on approved legitimate closing costs and limited to 10% of sale price and capped at $30,000
- This is a zero-percent (0%) interest loan secured by a second mortgage on the property from the purchaser to the Town of Provincetown which will be recorded as a subordinate lien by the closing attorney
- The loan must be repaid in whole or in part when property is sold or transferred in less than ten (10) years; the repayment will be pro-rated based upon the length of time since purchase and will be forgiven after ten (10) years
- The loan will be subordinated if refinanced by original owner(s)
Full program guidelines and application are available here: Down Payment & Closing Costs Assistance Program - Guidelines & Application
For more information, contact Housing Director Michelle Jarusiewicz at 508-487-7087 or mjarusiewicz@provincetown-ma.gov
Exemption for Taxpayers Renting to Year-Round Provincetown Residents
In February 2018, the Provincetown Residential Exemption was expanded to include: “a residential parcel occupied by a resident of the Town of Provincetown, other than the taxpayer, occupied on a year-round basis and used as his or her principal residence for income tax purposes.” This exemption will adjust the taxes of owners who rent on a year -round basis to residents of Provincetown who use the rental as their principal residence for income tax purposes.
To qualify under the expanded version of the exemption for FY 2023, the applicant must provide either:
- a current Rental Certificate, a signed (landlord and tenant) year-round lease beginning on or before January 1, 2022 and a copy of the first page of your renters 2021 Federal 1040 and State income tax Form 1 filings listing Provincetown as the mailing address. Inclusion of the tax forms is for residency verification only. All financial information can and should be redacted. OR:
- a current Rental Certificate, a signed (landlord and tenant) year-round lease beginning or before January 1, 2022 and a copy of your tenant’s Driver’s License listing the rental property address. Additionally, your tenant must satisfy two of the following: a year-round parking permit; be registered to vote in Provincetown; be on the Town Census or provide a copy of a December 2021 Utility bill in the tenant’s name for the rental address.
More information can be found here.