Yarmouth committee brainstorms mixed housing options for large town-owned site, preserves gym and auditorium

A hybrid meeting of the Town of Yarmouth Community Housing Committee and the Affordable Housing Trust on Jan. 21, 2025, assembled municipal staff, housing providers and consultants to brainstorm uses for the large town-owned property commonly referred to in the meeting as the Mattakee site. Attendees emphasized mixed housing types, workforce and senior needs, and retaining the gymnasium and auditorium while exploring rentals, ownership models and potential partnerships.

The meeting, facilitated by Barrett Planning Group, was framed as an unconstrained “brainstorming” session to gather ideas and identify which concepts should be studied in more detail. Alexis Lanzalata of Barrett Planning told the group the intent: “we're really just trying to keep things broad and open right now.” Participants repeatedly urged balancing housing types (multifamily, duplexes, single-family with accessory dwelling units), targeting different income bands, and protecting environmentally sensitive portions of the parcel.

Why it matters: the site is one of the largest contiguous town-owned parcels in Yarmouth and could help address local workforce shortages, senior housing gaps and veteran housing needs. Committee members flagged the site’s environmental and regulatory constraints — wetlands, a ground-mounted solar array on a long-term lease, and location within a Zone 2 aquifer protection district — as factors that will…