Yarmouth committees brainstorm mixed housing, retain gym and auditorium at large former school site

YARMOUTH, Mass. — The Town of Yarmouth’s Community Housing Committee and Affordable Housing Trust met Jan. 21, 2025, at Yarmouth Town Hall and by Zoom to brainstorm housing and site‑use options for the large former school property (referred to in meeting materials as the Mattiquis/Mattakees site). The meeting was facilitated by the Barrett Planning Group and attended by town staff, housing advocates and representatives from the Yarmouth Housing Authority, veterans’ outreach and regional nonprofits.

The session’s purpose was to collect ideas without eliminating options, Alexis Lanzalata, principal with Barrett Planning Group, told the group: “this meeting is meant to be where we run amok where all of the ideas [are] possible without… limiting yourselves,” she said. The consultants and town staff said they will do follow‑up feasibility work between meetings and return with more analysis.

Why it matters: The site is one of the largest remaining Town‑owned parcels in Yarmouth and could address multiple local shortages identified in the town’s recent Housing Production Plan (HPP), including workforce rental housing, senior units and deeply affordable housing. Committee members and attendees repeatedly flagged workforce retention (town employees, public safety, teachers and health‑care workers), veterans, seniors and very low‑income households as priority populations for any future development.

Key proposals and recurring themes

- Mixed housing typologies: Multiple participants proposed combining multifamily rental buildings with smaller single‑family or clustered homeownership units and accessory dwelling units (ADUs). Kathy Williams, town planner, said planners had considered both smaller and…