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Cape and island leaders ask for local transfer‑fee authority to fund year‑round housing
Summary
Officials from Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod told the Joint Committee on Housing that seasonal markets and limited developable land require targeted tools — especially a local real‑estate transfer fee — to preserve and create year‑round housing for workers and essential services.
Officials and housing officials from Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod told the Joint Committee on Housing that seasonal communities face unique constraints — limited developable land, high shares of second homes, and water/wastewater limits — and urged the legislature to authorize a local real‑estate transfer fee and tailor funding programs to island and seasonal needs.
Brian Sullivan, chair of the Nantucket Affordable Housing Trust and a local broker, told the committee Nantucket’s median single‑family sale price is “3 and a half million” with median household income for a family of four just under $150,000, creating an affordability gap that local tax overrides and CPA funds cannot close. He said Nantucket voters have committed large local resources and produced deed‑restricted units but that “we can’t build our way out of this crisis alone” and that a transfer fee could generate sustainable revenue to “conserve, convert and construct” year‑round housing.
Laura Silber, island housing planner for the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, said all six Martha’s Vineyard towns adopted the state seasonal‑community designation and are updating housing plans; she called community land trusts and lease‑to‑locals pilots among the island’s effective tools but said many state funding streams do not align with small‑scale acquisitions and permanent deed restrictions used on islands.
Paul Nizwicki, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, said 37% of Cape Cod homes are second homes and that the region’s population triples in summer — dynamics that shrink year‑round supply and raise prices for the workforce that supports tourism. He urged targeted tools that preserve year‑round occupancy and regional approaches to financing and permitting.
Why it matters: Seasonal markets concentrate wealth and remove units from year‑round rental markets; islands and resort towns have constrained land and infrastructure capacity, making targeted revenue sources and program adjustments more effective than general statewide programs.
Requested changes: Witnesses asked the committee to authorize a local‑option transfer fee (regional or town level), adapt LIHTC/QAP and other state program rules to be practicable for small acquisitions and community land trusts, and provide state guidance and funding for water/wastewater and small‑scale redevelopment projects.
Ending note: Seasonal community leaders said they are prepared to use local tools where authorized but stressed the need for state enabling authority and program design that recognizes small, high‑cost markets with limited buildable land.
