Yarmouth committees launch multi‑month study of 70‑acre former school site to explore housing and mixed uses

On Jan. 6, 2025, the Town of Yarmouth’s Community Housing Committee and the Yarmouth Affordable Housing Trust joined the Mattakees Utilization Committee and consultants from Barrett Planning Group to kick off a multi‑month process to evaluate redevelopment options for a roughly 70‑acre parcel the town recently received from the Dennis‑Yarmouth Regional School District.

The meeting opened with Robert Ritenour, town administrator and chairman of the Affordable Housing Trust, saying the three groups were convening to “explore opportunities presented by this substantial property” and to determine whether affordable housing is feasible at the site. He described the session as the start of a process that could take several months.

Why it matters: committee members and staff said housing could be the financial driver that unlocks infrastructure—especially sewer—that would make other site uses possible. The discussion identified regulatory and environmental limits that will shape any plan, and the town will rely on technical assistance from Barrett Planning Group (30 hours provided through a Barnstable County ARPA program) and on a consultant building‑condition study due in January to inform next steps.

Key takeaways and next steps

- Parcel and constraints: Kathy Williams, town planner, said the property is about 70 acres and includes existing school buildings, athletic fields, wooded areas, wetlands and an area identified by the state Natural Heritage program as documented habitat for rare species. Williams described regulatory buffers that will affect buildable area—standard wetland buffers cited in the meeting included 35‑, 50‑ and 100‑foot zones around resource areas and a potential vernal‑pool protective radius that can extend to about 200 feet if confirmed.

- Drinking‑water protection: The site lies in a Zone 2 drinking‑water/wellhead protection area and the meeting…