Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Employee Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cape Cod Express seeks eight apartments at Commerce Road terminal; board continues application for more engineering review
Summary
Commerce Road Terminals (Cape Cod Express) proposed replacing a storage building with eight apartments for employees and asked the board to amend a 1995 mixed‑use MCD. Neighbors and board members raised parking, stormwater and management-plan concerns; the board continued the application to April 13 for additional engineering review.
Rick Bodette, representing Commerce Road Terminals LLC and Cape Cod Express, asked the Planning Board for an amendment to a 1995 mixed‑use development (MCD) and a special permit to demolish a storage structure and build eight apartments (nine bedrooms) on the terminal property at 14–16 Commerce Road.
Bodette said the apartments are intended primarily for Cape Cod Express employees and would occupy a building in the back of the lot. The project would use parking on an adjacent parcel via an existing exclusive easement and proposes new stormwater handling in the southern portion of the site.
Neighbors and board members pressed for detail. Planning staff and residents questioned stormwater pre-treatment (the site is near the harbor and within the town’s Wellhead Recharge District) and asked for a housing-management plan and clearer protections against short-term rental use. Environmental and neighborhood groups asked for stronger pre-treatment and groundwater protection measures.
Several board members and consultants urged a roster for management, restrictions on short-term rentals, and a contact for neighbors to call if problems appear. Engineer Don Bracken described a new subsurface treatment system and a plan to connect residential sewage to sewer service; he and the applicant agreed to provide additional engineering details and water-quality certification for the building permit.
Outcome: The board continued the application to its April 13 meeting to allow staff and the town engineer to review stormwater, parking and related technical comments. No permit was granted at this meeting.
Why it matters: Employee housing in commercial areas can expand year‑round housing stock but brings neighborhood concerns about vehicle trips, stormwater and management. The board’s request for additional engineering detail aims to ensure public‑resource safeguards (groundwater, stormwater) and mitigate neighborhood impacts.
Quote: "We're proposing eight apartments on this property ... used of course for employees of Cape Cod Express," said Rick Bodette at the public hearing.
