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Eastham manager outlines wastewater, Route 6 and Town Center plans; asks board for technical help
Summary
Town Manager Jackie told the Select Board that wastewater plant bids came in about $3.5 million under estimates, SRF paperwork and contracts must be in by June 30, and MassDOT accepted a Route 6 corridor project; staff asked the board to consider housing assumptions (a 77‑bed cap) and to authorize outside technical and financial assistance for Town Center/Tea Time development.
Town Manager Jackie provided the Eastham Select Board an update on the Northeast Village Center master plan on June 1, telling members the town is moving the wastewater program from engineering to construction, that MassDOT has accepted a Route 6 corridor project, and that staff will seek technical assistance to finalize housing and development assumptions for the Town Center/Tea Time area.
Jackie said treatment-plant bids received May 27 “are at least $3.5 million under our estimates,” noting the town must submit signed contracts for the plant and two collection-system contracts to the State Revolving Fund (SRF) by June 30 to keep the funding timeline on track. She said staff expects a three‑year construction program for the treatment plant and collection systems, with substantial construction activity beginning this fall if contracts are signed by June 30.
On the Route 6 corridor, Jackie said MassDOT has given the town a project number and accepted the project into the state process, meaning the town will pay the initial design share — roughly the first 14% of engineering (the 25% drawing phase) — after which the state will cover remaining design and construction. “We have to pay for the first 14% of the engineering,” she said, adding MassDOT will fund the later phases, including survey work the state has agreed to cover.
Jackie outlined the Town Center/Tea Time concept as a mixed-use village with civic space, economic development and workforce housing, and she reminded the board that wastewater capacity limits the area to 77 bedrooms under current assumptions — roughly 45–50 units. She asked the board to confirm whether the town’s objectives remain rental housing, a mix of ownership and rental, or a different composition before staff issues RFPs or pursues major commitments.
Board members emphasized keeping “the missing middle” — workers and middle-income households — at the center of planning and said state subsidy programs can be both useful and constraining. One member urged exploring the seasonal communities grant program for more tailored state support to seasonal Cape communities.
On the design timeline for the connector road between Tea Time and Town Center Plaza, Jackie said the town contracted Apex to produce a conceptual design, funded in part by a Seasonal Communities Act grant of about $85,000, with a conceptual plan expected by December. Jim Fitzgerald of Apex and staff will consider questions such as whether the connector should be one lane or two, whether sidewalks or bike lanes fit, and how parking and turning movements should be arranged.
Several members and outside commenters urged bringing in a financial-feasibility consultant before finalizing unit counts or subsidy choices. One long-running theme staff flagged was the lack of Cape examples of mixed‑use residential/commercial development; the town aims to pilot a model that balances year‑round housing needs and environmental constraints. Jackie recommended returning with more detailed housing analysis and technical options at a future meeting.
Next steps: staff will pursue SRF submittals and contract awards in mid‑June, advance the Route 6 design phase with MassDOT, finalize the Apex conceptual connector design later this year, and return with targeted housing feasibility and funding options for board consideration.
