Cape towns must look to fill 'missing middle' housing, advocate says

Some say the Cape is “full,” that we have plenty of housing already built, but the fact is we are missing the type of homes that the Cape desperately needs: places for people with good-paying, full-time jobs who can no longer afford to live here.

Housing that is attainable for our region’s essential workers is increasingly in short supply. The median cost of a single-family home on Cape Cod has soared to more than $650,000 — a price tag requiring an annual income of $210,000.

The housing crisis is a rip current on the region’s economy, pulling many workers off-Cape where home prices are often more reasonable.

There are many consequences: Fire and police departments, health care facilities, public schools and restaurants have fewer recruits to fill important positions. Young families struggle to find an apartment or home that fits their budget as they compete with second-home buyers. Seniors have difficulty downsizing. Many longtime Cape Codders say goodbye to children and grandchildren who leave for more affordable regions.

Because of local zoning regulations, the Cape is chock full of single-family homes — nearly 80% of the housing stock. Our housing shortage is a self-inflicted wound. We need smaller homes built closer together. Right now, with the soaring cost of construction, we can only build housing that is affordable to those making $210,000 or more, or for low-income households eligible for deed-restricted homes. Housing for people with low incomes is vitally important, but so too is housing for people in between.

The reality is that we need missing middle housing in each and every community on the Cape. Housing development is complicated and expensive. There are tax subsidies to buy down the cost of construction for the lowest and most fragile amongst us. However, most Cape Codders don’t qualify for these units because they are over the income cutoffs, which are set very low.

Homeownership for young people has become a nightmare rather than a dream. It is simply not attainable for most at present. Rentals provide safe, stable housing, but it is homeownership that creates economic mobility, inter-generational wealth, and enables families to stay right here.

The Affordable Homes Act, recently filed by the Healey-Driscoll Administration, will, if passed, create a “seasonal communities” designation for the Cape that allows local property tax exemptions for year-round dwellings. It will also establish a real estate transfer fee to provide a steady funding stream for sorely needed new homes. Over $4 billion will flow statewide to support and incentivize the construction of new housing. New homeownership opportunities and funding to buy year-round deed restrictions are new programs the bill promises.

Every Cape resident stands to gain from the Affordable Homes Act: Those in need of housing and those who aren’t but utilize local services that are dependent on workers.

The Cape is, in fact, full. It is full of great people counting on their state and local community, and their neighbors, to help them be assured that they can always call this great peninsula home.

Alisa Magnotta is the CEO of Housing Assistance, a regional nonprofit that provides a range of services and programs that bridge the wide gap between homelessness and homeownership on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Housing for region’s essential workers is increasingly in short supply