October 2022
Live, Work, Thrive
Your Monthly Update
from the Community Development Partnership
A Word from Jay...

On September 22nd, the Wellfleet Zoning Board of Appeals voted unanimously to approve the Comprehensive Permit Application for 46 units of affordable housing at 95 Lawrence Road. The proposed development, on a town-owned parcel of land, has been in the works for several years now. The Development Team, a partnership between Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and the CDP, participated in four Public Hearings that helped us refine the proposal in response to suggestions made by ZBA members, town officials and residents.

ZBA Chair, Sharon Inger, noted that the ZBA received fifteen letters from residents and abutters to the project in support of the proposal and that not one individual had written or spoken in opposition of the project during the Public Hearings. Wellfleet has become a YIMBY – Yes in My Back Yard - Community! This broad support didn’t happen by accident. Town officials convened a task force to engage the community in developing consensus about how best to meet the town’s affordable housing needs at 95 Lawrence Road.

For the past six months, the CDP’s Housing Advocacy team has worked hard to build support for the project. Our Community Organizer, Mallorey Yanone has been out knocking on doors, meeting with residents, listening to concerns and helping us ensure that this project is a true partnership with the citizens of Wellfleet.

We have a lot more housing to build on the Lower Cape if we are going to fulfill the CDP’s mission to lead the region in building a diverse year-round community of people who can afford to live, work and thrive here. However, I am optimistic that our housing advocacy efforts will help pave the way for more projects like 95 Lawrence Road throughout the Lower Cape region.
Jay Coburn
President & Chief Executive Officer
Housing Matters
Providing Affordable Housing For Families
“I was able to get my associate’s degree and am now going to school for my bachelor’s. Living at Thankful Chases Pathway was a part of making that possible.”
 –La Keisha Lockhart, Resident, Thankful Chases Pathway
Finding an affordable rental on the Lower and Outer Cape is difficult, but especially so for families. School enrollment on the Outer Cape has been on a steady decline for the past decade, exemplifying how difficult it is for families to remain on Cape. The CDP is committed to providing housing for families, including La Keisha Lockhart, a receptionist at the Harwich Community Center, and her daughter. They live at Thankful Chases Pathway.

La Keisha grew up in Stoneham and spent most of her life living around the Boston area. In 2007, she moved to Harwich to live with her mother who had moved to the Cape several years earlier. After living with her mother for a few years, she started looking for her own housing in 2010, around the time her daughter was born. “We just really needed our own space,” she says.
Supporting Local Business
The CDP Receives Loan Funds to Support
Underserved Communities
"The CDP loan enabled our business to launch with confidence. As a cooperative business providing local seafood to our community, having an affordable loan to invest in things like ice machines, pallet jacks, and drying racks is critical to our success and growth."
 –Doug Feeney, President, Chatham Harvesters
The Community Development Partnership’s small business micro-loan program has been an important part of its strategy to support local small businesses. Through this program, qualified small businesses can receive up to $50,000 to cover start-up or expansion costs, including money for real estate, equipment, or working capital. The CDP has loaned nearly two million dollars to over ninety businesses in the past ten years. You can learn more about our small business micro-loan program by visiting https://capecdp.org/local-business/loans/.
In the summer of 2022, the CDP was granted funding from the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) to distribute micro-loans to businesses owned by members of underserved communities. MGGC’s program guidelines define underserved as businesses owned by racial or ethnic minorities, women, veterans, people with disabilities, members of the LBGTQ+ community, non-native English speakers, and people with low-moderate incomes. Also included are those located in gateway cities of rural communities and cooperatives.
Supporter Spotlight
Supporter Spotlight: St. Christopher's Church
“The committee was impressed with the CDP’s overall point of view. They are looking at the whole picture and that is important to us.” 
 –Heidi Quill, Outreach Committee Member, St. Christopher's Church
The Outreach Committee at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Chatham is focused on ways to alleviate the local housing crisis, and they’ve partnered with the Community Development Partnership to do just that.

The church has been involved in outreach to the community over the years, with generous support from its parishioners and fundraisers. In 2022, though, it became more formal when they established an Outreach Committee.

Committee member, Wendy Reveri shared, “The mission of St. Christopher’s is To Experience the Love of Christ and To Inspire Compassion in the World.” The group and parish live out this mission by serving the local community, welcoming all and partnering with the community.
Other News
Check out the Lower Cape Housing and ADU Resource Center
Free Small Business Assistance

The CDP's Business & Credit program team is available for one-on-one technical assistance. Get the resources you need to make the most of the upcoming off-season.

Small Business Technical Assistance is available:
  • Remotely via phone or video conference
  • In-person at the Provincetown Commons on the second Tuesday of each month
  • In-person at Chatham Works on the Last Tuesday of each month
  • In-person at the Harwich Cultural Center on the second Thursday of each month.

Click the link below to schedule a 30 or 60-minute appointment! 
Upcoming Workshops
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Additional Resources for Businesses
If you or someone you know is interested in receiving monthly updates from our Business and Credit Program, please sign up for our Inside Scoop. We'll send you useful tips targeted to small businesses.