On February 2, 2025 the Massachusetts’ Affordable Homes Act goes into effect, bringing a wide range of new regulations and funding to solve the housing challenges plaguing the state. The crisis is especially dire in communities like Cape Cod which have big seasonal fluctuations in population. In 2024, the median sale price for a home in Barnstable County was over $700,000 and scarce year-round rentals cost 65% higher than the national average, putting year-round Cape Cod residency out of reach for most people. One of the most impactful features of this bill for Cape Cod is the Seasonal Community Designation, available to municipalities with over 35% seasonal housing units. Both Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard and all towns from Dennis to Provincetown automatically receive the designation. Towns from Yarmouth to the bridge will have to apply.

Here are some of the exciting scenarios that might be possible under this designation:

• Your dream is to retire to Cape Cod but your budget is less than the $700,000 median sale price of homes in the area. Lucky for you the town wants to increase year-round housing in the neighborhood so they are going to buy a year-round deed restriction on that house for 20% of the value, making a $700,000 home only cost $560,000.

• You are a Cape Cod school administrator with multiple staff openings at your school but you’ve been having trouble attracting good candidates because they can’t find a place to live. With AHA funds the towns in your district can buy and develop dedicated housing for public employees and thereby make your job offering competitive and attract excellent candidates.

• You have lived on Cape Cod your entire life, raised your family here, etc. Now that you are retired and living on a fixed income every penny counts, especially as the cost of living on Cape Cod continues to increase. Imagine how much further your money would go if your property taxes were cut in half!

• You work as an artistic director for a Cape Cod theater company and you commute an hour each way over the bridge to get to your job. You love your job but you’re not sure how much longer you can maintain this lifestyle. Then you stumble on a Cape-side apartment complex with dedicated affordable units specifically for folks who produce or support the arts in the region.

• Your mom lives around the corner from you and your family in the big colonial you grew up in as a kid. She’s getting older and would love to downsize but where would she go? You’d have her move in with your family but there’s no room. And with the cost of housing, downsizing to a smaller ranch or Cape would leave her with not enough money to live. The answer: A granny pod tiny home on your lot. 

Based on the language of the Affordable Homes Act, some of the tools seasonal communities have include:

• Acquire year-round housing occupancy restrictions

• Develop housing with a preference for municipal workers, so that our public safety personnel, teachers and DPW and town hall workers have a place to live

• Establish a Year-Round Housing Trust Fund to create and preserve affordable and attainable housing for year-round residents

• Create year-round housing for artists

• Allow seasonal communities to develop a comprehensive housing needs assessment

• Allow tiny homes to be built by-right and used as year-round housing

• Increase the property tax exemption for homes that are the owners’ primary residence

In the meantime, the best bet is to get educated and participate as your town starts implementation. Here are some great resources:

• Affordable Homes Act Fact Sheet This gives a high-level overview of the new regulations and funding, with links to the text of the law.

• Your Cape Cod Town’s Website: Keep an eye on the agendas and minutes of your town’s planning, zoning, and selectboard or town council meetings that address

• Seasonal Communities Guidelines: A summary of the information available from the state as of 12/12/24