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BREWSTER VISION ADVISORY GROUP
SUMMARY PAPER
HOUSING
July 2022
I. BACKGROUND
The cost and availability of housing in Brewster was identified as the largest single challenge at the June
2017 Vision Planning Workshops, with an emphasis on how the lack of affordable housing impacts young
families. Workshop participants saw housing as key to allowing young families to stay in Brewster,
maintaining the diverse community that residents value, and providing the workforce that the local
economy needs. Affordable housing, generally defined as housing available to households with incomes at
or below 80% of area median income (e.g., currently $70,000 for a 3-person household) and at a cost that
does not exceed 30% of the household’s gross monthly income, was identified by workshop participants as
the biggest challenge facing the Town.
Over the past five years, external factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic, a sharp increase in the prices of
housing, and a lack of year-round rental housing, have exacerbated the housing crisis in Brewster and
across the Lower Cape.
While those with the lowest incomes face the greatest housing need and challenges, the cost and
availability of housing- both for year-round rentals and ownership opportunities- is an issue as well for
many households who do not qualify for affordable housing, making it challenging for both younger families
and older residents to remain in Town. Housing is closely inter-related to the community character and
local economy building blocks of Brewster’s vision. Though challenging, strategically providing a wide range
of housing opportunities is essential to maintaining Brewster’s community character, identified as the
Town’s top treasure.
Brewster, and the rest of the Cape, is facing housing issues that are common to a number of resort, tourist-
based areas throughout the country that have a significant percentage of seasonally used housing stock
(44% in Brewster). These areas all have high housing costs in part because the average income of second
homeowners is greater than that of year-round residents which can drive up the cost of housing.
Environmental and infrastructure factors also contribute to the higher cost of housing in Town. These
tourist-based areas are also characterized by low wages. According to the Cape Cod Commission, one of
the affordable housing challenges is the gap between the Cape’s comparatively low wages and high housing
costs. While wages have remained relatively stagnant, housing costs have risen dramatically.
Brewster’s median household income is $75,321, compared with $81,215 in Massachusetts. In 2019, 5% of
Brewster households lived below the poverty line. As seen in the vacillating unemployment rate, Brewster
workers have been impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2019, the unemployment rate was 2.9%; this
increased to 19% in April 2020, fell to 7% in December 2020 and 4% in December 2021. Additionally, Cape
Cod has a high percentage of self-employed workers, 18%, twice the Commonwealth’s rate of 9%.
Brewster’s year-round population hit a peak of 10,094 in 2000 and slowly declined over the next twenty
years dipping below 10,000 until the 2020 census found an increase in population to 10,318. In 2020,
Brewster saw a net increase of 158 permanent address changes to the Town.
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The population of Brewster is aging. In 2000, 26 percent of residents were over 65, increasing to 32 percent
by 2019. The median age increased from 47 years old in 2000 to an estimated 54 years old in 2019. Only
13% of Brewster residents are 25- 45 years old. Additionally, according to the Cape Cod Commission’s 2021
New Homeowner survey, 70% of new Cape homeowners were 55+; 66% plan to live on the Cape year-
round, and of those employed 67% worked for an employer off Cape. This continues the trend of older
homeowners, few young people, and limited local workers. To reverse the demographic trends the Town is
facing, there will be a need for more housing options for the growing older population along with a strategy
for adding affordable housing options for younger people combined with strategies to provide more
economic opportunities that pay a livable wage.
Brewster’s housing stock is very different than the rest of the state. 76% of the housing units in Town are
detached single family homes. 45% of housing units are owner occupied, 8% year-round renter occupied,
44 % seasonally occupied, and 3% other. In comparison, 90% of Massachusetts housing is occupied year-
round.
As for affordable housing, since 1969, the State has mandated that every community have 10% of its year-
round housing stock designated as affordable. Currently the Town has 268 units counted as affordable,
5.6%, and needs to add 212 affordable units to meet the 10% goal. The 10% metric however understates
the range of housing needs- affordable and otherwise- that exists in Town. Currently, 203 of the affordable
units are rental units. 31% of all rental units in Brewster are deed restricted affordable housing units. This is
reflected in the median Brewster rent of $1,097 which is artificially depressed by the percentage of
subsidized housing.
A challenging housing situation has worsened dramatically since 2017. Intensified with changes associated
by the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost of housing has increased along with a sharp decrease in the number of
properties for sale. Additionally, there has been a reduction in the number of homes used for year-round
rentals.
In 2021, the median sales price of a single-family home in Brewster was $700,000, an increase of
30% over $540,000 in 2020, and an 80 % increase from the original Housing Summary statistic of
$389,750 in 2015.
The affordability gap has also grown tremendously. A household income of $176,000 is needed to
purchase a median priced home today. In 2019, the Brewster median household income was
$75,321. This is an affordability gap of more than $100,000. By comparison for a median income
household, an affordable price for a 3-bedroom home, with today’s interest rates, would be about
$300,000.
85% of Brewster year-round households own their own homes, 28% of which are housing-cost
burdened (paying over 30% of their income on housing), while 50% of Brewster year-round rental
households are housing cost burdened.
In October 2021, a newly constructed rental development in Yarmouth received 600 qualified
applications for 40 affordable apartments.
II. RECENT ACTIONS BY THE TOWN
Over the past five years, a clear pattern has emerged in Brewster’s housing response. First, the Town has
employed the 2017 Housing Production (HPP) and Vision Plans as guides for the Town’s housing efforts.
Second, strong Town support has been demonstrated by the number of housing initiatives and their
corresponding Community Preservation Act (CPA), budget, and free cash funding. Third, creative
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collaboration, supportive teamwork, and resident involvement have exponentially increased the Town’s
efforts. Over 75 Town staff and residents have attended educational housing trainings and workshops. This
includes the Cape Housing Institute one of several collaborative, regional Brewster CPA funded housing
initiatives.
In 2017, the Town completed a state-approved Housing Production Plan that assessed demographic and
housing data, identified local affordable housing needs and development barriers, and developed a set of
priorities and 16 recommended strategies to enable the Town to make progress toward achieving the 10%
goal. Many of those strategies have been implemented. In 2017, the Town hired a part-time housing
coordinator with CPA funds to coordinate the remaining strategies identified in the Plan. The Town then
created a Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, supported with CPA funds and free cash allocations. In 2021,
the Select Board voted to create a financial policy and allot 50% of the forecasted new short-term rental
revenue to the Housing Trust.
In 2018, Town Meeting adopted an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) bylaw. This is a way to utilize current
infrastructure, assist homeowners, and create environmentally friendly housing. Over 20 units, accessory or
ADU, have been permitted.
The Town has initiatives to both preserve housing and support housing without new construction. A
Housing Rehabilitation Program was a priority of the Town for years. In 2021, with Dennis and Wellfleet,
the Town was part of a $1.3-million-dollar regional Housing Rehabilitation and Childcare Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG). As the lead community, Brewster was awarded another $1.3-million-
dollar regional CDBG grant to continue the program in 2022. In response to the high price of rental housing
and impact of Covid-19 pandemic on workers, the Housing Trust created a rental assistance program
funded with a CPA grant and managed by Housing Assistance Corporation. This program first utilizes
available federal and state funds. The Town also continues to operate an affordable home ownership
buydown program funded through the CPA.
In 2018, the Town used CPA funds to purchase an access parcel and officially designated the 16 acres of
Town land off Millstone Road for community housing. The Trust, with guidance and a grant from Mass
Housing Partnership, undertook a feasibility study, engaged in community outreach, and drafted a Request
for Proposals to develop affordable rental housing on the property. The Trust is evaluating a proposal to
build a compact grouping of 45 energy efficient rental apartments which leaves most of the property
untouched. This meets a goal of creating affordable housing which fits the community character, maintains
open space, and supports the local economy.
Partnerships with non-profits and effectively using Chapter 40B Comprehensive Permits were additional
strategies in the HPP. The Town has repeatedly partnered with Habitat for Humanity. In 2020 Habitat, with
$1.2 million in CPA funds, completed construction on the Paul Hush Way neighborhood, now home to 14
families. In 2021, Habitat obtained a Comprehensive Permit to build two affordable homes on property
donated by a local resident. Construction, supported with $100,000 CPA grant, will begin in 2023.
Expected to open in 2022, Brewster Woods will provide thirty affordable rental apartments for those in the
low to moderate income bracket on Housing Authority land off Brewster Road. The property, being
developed by two non-profit organizations, received a Comprehensive Permit and $550,000 in CPA funding.
The Town also obtained a $1.68 million-dollar MassWorks grant to fund needed infrastructure work.
Two creative public-private partnerships stand out. In 2017, Ocean Edge Resort received a special permit to
create seasonal workforce housing on their property. This included placing 7 modular buildings in a
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common area to house up to 84 of their seasonal workforce. Second, Elevation Financial, working in
partnership with the Town is redeveloping the former vacant Wingate Rehabilitation Center into Serenity at
Brewster, 132 apartments for people aged 55 and over. All of Phase One’s 31 units were leased within 60
days. In accordance with the Use Variance, 20% of the units will be deed restricted affordable for
households up to 80% of the area median income (AMI).
Since the development of the 2018 Vision Plan, the Town Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) has lost 8
properties that had 15-year short-term home affordability restrictions tied to an earlier housing
rehabilitation program, added 10 affordable homes through two Chapter 40B for-profit home ownership
developments, added 14 affordable homes in the Habitat Paul Hush Way neighborhood, and extended the
affordability restrictions on 111 rental units. This includes the King’s Landing purchase by Preservation of
Affordable Housing. The Town also received ‘safe harbor’ for Brewster Woods’s 30 affordable rental
apartments. These 30 units will return to Brewster SHI’s after expected occupancy later in 2022.
Additionally, the Trust, working to preserve affordable housing, received a $500,000 CPA grant to preserve
current homes on the SHI.
In the current proposal, permitting, and construction pipeline are a possible 104 affordable units (30 from
Brewster Woods, 27 Serenity at Brewster, 2 Habitat, and 45 from the Millstone property). T his would
increase the SHI to 7.7%. However, the number of year-round housing units in Brewster will be adjusted per
the 2020 US Census, and this will lead to an adjustment in the Brewster SHI.
III. KEY ISSUES MOVING FORWARD
Brewster is a desirable place to live with access to water- both the beaches and ponds (about 80 of them
covering 10% of the Town ’s surface area- 2,000 acres- the largest amount of pond acreage on the Cape);
recreational amenities including protected open space; and historic and cultural resources. Housing is also
an important resource, one that plays a key role in Brewster’s community character, economic health, and
vitality.
There is no single tactic or magic bullet that will provide all the needed housing options for our residents
and workforce. The Town’s multi-faceted approach has shown promise, but external factors impacting
Brewster’s housing landscape have exacerbated the situation. The last five years demonstrate the
importance of flexibility in a changing environment. When the original housing summary was written,
residents weren’t anticipating a global pandemic or Brewster’s purchase of the Cape Cod Sea Camps.
While the unanticipated pandemic has shown how housing intertwines with physical, economic, and
community health, the 2021 Sea Camps purchase demonstrates the Town’s ability to mobilize around a
common goal, the importance of vision, and the power of collaboration. Looking forward, the Town has
updated the Housing Production Plan which expires in June 2022. This is excellent timing as the new Plan,
funded by a CPA grant, will help the Town better understand the impacts of the pandemic, reassess the
housing needs, and retool strategies for the next five years. This Plan will become part of the Local
Comprehensive Plan. The coordination of Brewster’s Vision Building Blocks is an important part of the
Town’s visioning process. The Local Comprehensive Plan lays the groundwork to then examine Brewster’s
Zoning bylaws and determine if they are effectively implementing Brewster’s Vision for the Town. For
example, residential zoning in Town typically requires large lots (60,000 square feet or more) for a single-
family home and has minimal zoning options that allow the creation of affordable or multifamily housing.
There are limited commercially zoned districts in Town, and thus fewer potential redevelopment
opportunities to create housing along with the commercial uses. Additionally, the Town, along with the rest
of the Cape, relies on a sole source aquifer for its drinking supply which necessitates the protection of land
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from development around the drinking water wells. The lack of a centralized or smaller scale wastewater
treatment infrastructure also limits the development potential of available land. While the Town can
identify some appropriate locations for new housing, moving forward involves much more than just
building. Rehabilitation and support programs help to both create and preserve housing. Of note, recent
new construction affordable housing developments on the Cape have had total development costs (land
acquisition, site and construction costs, and so-called soft costs) approaching $500,000 per unit. This is an
over 25% increase in just a few years.
Opportunities ahead for increasing housing options include continued and expanded collaboration with
Town and community entities. An ongoing commitment to funding through the CPA, short-term rental
revenue, and other avenues can provide needed capital. Experience shows that creative partnerships, such
as that for Serenity at Brewster, can create housing through redevelopment. Additional possibilities exist
for joint work with conservation and environmental groups as well as businesses and the Chamber of
Commerce. Zoning remains an area of potential, including reassessing the current ADU bylaw. The work of
the past five years is showing promise. Community involvement and participation in drafting the updated
Housing Production Plan can aid the Town in creating the playbook for the next five years.
IV. BUILDING BLOCK GOAL
Provide more affordable, attainable, accessible, safe, and fair housing, and support residents to maintain
and preserve their current housing to remain in the community.
REFERENCES
American Community Survey 2019 Data, 5-year estimates
Brewster Community Preservation Plan FY23-FY27
Cape Cod & the Islands Association of Realtors 2021 Annual Report & December 2021 Brewster
Local Market Update
US Census 2020