November 13, 2024
Preserve the Charm Fundraising Update
Thank you for your support of the Dennis Village Land Purchase Campaign and especially for your patience during this period of "radio silence". As you may know we have been advised by our lawyers not to disclose details of the negotiations until everything is agreed upon in writing. That said, we are definitely making progress and we have some good news to share.
Presently lawyers from both sides are working on the language for the purchase and sales agreement. They are working from a document of agreed-upon negotiation points that have been signed by both parties. This is a big step forward in getting the many months of verbal negotiations into a final written form.
We met our initial fundraising goal and are very thankful to everyone who has donated or made future pledges. We are hopeful that the Purchase and Sales agreement review by attorneys will be completed soon and the land will close by early 2025.
Please know how deeply we appreciate your support of this campaign. We will let you know as soon as there is more to report. It takes a village to preserve a village!
We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!
Background…
A trusted neighbor has been negotiating with the developers for many months to delineate the parcels and come to a price for each parcel. There are three potential parcels. The most prominent one, approx. 40,000 SF, is the wooded area along Rte. 6A between Hallett Court and the Captain Moses and Jerusha Sturgis Howes house. The developers are asking $1.5 million for this lot. The other two parcels, which would require another $1.5 million, would be the ones on the east and west side of Hope Lane.
A campaign committee has formed and has named the campaign “Preserve The Charm.” We are honored they chose a name that reflects the hard work we have done over the last many months with our “Don’t Harm the Charm” campaign. DCRD is asked to join the campaign and help collect pledges and donations in the amount of $1.5M for the purchase of the 6A parcel.
The sellers are on board and working with the committee to achieve a more desirable outcome. The first goal is to raise $1.5 million to purchase the 40,020 square foot parcel which sits on Route 6A, between the historic Captain Howes home at the corner of Hope Lane and the ice cream shop, across from the Village bandstand, the cemetery and the military training ground. As a show of good faith, the developers have agreed to delay their filing with the ZBA filing until July, so as not to interfere with the fund raising campaign.
Village Improvement Society (VIS) is the local 501c non-profit organization who will lead in collecting pledges and donations. Pledges and first payments are being requested by June 3, 2024. It is currently structured that payments can be made over 3 years, if necessary. Upfront buy-out is preferred and it will take all of us doing our best to make it happen.
Please make checks payable to Village Improvement Society, and write Land Purchase on the memo line.
Please mail donations to: Village Improvement Society, PO Box 755, Dennis MA 02638
February 12, 2024
Friday, February 9, 2024, was the deadline for comments to MassHousing as they consider Betterwood Homes and Paul W Sullivan’s application for Project Eligibility for Village Courtyard, LLC (the 40B at Hope Lane and Rte. 6A).
We are pleased to attach the letter (click here to read it) that was prepared on our behalf by our attorney Dan Hill. We are so encouraged by it, especially the detail he relays regarding environmental impact and the concerns about the existing building at 744 Main St.
Now that all the information is in the hands of MassHousing, we have to wait to see how they respond. They have up to 30 days to decide whether to issue a Project Eligibility Letter (PEL). Note that the PEL isn’t a permit. Even if a PEL is issued, there is still a several month-long process of public commentary and discussions before a construction permit can be granted.
In the meantime, please know that we are beginning our parallel path of gathering interest for purchasing the property so that, even if they get approval, they will not be able to over-develop this property. If you are interested in joining the Campaign Committee (which is in its infancy), please click here to let us know.
Looking forward to continuing to fight the good fight for the land and the Town of Dennis.
February 5, 2024
What’s Going On
Village Courtyard, LLC filed for Project Eligibility Letter from MassHousing.
A site visit of 744 Rte 6A and 18 Hope Lane was conducted on Jan 31 with MassHousing representatives, Chuck Deluga of Betterwood Homes, and several representatives from the Town of Dennis. (According to Paul Foley, Dennis Town Planner, this is a pro forma site visit and we expect nothing glaring against the project would be found, meaning that MassHousing would not likely find objections after that visit.)
NOTICE! SELECT BOARD MEETING TOMORROW, Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 4:30 at Dennis Town Hall.
Village Courtyard is on the agenda. Click here for the agenda and click here for Select Board Material to see the draft memo from Select Board to MassHousing and other commentary from heads of Town boards and committees. We are encouraged to see how many of the points that we have been making for the past few months are included in their memos.
Comments from the Town and “other interested parties” (such as community groups like Dennis Citizens for Responsible Development) are required to be submitted to MassHousing by Feb. 9. (See below for what we are doing.)
DCRD put attorney Dan Hill on retainer.
If you are interested in contributing to the legal fund, please visit our GoFundMe page. We have already raised $3,500 for the retainer and we expect the first round expenses will be another $3,500 or perhaps a bit more. All contributions are welcome and helpful for this fund. Please remain mindful that this is only one small part of our moving forward at this point.
Attorney Hill has been tasked with putting together and submitting his preliminary findings on the behalf of DCRD to MassHousing by Feb 9.
Ron Kuper and Sharon Machuga, as DCRD signatories on record with the attorney, will review all of Mr. Hill’s findings before they are submitted. DCRD has also requested that the Town file for an extension for comments since we were officially notified of the filing approximately 10 days after the Town of Dennis received it (officially notified in the Board Packet released on Jan 19). We see that is on the Feb. 6 agenda.
Ron Kuper had a phone meeting with Paul Foley about bringing the Town of Dennis into Safe Harbor status and specifically the 1.5% GLAM (General Land Area Minimum).
Foley also mentioned that they are looking at Dennis possibly meeting a temporary Safe Harbor which has to do with the current affordable housing being developed in Dennis. Foley thinks based on the many projects that are currently being developed in Dennis, we may reach the 0.5% production-based 1 year Safe Harbor.
For Timeline Purposes
The project is in Preliminary Eligibility Letter (PEL) stage. Click here for a flowchart and here for a timeline of the 40B process.
MassHousing will make a determination sometime after Feb. 9 as to whether they grant the PEL to Betterwood Homes and the Village Courtyard LLC. We expect they will but also hope that Town Boards and committees and/or our attorney will find some other legitimate reason to completely shut the project down and take its development for 40b housing off the table.
Next Stage is filing for Comprehensive Permit. Go to www.DennisCRD.org to see a flowchart that outlines the Comprehensive Permit process through the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA). NOTE: It is during this phase that the Town files for Safe Harbor.
Parallel Path
We must be prudent and consider that our best efforts to fight this 40B development may still fail. In that case, we must also pursue a parallel path of purchasing the property. DCRD has known this was a possible outcome.
Many DCRD members have suggested we contact Deluga and Sullivan directly about buying the land. We now know that these negotiations have indeed been taking place by an anonymous local resident. The end goal is clear property lines of saleable parcels, clear asking prices and eventually a Purchase & Sale agreement for one or more parcels. Be on the lookout for the launch of a Campaign Committee to navigate this aspect and begin the pledging (fundraising) processes for this purchase.
In Case You Have Just Joined Us
Dennis Citizens for Responsible Development (DCRD) was founded initially in response to the threat of over-developing this precious site in the heart of Dennis Village. We have since discovered a larger purpose to include all of the Town of Dennis in a process of learning as much as we can about what will be “responsible development” for our Town in the years to come. There is a sense that the time is now for all of us to step forward and lead, and our leadership as members and donors of DCRD will speak volumes to our greater neighbors yet to join us!
We deeply appreciate your commitment and generosity towards our common love of Dennis and all its Villages.