Massachusetts is investing $1.9 million to address one of its toughest local affordability problems: the lack of year-round homes in tourist-heavy communities.
State officials said the money will support projects in all 24 designated seasonal communities, and those efforts are associated with 594 potential year-round homes, according to WBUR.
Here's what to know
Gov. Maura Healey's administration announced a new round of Seasonal Communities Grant Program awards for all 24 places covered by the state's legal seasonal designation, including communities on Cape Cod, the Islands, and in Berkshire County.
The grants target areas where tourism and a large share of seasonal housing have narrowed options for full-time residents and workers.
Much of the 594-unit total is concentrated in two early-stage Cape Cod proposals. Truro is using grant funding for pre-construction work on a wastewater treatment facility at the Walsh Property, a move tied to 160 units.
Wellfleet, meanwhile, received $69,800 for a feasibility study on whether a campground could be converted into affordable and workforce housing, with the potential for up to 250 units.
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Falmouth received the largest individual grant, getting $150,000 to build 46 new affordable units.
Some awards are much smaller, including Eastham's $78,800 for pre-development work to convert the Beach Plum Hotel into four affordable homes.
More background
This funding follows a 2024 Massachusetts housing law that expanded the seasonal communities category and formally established it in state law.
The measure was written for communities with major seasonal swings in employment, creating housing tools tailored to those conditions instead of treating them like year-round markets.
Under that law, all municipalities in Dukes and Nantucket counties were automatically designated seasonal communities.
Automatic designation also applied to Barnstable County municipalities with more than 35% seasonal housing units and Berkshire County municipalities with more than 40% seasonal housing units.
Communities outside those categories could still vote to be treated as seasonal communities.
In these places, the housing strain extends beyond vacation demand: families, workers, and small businesses depend on reliable year-round housing to keep local economies functioning outside the busiest tourism months.
Several grants fund smaller planning steps tied to larger housing projects.
Eastham also received $59,500 for site preparation on town-owned land that could eventually support six housing units.
What's being done?
The state is taking a project-by-project approach, using grants to fund early steps that often determine whether housing gets built at all.
In some towns, that means feasibility studies. In others, it means pre-development work, site preparation, or infrastructure needed before homes can move forward.
Wellfleet's campground study and Truro's wastewater work both fall into that category.
Neither project is complete, but both lay the groundwork for many year-round homes in places where developable land, infrastructure, and local permitting can all pose challenges.
Falmouth's award is tied directly to construction, not just planning.
The $150,000 grant will support 46 affordable units, linking the program directly to year-round housing rather than pre-construction work.
Rather than using the same formula everywhere, the program pays for the phase of work each town needs most.
"Our seasonal communities are home to families, small businesses and workers who keep them running all year long. We know that every community has different needs, and there's no one-size-fits-all solution to the housing challenges they're facing," said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, per WBUR.
"These grants give local leaders the resources and flexibility to move important projects forward, create more year-round housing opportunities and support the long-term success of their communities," Driscoll added.
Where can I learn more?
For more on the housing and cost pressures affecting residents, these stories look at how communities are responding. They range from a Springfield tiny home development and a Nantucket dispute to solar savings programs.
• In Springfield, a new tiny home community is housing families for under $500 a month.
• On Nantucket, summer residents' $18M oceanfront project sparked outrage after coastal vandalism allegations.
• Across Massachusetts, community solar can cut household energy bills without rooftop installation.
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