For Local Businesses:
If you or your business owns property in Eastham and you would like to add a reliable additional income stream, consider adding residential dwellings on your site.
For properties located within the Eastham Corridor Special District (ECSD) the Town’s zoning bylaw permits a variety of uses that allow owners to maximize their property’s development potential and add affordable and market rate residential uses within commercial areas. These mixed-use areas can enhance and protect the character of Eastham’s commercial areas and support the economy in North Eastham.
We’ll show you how to take advantage of incentives offered by the local programs to lower your construction and renovation costs. Use the units for your own employees — or receive help from local housing agencies.
FAQs
Whether your contribution is passive or active, it’s of great help!
At the least, consider making information available to your staff about how they can receive housing help. You can obtain these materials at town hall.
Want to do more to help? Consider remodeling unused space or adding to your business structure (or create additional structures) to provide Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) for your employees — or for other carefully-vetted individuals to live. You’re adding a new income stream and benefitting your community at the same time! Funding options are available to help offset the cost of creating new ADUs. Contact the Eastham Town Planner for more information.
New Construction Units – Provides funding assistance to developers for construction of new affordable rentals with deed restrictions required for long-term affordability, if permitted under zoning.
Accessory Dwelling Units – Provides assistance to homeowners to create new Accessory Dwelling subject to affordable housing deed restrictions, subject to zoning.
Seasonal/Year Round Property Conversion – Provides assistance to property owners to convert seasonal dwellings to year-round affordable dwellings subject to deed restrictions, subject to zoning.
Motel Conversion to Affordable Housing – Provides assistance to property owners to convert existing motels to affordable units, if permitted under zoning, subject to affordable housing deed restrictions.
Contact:
Town of Eastham Community Development Department
Paul Lagg, Town Planner
508-240-5900
plagg@eastham-ma.gov
An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a stand-alone (i.e., detached) single-family home or a place of business. ADUs go by many different names in the US, including accessory apartments. Both homeowners and business owners in the town of Eastham may offer ADUs.
In 2019 the Town of Eastham voted to approve an Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) bylaw to help diversify the types of housing available in the community and broaden housing opportunities for households of all income levels, ages and sizes, and to encourage and support a stable and diverse year round community and a robust local workforce.
Per the Eastham Zoning Bylaw an ADU is defined as a separate housekeeping unit containing independent living facilities for one or more persons, including permanent provisions for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation. Which may be incorporated within a lawful principal single-family dwelling or commercial structure or within a detached building accessory to and on the same lot as a lawful principal single-family dwelling or commercial structure which the ADU shall be clearly subordinate in design to that principal single-family dwelling. (Eastham Zoning Bylaw).
The ADU bylaw was adopted to help prevent the displacement of current Eastham residents and encourage the influx of new residents, and to encourage a more efficient use of the Town’s housing supply and building stock while maintaining the character of the areas in which the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are located.
There are no tenant restrictions or qualifications for private Accessory Dwelling Units. However, if an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) is subsidized with state, federal or local funding, the renter needs to meet the current income qualification guidelines. These income qualifications change periodically, so it is best to contact the Eastham Town Planner for current information.
In 2019 the Town of Eastham voted to approve an Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) bylaw to help diversify the types of housing available in the community and broaden housing opportunities for households of all income levels, ages and sizes, and to encourage and support a stable and diverse year round community and a robust local workforce.
The ADU bylaw was adopted to help prevent the displacement of current Eastham residents and encourage the influx of new residents, and to encourage a more efficient use of the Town’s housing supply and building stock while maintaining the character of the areas in which the Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) are located.
No, tenants of ADUs do not need to be employed within the Town of Eastham.
There are no restrictions on rental amounts. The purpose of allowing ADUs to be created in Eastham is to increase the available stock of rental units in the hope that increased supply of rental units will help make rental rates more affordable.