Cape Cod Harbor Lighthouse
The Cape Cod Commission exercises its jurisdiction over the entire Cape Cod peninsula. The Commission oversees growth management for a distinct geographic area that crosses fifteen municipalities in what is elsewhere a rigorous home-rule state. More deferential to municipal land use controls than most other mandatory regional planning programs, the Cape Cod program relies on direct regulation by the Commission only of the larger “developments of regional impact” and authorizes towns to designate “Districts of Critical Planning Concern” for special implementing regulations. Beyond these limited project reviews, the Commission seeks to promote smart growth more broadly through technical planning help and guidance to the towns and through cooperative action among government, business and nonprofits.
The Cape Cod program is a salient example of the challenges in planning for a tightly constrained area (the Cape is not getting any bigger) with a strong and very highly valued identity, that is also intensely popular as a place to live and visit. Recognizing these constraints, the Commission is focused on bringing about denser, more efficient use of the land it has, improving transit resources and addressing a severe sewage waste treatment problem – all while preserving the distinctive character of the Cape.
Vital Statistics:
Chapter of the Book: 10
State: MA
Year Established: 1990
Geographic Scale: 250,000 acres
Mandatory or Voluntary over Local Government: Mandatory
Authorizing Laws: State
Agencies and Organizations:
The Association To Preserve Cape Cod
Resources:
Regional Land Use Vision Map (pdf)
Cape Cod Commission GIS and mapping resources
