Commercial Zoning Districts in the Town of Dennis – Part 1 The Village of Dennisport

The town of Dennis has 17 different zoning districts.  The majority of these districts allow some level of commercial activity.  However, if we leave out the truly residential districts which occasionally may allow a particular commercial use (such as a nursing home), there are 13 different commercial zoning districts in the town.  Except for the Industrial District, residential uses are allowed to co-mingle side by-side with commercial uses in these commercial zones.  However, except in the village centers, the zoning districts do not promote residential and commercial uses on a single lot or within the same building.

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Dennisport Village Center

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Dennisport is an historic village in the Town of Dennis dating from the early 1800’s.  When first built, Dennisport contained the mix of residences and businesses that created a thriving and vital village center with rural outlying areas.  After the adoption of zoning regulations in the 1950s, this historic village development pattern was replaced with zoning that encouraged sprawl development.  Since that time, Dennisport as a village center deteriorated, losing businesses as well as residences as it became impossible to develop in the traditional pattern.

The Dennisport Village Center zoning provides the opportunity to revitalize Dennisport as a walk-able, livable, working and shopping community by clearly delineating a village core with zoning that encourages the historic development pattern.  The by-law allows a mix of retail, commercial, professional and upper floor residential uses on a single property– combined uses that were characteristic of our centuries-old downtowns, yet made illegal by zoning bylaws introduced during the past 40 years.  In particular, this zoning:

• Provides the ability to work, shop, and live in one neighborhood.
• Encourages redevelopment of existing properties that will allow for the correction of existing site deficiencies.
• Concentrates development by increasing development density within the Village Center.
• Encourages the creation of new jobs in the village center by providing for increased intensities of commercial development.
• Expands housing opportunities by linking commercial development in the district to the provision of badly needed rental and affordable housing opportunities.
• Conserves natural resources by allowing increased intensity of development in the village center that will reduce construction demands in other parts of Dennis.
• Encourages pedestrian and alternative transportation modes.  As resident density increases, transit options become viable, including walking, bicycles, and vehicular.  The ability to find housing near employment and shopping will also promote a major reduction in vehicular travel.
• Provides an opportunity for an older commercial neighborhood to share the benefits of development in Dennis.
• Fosters sustainable development by promoting a self-sustaining village where people can live, work, shop and play.

Dennisport Village Center

The Village area currently is home to about 517 year-round residents.  The area’s 260 occupied housing units include 40% rental, significantly higher than the 13% town-wide rate.  Average incomes within the Village are only 80% of the incomes town-wide.  The Village also consists of a higher poverty rate than the remainder of town.  Finally, the age of housing, represented by 23% (16.2% town-wide) of the housing units being older than 50 years old and only 5.7% (8% town-wide) being less than 10 years old, is indicative of the lack of new investment within this Village.

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The keys to economic revival are people and attractions.  The zoning for Dennisport provides the tools to provide both – housing for people of all incomes, and opportunities for property owners to redevelop property within a financially feasible manner.  This district allows a mixture of retail, professional office and residential uses that will promote an active, vital, self-sufficient village of Dennisport.

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Dennisport Village Center is comprised of two zoning districts, Dennisport Village Center Area A (DPVC-A), and Dennisport Village Center Area B (DPVC-B).

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Dennisport Village Center Area A contains about 7 acres and is traditionally thought of as the core of the village.  The Core represents the traditional core of Dennisport, the area is envisioned to contain mostly ground floor commercial space with suitable residential densities located above these facilities to provide a critical population mass to support the commercial district.  The district allows for structures with partial third stories which contain about 2/3rds of the floor space found immediately below it.  Design guidelines are in place to manage the overall massing of structures within this area and to provide a design which connects to the past.  Within the core the land is predominantly developed with about 2.5 acres of land within the district being under the footprint of buildings, 2.6 acres paved for parking or vehicular access and about 0.7 acres of green space. In this area there is currently 60,594 sf of retail development, ten residential units (7 recently occupied as part of an affordable housing special permit), 1,900 sf of office space and 5,052 sf of restaurant space (166 seats).

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Under build-out conditions, the total retail floor space could, theoretically increase to about 76,369 sf, with 81 residential units (151 bedrooms) and 7,189 sf of restaurant space. This is theoretical, in that the one site to date to start the redevelopment process is, in actuality, looking at a reduction in commercial space over existing conditions and fewer residential units than build-out would suggest.

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Dennisport Village Center Area B is the surrounding support area to the core.  This area contains about 72 acres.  Dennisport Village Center Area B is envisioned as a slightly lower density mixture of commercial and residential uses.  The area allows for two story structures and is also guided by design guidelines to manage the future look of this portion of the village.  The district is predominantly developed with about 12 acres of land within the district being under the footprint of buildings, 19 acres paved for parking or vehicular access and about 29 acres of green space. In this area there is currently 155,681 sf of retail development, 294 residential units, 1,829 sf of office space, 25,136 sf of restaurant space, 19,168 sf being used for religious purposes, 10,352 for a library and 1,242 for pre-school. The area includes two parks, Mike Stacy Playground and the playground behind the VIC Hall.

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Under the new zoning build-out scenario, the total retail floor space could, theoretically increase to about 582,986 sf, with 666 residential units (1,299 bedrooms), 5,398 sf of office space, 44,533 sf of restaurant space, 53,307 sf being used for religious purposes, 10,352 for library and 1,242 for pre-school. However, this build-out considers every parcel as being accessible and fairly regularly shaped. Realistically the development in the area would seem to have less overall development potential with realistic numbers of 255,014 sf of retail space, 433 residential units (883 bedrooms), 8,069 sf of office space, 27,148 sf of restaurant space, 53,307 sf in religious uses, the library at 10,352 sf and the pre-school at 1,242 sf.

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The future of Dennisport has received tremendous support in the Town of Dennis from all sectors, the Dennis Selectmen, Planning Board, and Economic Development Committee have all supported redevelopment in this area.  The Dennisport Revitalization Committee, Dennis Chamber of Commerce, Cape Cod Business Roundtable, and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod have also thrown their support behind efforts to re-invigorate the Dennisport Village Center.  To promote the district two, well attended, spaghetti suppers have been hosted by local businesses.  Information on the Dennisport Village Center has also been distributed at various events around town.

In order to encourage re-investment in properties in Dennisport, the town has asked the Cape Cod Commission to designate the area as a Growth Incentive Zone.  The goal of the Growth Incentive Zone is to reduce the regulatory burden on redeveloping these properties to their highest and best use.  This reinvestment should be placed onto equal footing with, or given an advantage over, development on undeveloped lands.  The Town of Dennis Planning Staff will keep this blog up-to-date on the progress of this Growth Incentive Zone proposal.

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The following pictures illustrate some of the new investment that has occurred in Dennisport since adoption of the new zoning.

The following illustrate the vision for the village in the future (courtesy of the efforts of Kate Kennen and the Association to Preserve Cape Cod).

The Town of Dennis hopes you will consider making the Dennisport Village Center a part of your business location plans.