Downtown Redevelopment – In It For The Long Haul

In 2004 we rezoned Dennisport to restore some of its old luster.  In 2007 we made similar changes to West Dennis to promote reinvestment in that village as well.  Some have asked “why haven’t we seen any changes since these rezonings?”  I like to remind people who ask those questions, that when we proposed the [...]

Dennisport Shopping Center Update

Okay, I got tired of calling the site the “former A&P” location.  That just seems too negative and backward looking.  Time to start looking forward and thinking about the future of this shopping center.
The appeal period has ended for challenges to the Special Permit.  The permit issued by the Planning Board was not challenged.  I [...]

Cape Cod Commission Growth Zone Relief

The Cape Cod Times had an article today that you all should familiarize yourself with, Cape Cod Commission reform proposed.  The article highlights a discussion between the Assembly of Delegates and the Cape Cod Commission on the idea that the Commission should reduce its review role in certain development areas that meet the rigid criteria [...]

Dennisport Moving Forward

On July 21, 2009 the Dennis Planning Board approved the redevelopment plans for the former (it is going to be great to not have to use that term again for this building) A&P Building.  The re-use plans will include landscaping improvements and the closure of the site driveway on Division Street closest to Route 28.
As [...]

The Future For An Old Dennisport Building – A&P Building To Be Updated

For the Dennisport A&P building the future is now! On July 20, 2009 Prima I LLC, the property owners of the A&P building will ask the Dennis Planning Board for permission to make exterior and landscaping changes to the site.  While we do not know who the tenants will be, the property owner is close [...]

Impacts of Vacant Property

Here is an interesting article regarding the hardest hit areas of the country by the current economic crisis.  While the article focuses on housing, the same can be said about commercial vacancies.  A couple of choice quotes:
“Empty housing feeds upon itself.”
“The drop in property values lead to fewer buyers, which lead to more vacancies.”
Just something [...]

Strong Villages – Dennisport To The Power Of Ten

As I discussed in my previous post, the strength of a village is tied to the number and variety of activity centers that can be found within the village.  Activity centers can be made both public or private.  They share the common theme that they bring people to the village and invite them to stay [...]

What Makes a Strong Village?

As I look over our planning efforts and the future efforts on the Local Comprehensive Plan, one thing that comes to mind is what makes our villages strong? Similarly, we can ask, how can we improve our villages that are not so strong? The Project for Public Spaces had one such discussion, and [...]

Dennisport Happenings

Pardon the repetition, but I thought that the following was important enough that placing the information on both the main blog and the Economic Development Blog was well worth it.
I have had several inquiries about the happenings at the old A&P Building in Dennisport. I can tell you what I do know. After the bankruptcy [...]

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 [...]