New Tax Analysis

I saw an article in the Concord Monitor about taxation in relation to income.  I had not seen any similar discussion in any of the Massachusetts newspapers, so I thought I would check out the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy and see how Massachusetts fared.  It turns out that we are equally, if not [...]

Preparing For The Recovery

The Chicago Tribune reported this week that 2010 could be when the commercial economy hits bottom.  Others have reported that the commercial sector may not bottom out for a few more years.
These articles suggest that we are all in for more hard times.  So far, we have weathered the storm.  We even have had some [...]

Economic Development Committee to Discuss Hotel Resort Zoning Proposal

The Dennis Economic Development Committee will be continuing its efforts to explore the Hotel Resort Zoning Proposal it has been working on for the past two years.  The next meeting will be held on Thursday November 19, 2009 at 9 am. The meeting will be held in the Downstairs Large Conference Room. The [...]

An Active Community, A Well Rounded Town

Here is an article on Lisle, Illinois.  It is larger than Dennis, it has more large employers than we do, but it provides some interesting comparisons as we think about the future of the town and where we want to be.
The article points out the benefits of a careful balance.  Commercial uses are a vital [...]

Dennis, Open All Year Long

Poverty Data

I saw these two, among several other articles on the consequences of the recession and thought I would share them, along with some information that I have not yet seen reported anywhere.
Last Year’s Poverty Rate Was Highest in 12 Years
Poverty hits 1 in 8 Americans
As the articles illustrate, the recession has led to an increase [...]

Economic Recession and Art Galleries

This past summer has been a tough one across the country for artistic interests.  The following is just a smattering of the recent news articles related to the impacts of the recession on artists.
Recession leads to states cutting cultural budgets, more hardship for struggling artists
Gallery owners feeling pinch of recession
This Summer, Some Galleries Are Sweating
In [...]

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 [...]

Census 2010 and Economic Development

The count of people conducted every ten years by the US Census Bureau is tied to many different funding programs.  It has been estimated that the under count in many locations after the 2000 US Census cost the under counted communities as much as $3.6 billion, or $2,913 per under counted person (PriceWaterhouseCoopers report to [...]

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 [...]