THE PROPOSED PROJECT AT 35 SCUDDER AVE., HYANNIS, MA
LMC is a national apartment developer who is proposing is to build a 510-bedroom, 312-unit apartment complex on Twin Brooks Golf Course in Hyannis, abutting an already compromised estuary system. LMC is a national apartment developer with no experience on Cape Cod or outside densely populated metropolitan areas and is using its cookie-cutter project design, paying little heed to Cape Cod’s architectural heritage. The 13 residential buildings are 160 feet long and almost 47 feet high, with square footage nearly double what Cape Cod Commission guidance recommends. Their drawings show only one access road that will open onto Scudder Avenue near the West End Rotary, which currently has a “D” grade for safety. The plan calls for parking for approximately 468 cars, well under the Town’s normal ratio of spaces-per-unit. The vast majority of the units will be offered at market prices—not affordable housing.
150 people attended an interactive event on October 3, 2022, to discuss the proposed project at 35 Scudder Avenue. The event was held at the Hyannis Golf Club. Speakers included, Kim McGuire, President of STB; John Ale, Advisor to STB; and Community Activist, Felicia Penn. Following the speakers, there was an interactive discussion. Many questions were brought forth and answered, as well as ideas regarding the proposed project. We would like to share with you some of the highlights of the evening.
Click here to watch speaker videos. Click here to see photos from the evening. .
View STB Presentations to the Cape Cod Commission
Sea Level Rise: What Does the Future Hold?
Watch the Barnstable Clean Water Coalition video below, which references the apartment project proposed for Twin Brooks.
The Barnstable Clean Water Coalition has produced a short video about sea level rise in conjunction with the apartment project proposed for Twin Brook. Its goal is to raise public awareness about seal level rise on Cape Cod and its potential impact around Stewarts Creek. Placement of critical infrastructures such as the Cape Cod Hospital and housing need careful consideration.
Consequences of sea level rise include increased intensity of storm surges, tides, flooding, and damage to these coastal areas. According to glaciologists at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report, the climate change impact on Cape Cod could result in the Cape and Islands being partially submerged in 50 years.
Our Vision for Twin Brooks
HELP US PRESERVE THE LAST GREEN OPEN SPACE IN HYANNIS
Hyannis desperately needs more open space. Twin Brooks consists of 40 acres. Our goal is to preserve this green space for conservation, recreation, education, community farming and cultural activities. While we are in favor of much needed housing in Hyannis, we are opposed to this green open space being developed with acres of impermeable hard surface. The Cape Cod Commission and the guidelines for the Town of Barnstable both state that open spaces and historic design are crucial not only to quality of life but to the local economy.
Our vision for this property is a well-planned open space that would enhance our community and ecological environment, as well as improve the quality of life and economic attractiveness in Hyannis. Our video depicts our vision.
Barnstable Land Trust Alternative for Twin Brooks
The Save Twin Brooks Board of Directors applaud the work that the Barnstable Land Trust and Utile have done in reaching out to the community and identifying possibilities for new housing while preserving green space at the Twin Brooks site. Their work confirms that conserving open space and adding housing are not mutually exclusive. As Save Twin Brooks has been emphasizing, our community, and especially our government officials, must look carefully at alternatives before forever losing this large, central green space.
To view the Barnstable Land Trust presentation, click here.
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