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October 29, 2021 <br />Ms. Carol Sherman <br />Chairwoman, Mashpee Select Board <br />Mashpee Town Nall <br />16 Great Neck Road North <br />Mashpee, MA 02649 <br />Dear Ms. Sherman: <br />t <br />Thank you for'our recent conversation regarding the future of the current three -party development <br />agreement process with Mashpee Curinnuris, The Tuwn of Mashpee and the Cape Cod Commission. <br />After multiple conversations with town officials and staff, we understand the Select Board may choose <br />to withdraw from the agreement at Monday's meeting. We would support that decision and follow suit <br />by also withdrawing. It is time for a new chapter. <br />When we embarked upon the first -ever regional three -party development agreement process, there <br />was great hope that thoughtful negotiation would yield a positive agreement. We hoped an agreement <br />would benefit the community by changing what is currently a predominately single use zone to allow for <br />a mixture of uses. These changes would address the local housing crisis, would spark economic <br />development in the Town, and provide a steady level of growth over a 25-year period that would <br />contribute to the town's tax base thereby moderating the future growth of property taxes. <br />Unfortunately, it has become clear that the development agreement process requires further definition <br />and refinement before becoming an effective planning strategy. <br />From the onset, the complicated Commission application procedure became a source of confusion and <br />consternation for those unfamiliar with the process, including some elected officials. The application <br />required Mashpee Commons to establish maximum parameters (i.e., proposed numbers of residential <br />units and commercial space) for impact analyses, which were not necessarily intended to be the final <br />metrics. This information, however, became engrained In the minds of project opponents who used the <br />projected numbers to spread misinformation on both social media and at town committee meetings. <br />Their unwillingness to listen to the merits, and their attacks on those who supported the agreement, <br />derailed an already complex process which strayed from the proposed goal of collaborating on a plan for <br />the future of the geographical town center. <br />The dissolution of the development agreement will not change our goal of providing housing in <br />Mashpee, as we plan to independently pursue development opportunities to deliver attainable housing <br />stock for the community. <br />Thank you to all who participated in and supported the idea of the three -party agreement process. We <br />look forward to the possibility of revisiting a collaborative effort with the Town of Mashpee at a future <br />date. <br />Sincerely, <br />Buff Chace <br />Mashpee Commons LP <br />Cc: Kristy Senatori <br />