Harwich ZBA Advances 40B Project, Sets June Deadlines Amid Parking Dispute

HARWICH — May 7, 2026 — Harwich Zoning Board of Appeals advanced a 60-unit affordable housing application after resolving a key parking dispute at its May 7 hearing. The board reviewed a revised site plan by applicant Penrose LLC showing 83 on-site parking spaces — up from the original 74 — after the Harwich Affordable Housing Trust voted earlier the same afternoon to allow construction of 20 additional overflow spaces on its adjacent north parcel, bringing the total to 103 against a bylaw requirement of 102. Chair Brian Sullivan raised sustained concerns about Building 14, an eight-unit structure with no adjacent dedicated parking, warning the situation "sets the stage" for resident conflict and accessibility problems for elderly tenants. Transportation consultant Jeffrey Derrick of Vanasse Associates committed to a post-occupancy monitoring program tracking queue lengths on Queen Anne Road westbound and parking utilization, and the board agreed to sharrow bicycle markings on the site's main entry road in lieu of a dedicated bike lane. Affordability restriction language — centering on how many of the 51 below-market units must be restricted in perpetuity versus only until foreclosure — was left open pending a draft condition from town counsel. The hearing was continued to June 11, 2026, with a final session set for June 25.