Monday, August 23, 2021 | Focused Breakout Sessions
12:45 PM Resiliency Role Models: Bylaws for Climate Action
Comprehensive reviews of local bylaws are needed to support local implementation of the Climate Action Plan and to incorporate best practices for adapting to climate change. This session will provide an overview of three model bylaws – two address development along the coast and in floodplains, and the third addresses siting and project review of large-scale solar installations. Adoption and implementation of these bylaws by local municipalities will help communities regulate development in the region’s most vulnerable areas and direct solar projects to appropriate sites.
Heather McElroy | Natural Resources Manager, Cape Cod Commission
Kristin Uiterwyk | Director, Urban Harbors Institute, UMass-Boston
Barbara Landau | Lawyer, Noble, Wickersham & Heart LLP
Shannon Hulst | Deputy Director, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension; Floodplain Specialist and Community Rating Systems Coordinator, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension and Woods Hole Sea Grant
Jessica Rempel | Natural Resources Analyst, Cape Cod Commission
Janet Williams | Secretary, Cape Cod Climate Change Collaborative
12:45 PM COVID-19 Transformations: Reimagining Local Economic Development
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted businesses and downtowns across Cape Cod, as well as across the country. Learn from Eastham and Barnstable town staff about how they are fostering economic recovery and long-term economic development through the state’s Local Rapid Recovery Program and other town initiatives.
Jennifer Clinton | Community Development Planner, Cape Cod Commission
Elizabeth Jenkins | Planning and Development Director, Town of Barnstable
Lauren Barker | Economic Development Planner, Town of Eastham
Paul Lagg | Town Planner, Town of Eastham
12:45 PM Discussion with Ellen Dunham-Jones
Join a discussion with plenary session speaker Ellen Dunham-Jones to learn more about retrofitting suburban areas, and integrating issues of climate change, sustainability, affordable housing, and others, into development and its form.
Ellen Dunham-Jones | Professor; Director, Urban Design Program Georgia Tech
2:00 PM Housing Strategies from Across the Cape and the Commonwealth
Cape Cod’s housing landscape presents critical challenges. With single family homes comprising over 80% of the region’s housing stock, Cape Cod lacks diverse and affordable housing options. During this session, hear about strategies being employed locally and elsewhere in Massachusetts to encourage housing that is more diverse and attainable.
Chloe Schaefer | Chief Planner, Cape Cod Commission
Nate Robertson | Community and Economic Development Planner, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
Alisa Magnotta | CEO, Housing Assistance Corporation
Chana Haouzi | Architect and Enterprise Rose Fellow, City of Boston
2:00 PM Tracking Changes: Cape Cod Water Quality Data Portal
A decades-in-the-making legacy of nutrient pollution has significantly degraded Cape Cod’s coastal water quality. The region is working to address this challenge and stakeholders now have a new way to track the effectiveness of actions and measure their impact. The Cape Cod Water Quality Data Portal is an online, map-based decision support tool that allows users to explore trends in water quality over time. At this session, attendees will learn more about this new tool and how it can be used by local decision makers, scientists, resource managers, and others to investigate changes, address nutrient pollution, and protect water quality.
Tonna-Marie Rogers | Manager, Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
Tim Pasakarnis | Water Resources Analyst, Cape Cod Commission
Jennie Rheuban | Research Specialist, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Jay Detjens | Applications Manager, Cape Cod Commission
2:00 PM Strategies for Responsible Management of Innovative/Alternative Septic Systems
A new generation of “enhanced” innovative and alternative (I/A) septic systems is showing greater performance potential. Some are also treating emerging contaminants of concern, and many are easier to maintain than older I/A systems. Towns proposing to use I/A systems to improve water quality may need to adopt a Responsible Management Entity (RME) to manage those systems. Town goals in deploying I/As may range from using these systems as part of their Total Maximum Daily Load compliance plans submitted to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, or outside of regulatory filings as a means to address new and expanded development, or for other purposes. Learn about different RME models that can be adopted to meet various town goals.
Patty Daley | Legal and Policy Specialist, Cape Cod Commission |
Scott Horsley | Water Resources Consultant
Korrin Petersen | Senior Attorney, Buzzards Bay Coalition
Brian Baumgaertel | Senior Environmental Specialist and Massachusetts Alternative Septic System Test Center Director, Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment
2:00 PM COVID-19 as a Catalyst for Long-Term Economic Resilience
Though the pandemic disrupted life and the economy in unprecedented ways, it has provided us with an opportunity to better plan for economic disruptions in the future. Learn about what helped businesses in some Main Streets survive, or even thrive, during this time while others struggled. This session will also provide an overview of how local businesses were impacted throughout the pandemic and the regional resources available to spur and facilitate economic resiliency planning.
Jennifer Clinton | Community Development Planner, Cape Cod Commission
Jeff Levine | Lecturer of Economic Development and Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology