This document discusses governance and public participation in Provincetown. It notes that the traditional Town Meeting process is seen as dysfunctional, inefficient, and unpredictable. It recommends reforming the process to be more efficient, collaborative, and informed through facilitated dialogues, community visioning, and establishing a civic organization to guide reform and community projects. The goal is a process that builds common understanding and reinforces community values rather than emphasizing differences. An example from Oregon uses a community information model to engage the public on the front end of decision-making.

1. Provincetown 365
Design and Resiliency Team

2. Provincetown 365: Design and Resiliency Team
Wayne Feiden, FAICP
Director of Planning and Sustainability, Northampton, MA
Tilman Lukas, Principal
Housing Finance, MBL Housing and Development, Amherst, MA
Kristina Hill, PhD
Associate Professor Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning
Bill Needelman, AICP
Waterfront Coordinator, Portland, ME
Amanda Loper, AIA
Architect, Principal, David Baker Architects, San Francisco
Joel Mills
Director of Communities by Design, AIA, Washington DC

4. Provincetown speaks

5. Resiliency
“I’ve been
dumping bodies
for years, and it
seems to me that
the sea level is
rising.”
Standard and Poors: “…large and very diverse property tax base and
extremely strong per capita market values; strong reserves…; and
favorable debt position… The town's limited, tourism-centered
local economy somewhat offsets these strengths.”

6. Resiliency Themes
• Year round community: people, vibrancy, jobs
• Economic development: people, vibrancy, jobs
• Climate: sea level, rain storms, surges

7. Shank Painter Road

8. Shank Painter Road

9. option A
option B

10. Zoning- Residential
• Tweak accessory dwelling units
• Tweak growth management incentives
– Provide payment in-lieu option
– More certainty, less discretion, in the process.
• Only administrative site plan for housing you want
–Not special permits (accessory dwelling units & 4+ units)
• Smaller lot size per dwelling unit for larger projects
– Not more space per unit for larger projects

11. Zoning-Commercial
• Reduce commercial front and side setbacks
–Embrace current commercial center setbacks
–Allow pedestrian-friendly general commercial
–Consider build-to lines (maximum setbacks)

12. Affordable and Community Housing
• Affordable Housing=rent ≤30% of income
– Allows for necessities such as food, clothing,
transportation and medical care.
• Why affordable housing?
– Essential for a healthy, vibrant community
– Retain year round residents
– Provide a labor force for local businesses
– Expand the tax base, decrease commuter miles,
attract new businesses

13. Types of Housing
Housing Ownership Types
• Fee-Simple
• Condos
• Cooperatives and limited equity cooperatives
• Co-housing
• Rentals
Typical types of affordable housing
• Homeownership
• Rental
• Elderly
• People with disabilities
• Family

14. Rental Levels--What can I afford?
$19.85/hour for 52 weeks for a 2-person family at 60% AMI
Pretty close to an entry level teacher
median household=1.64 persons
median family=2.55 persons

15. Big Obstacles
• Land: not enough
• Small projects: too costly per unit
• Scattered: too costly and difficult to manage
• Water/Sewer: Can’t build without these
• Cost: Limited resources available
• Focus: Community disagreement as to need
• Zoning
• NIMBY (Not in my back yard)

16. Developing Affording Housing-- Thresholds
• Site control
• Project sponsor
– experience, financial strength, vision, mission,
management capacity
– Compatible with community vision
– Limited options for sponsors
• Market study
• Zoning approval
– By Right, Special Permit, Comprehensive Permit

17. Developing Affording Housing-- Financing
• Local Match
– Community Preservation Funds (CPA)
– Provincetown Affordable Housing Trust Fund
– PILOT (Payment in lieu of taxes)
– Donation of town owned land
– Lease of public land
• Big Hurtle: Financing
– Affordable housing is expensive
– Local, State, and Federal Resources are essential

18. Development Model- VFW Site
• 41 Unit building
# of Units # bedrooms Unit Sq.ft Rent-Net Affordability
16 1 500 $930 60% AMI
16 2 750 $1,112 60%
4 2 750 $1,636 Unrestricted
4 3 950 $1,279 60%
1 3 950 $1,812 Unrestricted
• Financing
– Low Income Housing Tax Credits
– Soft debt
– Permanent debt
• Deed restrictions- for long term affordability

19. Provincetown 365: Development Budget
Sources of Funds
Construction Loan $8,200,000
Equity (Development Fee Loan) $0
Equity (Federal credits) $8,281,909
Equity (state tax credits $1,143,695
Provincetown CPA $250,000
Provincetown Affordable Housing Trust Fund $500,000
Other: $0
Mass.Housing Stabilization Fund $1,000,000
Mass. Affordable Housing Trust Fund $1,000,000
Other: CDBG $0
Permanent Debt $2,000,000
Subtotal $22,375,604
Construction Loan Repayment $8,200,000
Total Sources-w/o Constr. $14,175,604
Uses of Funds
Acquisition $750,000
Direct Construction Dwelling Units (@$275/ft²) $8,325,000
Direct Construction:Site Costs $1,000,000
Total Construction $9,325,000
Construction Contingency (5%) $466,250
Total Hard Costs $9,791,250
Soft costs $2,152,480
Developer Fees, Capitalized Reserve, etc. $1,481,873
Total Uses of Funds $14,175,603
Surplus/(Deficit) $1
Development Costs/Unit $345,746

42. Understanding sediment transport
on Cape Cod

43. Understanding sediment transport
on Cape Cod

44. Most sand moves north and west from
the open-ocean side of the Cape.
Some ends up in Provincetown Harbor.

45. Sand from Truro also
ends up in Provincetown Harbor.

46. Sand is GOLD for adapting to sea level rise.
Beaches and dunes can be expanded to protect coastal communities over the long-term.
Eventually, piers would have to be extended; but using sand is a “no regrets” adaptation
approach because it can be removed if it isn’t needed.

48. Waterfront Transportation
Commerce
Recreation

49. Transportation
Note: Every Ferry Trip is a
Parking Space
Not Used
Rumor has it:
100,000 trips
15% of visitors

50. Commerce
Note – Every Commercial
Vessel is a Business
+/-100 Commercial
Vessels in Provincetown (?)

51. Recreation
Active Use of the Water Passive Use:
Water Views

52. When well designed and managed,
these core functions support each
other as mutually supporting
systems
Boaters are tourists and tourists like boats

53. Observations
and
Questions

54. Waterfront Commerce is a character defining
presence within the community
Question: Does
Provincetown
See itself as a Port
Community?

55. Much of the
community is cut off
from the water visually

56. Physical connections to the water
exist, but vary in quality and visibility

57. Water-dependent
employment also requires
Access
Berthing
Loading
Security
Launch/Haul
Uplands

58. Berthing and Loading

59. Security
Yes, it’s necessary

60. Upland Support
Yard Storage
Mechanical Services

61. Recommendations
•Promote active use of the water
•Recreational access
•Marine employment
Working Waterfronts
Are both
Employment generators and
tourism attractions

62. Protect Existing Assets
McMillan Pier is the Treasure

63. Cabral’s Pier …..
Huge asset
Find the right partnership
Public/Private (?)

64. Grow Boating Capacity

65. Commercial dockage/moorings
if needed
Commercial berthing is the
fundamental resource supporting
marine employment

66. If declines in commercial fishing
create berthing vacancies – only fill
with recreational boats on a season-to-
season basis.
Fishing will rebound
Aquaculture will grow
Marine transit will grow
Have faith

67. Recreational Boating
Yachting
Every resident
And visitor to town
Should get out on the Water

68. Expand Launch and Haul

69. Is one boat yard enough?
Explore creating an industrial zone
Either on of off the water.
There are two great sites – Both Motels

70. Community Boating Youth
Adult
Events
Education
Sail Maine
High school sailing in Portland, Maine

71. Provincetown
needs better
kayak and tender
storage

72. The Waterfront is a Shared Resource
Kayak and Tender Sharing
Boat Share programs
Bikes, too

73. Celebrate the future
of Provincetown Harbor,
not just its past
Events
Not for Profit
Civic groups
Collaboration

74. Grab Opportunities
Waterfront facilities should serve multiple uses
Is this a Park and Community Boating Center?

75. Take a long view toward town assets

76. Form Partnerships
Photo Credit: US Coast Guard
Center for Coastal Studies
Fishing community
Coast Guard
Boating clubs
Others………….

77. Create a waterfront center

123. Governance
“Civilizations rise and fall-and sometimes if they
are lucky-they renew themselves”
–John W. Gardner

124. What we heard - Soul of Community
• “Despite all the change, Ptown remains the
same – it’s an attitude. It’s a spirit.”
• “Everyone feels safe here, free from judgment,
able to express themselves authentically”
• “There is universal acceptance here. There is
no requirement to fit in.”
• “Ptown is a shared experience that binds
people together”

125. Governance
• What one word describes Town Meeting:
– “dysfunctional”
– “War of the Worlds”
– “Groan”

126. What institutional sclerosis and
hundreds-year old governance processes
do to us…

127. Traditional Public Participation
Public Hearing
Public Meeting
Public Opinion Poll

128. Look @ What’s Happening Today
• American Planning Association (2012) – “More than 50
percent want to personally be involved in community
planning efforts, including more than half of Democrats,
Republicans, and independents as well as majorities of
urban, suburban, and rural respondents.”

129. The engagement ‘gap’
What
Government/Organizations
Want
What the Public Wants

130. “Artificial” polarization
Feb 2014 ICMA Survey on IAP2 Spectrum

131. Town Meeting Today
• Conflict-ridden – by design
• Incredibly inefficient
• Engages people at the end of the process, not the
beginning
• Unpredictable outcomes – high risk
• Can create impression that this is not a good place to
do business
• Mistrust and personal nature of conflicts –
antithetical to your community identity

132. The difference between PR & P2
Public Relations
• Sponsors decide on a course of
action and then attempt to sell
it to the public.
• people can feel manipulated
and suspicious
• often hinders them from
thinking effectively about
problems and challenges
because it avoids exposing
them to the full dialogue.
• PR seeks “buy-in”
Public Participation
• Sponsors engage public on the
front end in dialogue to help
understand the pros and cons
of different actions and seek
input, consultation,
involvement, collaboration
• Builds common understanding
of the issue and decision by
hearing and understanding all
viewpoints and information
• P2 seeks meaningful
involvement up front

133. Recommendations
• FIRST: Community Visioning Process that is
authentic, culturally relevant, meaningful
• Community Advisory Board/Cross Agency Town
Team to guide reform of Town Meeting process
to be more efficient, productive, and predictable
• Civic organization to convene, inform, lead,
program, facilitate, partner, build capacity
• Let vision drive action. Build Momentum for
implementation by integrating projects in a
community-driven process

134. Resource Guide
• Model Ordinance
• Model Charter Language
• P2 Advisory Commissions
• Policy Options
• Resources

135. One Example
“We know that collaboration
between community
members and city
government leads to better
results than either working in
a vacuum. One without the
other misses out on a whole
range of good ideas. More
importantly, public decisions
that are developed
collaboratively produce better
results and better stand the
test of time. The What’s Next
Alexandria initiative focused
on understanding how to use
civic engagement to improve
this kind of collaborative give-and-
take that will always be
more effective than
community members or City
staff working alone.”

136. Adapt, not adopt – but learn from
others’ experience

138. Reform Town Meeting Process
• Goal: efficient, collaborative, predictable,
informed
• Address the information gaps on the front end
• Have facilitated dialogues first to build
understanding of pros and cons of issues
• Make the actual town meeting process an
administrative act only – not the place where
the community makes its voice heard, just
where the official vote occurs afterward

139. process orientation
Versus
Collaborative
Citizen-driven
Dialogue-based
Informative
Builds
Understanding
Reinforces
values
Pride
Social Capital
Partnership
Action
Inefficient
No dialogue
Grandstanding
Emphasizes
differences
Creates
conflict
Tears apart
community
Is not values-based
Apathy
Frustration

140. Information model : CIR in Oregon

141. What can a community do?
• Articulate a Collective Vision
• Set the table for partnerships
• Position place as an attractive investment
• Mobilize volunteers
• Crowdfund
• Leverage collective capacity & Resources
• Build Civic Momentum through community projects, events &
activities that inspire pride and can be leveraged
• Requirements: Citizens (vs. Consumers or Taxpayers) and civic
leaders, vision and collaboration
• When you put it all together in a process, it can be transformative

142. “We have no public
resources to do anything”
National Statistics: About a trillion dollars in the community
•Volunteerism = $171 billion (only 64 mill people)
•Total Charitable Giving = $298.42 billion.
•Non-profits = $300 billion in investment into local communities
•Over half of all states have enacted legislation to enable private-sector
participation in infrastructure projects, where there is an
estimated $180 billion to be leveraged
•Crowdfunding - $3 billion & growing
•*billions in federal support

143. Most Communities Today
“If we can just get that
one, big, transformational
investment done, it will
change everything for us.”
[years of
effort…debates…studies..
no visual progress during
this time…loss of
excitement…bottom falls
out.]

144. The Snowball Effect
“a figurative term for a process
that starts from an initial state
of small significance and builds
upon itself, becoming larger
and faster at every stage”
Applied to a community, this is
a transformational principle…

145. “You gave us hope. Back in 1992, your ideas seemed
like dreams. Now we are living those dreams.”
– Rick Smith, San Angelo Times-Standard, 2012

146. What success looks like in Port
Angeles, Washington

147. Prioritization
• Staff picked through
and identified
implementation items
• Survey at Public
Meeting
• Committee Review
and Prioritization
• Port Angeles Forward
organization as civic
leader

148. Immediate Implementation
1. Parking study in the downtown area.
2. Increase housing opportunity and multi‐use buildings in
downtown.
3. Institute the use of form based codes rather than conventional
zoning.
4. Remove the parking regulations in downtown and let the market
drive parking.
5. Return the Farmer's Market to the downtown area.
6. Signage and wayfinding system for pedestrian and vehicles.
7. Improve existing buildings (appearance, facades, etc. in downtown
and elsewhere).
8. Provide visitor information kiosks.
9. Create an entryway monument.
10. Create nodes / centers of key intersections.

150. Port Angeles, WA 2009 Project: 2 months later, 43 buildings repainted with
volunteers and donated paint, (at least 3,500 volunteer hours, or roughly
$66,500 worth of donated labor) led to a façade improvement program, then
private $

152. Bike Facilities

153. Wayfinding & Signage

154. Public Prioritization
Paint 43 Buildings
Façade Improvement
Wayfinding
Waterfront Esplanade
Major new anchors downtown
Peninsula Campus Expansion
Downtown Health Clinic
New Transit Center
First 3 months-1 year
Bike/Ped Facilities
New small businesses
Ferry Terminal
Renovation
Renovated
shopping/restaurants at
adjacent block
1-2.5 years
4-5 years

155. Implementation
Today, major investments all over town
Some
Examples:
Waterfront
Redevelopment
$17 million
Marine
Campus
Facility
$12 million

156. Waterfront: from Team Process to
Masterplan to groundbreaking , to…

157. Realizing Their Aspirations, in
5 years

158. Bringing People Back to the
Waterfront

162. Creating an Attractive Sense
of Place

163. Transforming Downtown:
Before

164. Transforming Downtown: After

168. Snowball Effect: $100+ million
Leveraging Investment for
Placemaking

169. And, it keeps going

170. They are already in construction
for phase 2

171. MOMENTUM
MOMENTUM
MOMENTUM
MOMENTUM!

172. Provincetown 365
Slides & report
aia.org/liv_sdat