Habitat Cape Cod news & updates
January 2021
Bob and Nancy Renn Sponsor our Orleans Build!
We are so grateful for the generosity of Bob and Nancy Renn who are the Home Sponsors for the current build in Orleans. Here is a wonderful article recently written about them in The Cape Cod Chronicle.  
Quick Links

We are Hiring for a year-round Driver/Store Associate, supporting retail operations at our Yarmouth location, driving a box truck, assisting in the store and at the back of shop, moving/receiving/pricing furniture and other donated items, and other store/warehouse activities. Must possess exceptional customer service skills, positive attitude and work well with volunteers. Job requires heavy lifting (50+ lbs.), and ability to stand for much of the work day and a good driving record. Eight-hour day shifts 8:30-5:00 Monday through Saturday. More info can be found here.
Habitat Cape Cod has earned the 2020 GOLD Seal of Transparency from Guidestar! 

Now our community can tangibly see our commitment to financial accountability.

Check out our updated #NonprofitProfile on GuideStar.
We have 2 Restore Locations in Falmouth and Yarmouth where we sell new and used home goods. You can follow them on Facebook and Instagram. Business is booming and now is the time to pick up some unique items for your home!
It's going to be a long winter, so we are starting a Habitat "very" socially distant book club. Our first meeting will be Thursday, January 21st at 7pm via zoom.

If you are interested in joining please email Tara@habitatcapecod.org.

Shopping local is best, we want to support our local community!

But if you plan to shop on amazon smile please make us your designated charity!
Thank You Kate Mitchell
Attorney Kate Mitchell has been offering pro bono services to Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod for more than 20 years. Kate offers her expertise to us and new homeowners throughout the mortgage process and the home sale. Kate is also a member of our Land Strategy committee, advising us on land purchase and procedure, and is always just a phone call away for any legal guidance needed. Our partnership with Kate is deeply appreciated and her friendship is cherished.
What are Nitrogen Credits?
In Massachusetts under Title 5 of the State Environmental Code, 310 CMR 15.000, load limits are imposed that limit the gallon per day design flow in nitrogen sensitive areas (zone II). In those areas a property owner is restricted to a nitrogen loading limitation of 440 gallons of design flow per day per acre which ultimately restricts the size of the home and number of bedrooms that can be built on a parcel.  

The State Department of Environmental Protection allows a “remedy” so a property in zone II can support a larger dwelling and/or more bedrooms using a “credit land” strategy. Using this strategy undeveloped land within the same nitrogen sensitive zone as the home lot can be used as credit land to increase allowable design flow.  Credit land can be a whole parcel, aggregated parcels (even if they are not abutting), or a portion of a parcel.  

Habitat for Humanity of Cape Cod has utilized this credit land strategy in a number of its builds, most recently in Truro. Currently at a proposed build in Sandwich, we are seeking to permit a 3-bedroom home on a lot in zone II where only 2-bedrooms are now allowed. We intend to use nitrogen credits donated from a portion of a parcel previously set aside for Affordable housing by the Town but found to be unbuildable.  In this case, nitrogen credits from that land will allow us to maximize the use of our lot, scaling our Habitat home to 3 bedrooms like others built in the development prior to the area’s zone II designation.  
Events
SAVE THE DATE for our 4th Annual Ride for Homes – Sunday, September 26th!

In 2020 you raised $111,000 for Habitat Cape Cod, thank you!

We will use the same location and routes as previous years. Registration will be available soon; we are working on updating our website and once that is complete, we'll send a link to register. Riders are so important to our organization and we’d love it if every rider could get a rider to join too!

Say YES to dedicating one morning to help families in need of an affordable home!
Congratulations to Patty Quigley of South Dennis!!

Patty won the Deck Your Halls raffle package. We are so grateful for all the generous businesses and individuals who donated items. This event was so successful and fun, we hope to do this again next year and hold another raffle with a different theme in the spring. Keep an eye out for more info to come!

Thank you to our donors: Kim Rumberger of Metal and Beads Cape Cod, Cape Cod Life, Bobby Orr, The Steamship Authority, Island Queen, Gardens by Barbara Conolly, Cape Tire Service, Inc., Alan Carlson, Nauset Disposal, Shepley Wood Products, The Stove Center, Mid Cape Home Centers, Chatham Bars Inn, Heritage Museums and Gardens, Hamilton Tree & Landscape, Inc., Scargo Cafe, Pizza Barbone, The Riverway Lobster House, The West End, Roche Bros., and Fisherman’s View Seafood Market and Restaurant.
John Amirault has graciously offered to continue building a kayak every year for Habitat Cape Cod. Our annual Kayak Raffle continues!

After a year of mentoring with Pat Taylor and Bill Witmer, John has been hard at work creating this year’s kayak and should have it ready soon and we’ll begin our 2021 raffle. John sent this photo of his progress so far…looks great! The kayak raffle has been a great fundraiser for us over the years and we are so thankful to John for keeping the raffle alive. Raffle tickets will go on sale soon.

This is a special event for Habitat Cape Cod and all of the proceeds support our mission to build homes, hope, lives, and community on Cape Cod. Stay tuned for more details!
Town News
Sandwich. Cotuit Road and Nauset Street. We are finalizing our Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) application and will submit to the Town of Sandwich in late January.
 
Chatham. George Ryder Road South. We are finalizing documents for a projected February closing on the land. We hope to begin infrastructure work on this project in late fall 2021, with a wall raising in 2022.
 
Brewster. 26 Red Top Road. Our LIP application is almost complete and will soon be submitted. Following approval, the next step will be to take this 40B project to Brewster ZBA. 
 
Harwich. Murray Lane.  All 6 foundations are almost in!  If all goes as planned, we will raise walls at Murray Lane in May or June 2021. 
 
Falmouth. Willett Way.  Building permits have been issued for this 10-home project.  We plan to begin putting foundations in as early as February. We plan to raise walls at Willett Way in June 2021 (6 homes) and May 2022 (4 homes). 

We continue our assessment of a number of sites in towns across the Cape. We are always on the lookout for suitable sites for Habitat homes. If you would like to consider the donation of a parcel of property, or know of a town owned site that might be suitable, please contact Beth Wade, Director of Land Acquisition & Project Development, at land@habitatcapecod.org or 508-362-3559 x24.  Thank you! 
Construction News
We are currently building 2 three-bedroom homes in Mashpee on Mendes Way.

  • All of the interior partitions have been built.
  • The HVAC contractor should be completed with their rough-ins this week.

We are building 1 two-bedroom home on Quanset Road in Orleans.

  • Windows and doors have been installed.
  • The Roof is scheduled to be shingled.

Monthly Giving
Sometimes it is much easier to give $25 a month instead of a lump sum of $300. Habitat can charge your card each month until you want to stop, get a new card, or need to change the amount at any time.

Enroll today online or call Ginny Irving, Director of Resource Development at 508-362-3559 x28 or email ginny@habitatcapecod.org.
Cars for Homes
Start your donation online or call our hotline: 1-877-277-4344
Thank you to our Local Business Partners!