The Town of Eastham has chosen Union Studio Architecture & Community Design to create a master plan for three town-owned properties in North Eastham: The T-Time Property on Route 6, the Town Center Plaza property, and 1405 Nauset Road, site of the current council on aging.
The “North Eastham Village Center Master Plan” will include conceptual designs for the use of each property, as well as a comprehensive plan showing how the three sites tie into the larger community. The final plan will also provide financial estimates and a phased timeline for construction on each site. Development of the Master Plan is expected to take approximately one year and community members will be invited to participate at multiple points throughout the process. Funding for the Master Plan project will be supplemented by a $75,000 economic development grant from the Massachusetts Rural and Small Town Development Fund.
The town selected Union Studio Architecture & Community Design, which is based in Providence, R.I., for the Master Plan project due to the firm’s strong track record in producing high quality, community-informed master plans, and innovative designs for housing and mixed use projects. Altogether, Union Studio has over 20 years of experience working in communities across the United States and New England, including recent projects in the Cape Cod towns of Sandwich, Dennis, and Brewster.
“The town was extremely impressed with the complementary expertise offered by Union Studio and its project partners,” said Jacqueline Beebe, Eastham Town Administrator. “This team designs beautiful, walkable places that people enjoy and want to spend time in, and they share our vision of a public process that allows opportunities for the community to help shape the end result.”
Union Studio has assembled a team of partner agencies that will provide an array of professional and technical assistance for the project, including Horsley Witten Group, a Cape Cod-based engineering, designing, and planning firm; Peregrine Group, which provides real estate advisory services; and the Cape Cod-based CapeBuilt Companies, a construction and development business.
The North Eastham Village Center Master Plan is the latest step in a multi-phase, community-informed planning effort that focuses on a key goal in the Town of Eastham’s 5-Year Strategic Plan: creating a vibrant and walkable village center in North Eastham.
Eastham is one of the only towns on Cape Cod without a defined Main Street district or walkable village center. Route 6, the four-lane arterial road that hosts the majority of Eastham’s commercial development, bisects the town, providing few safe options for bicyclists and pedestrians, and limiting connectivity between businesses. Through the Master Plan process, the town is looking to identify ways to balance Eastham’s historic, small-town identity and environmental considerations with increased vibrancy and economic opportunity.
