09/15/2026
There has been a lot of conversation recently about housing development in Provincetown, particularly projects underway or proposed along the Shank Painter Road corridor. Questions about housing, development, water and sewer capacity, and the future of longtime local businesses are important.
It is also important that these conversations are grounded in the facts — and in the broader housing strategy Provincetown voters have supported and invested in over many years.
This is a long post, but worth including as much information as possible, and we've also added this to the Town website entitled, "Housing in Provincetown: Putting Recent Inclusionary Projects in Context."
A Major Affordable Housing Milestone for Provincetown
This year, Provincetown reached an important milestone with the opening of Province Post, 65 new year-round rental homes on Jerome Smith Road. Residents and workers are moving into those homes now.
With Province Post coming online, Provincetown has now surpassed 10% on the Commonwealth's Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) for the first time.
The SHI measures the number of eligible subsidized housing units as a percentage of a community's year-round housing units, as determined by the U.S. Census. Housing classified by the Census as seasonal, recreational, or occasional-use housing is not included in that calculation.
The state's current calculation uses 2020 Census data, which counted 2,502 year-round housing units in Provincetown. With Province Post included, Provincetown now has 266 SHI-eligible homes, or 10.6% of our year-round housing stock.
This is important because Provincetown isn't simply maintaining a fixed number of affordable homes while the rest of our housing stock grows. We have increased both the actual number of deed-restricted affordable homes and their share of Provincetown's overall year-round housing stock.
And Provincetown is leading the Outer Cape:
Provincetown: 10.6% — 266 SHI units
Truro: 5.25% — 70 SHI units
Eastham: 3.68% - 116 SHI units
Wellfleet: 2.18% — 43 SHI units
And the 10.6% SHI figure doesn't tell the whole story.
The SHI generally counts deed-restricted housing serving households earning up to 80% of Area Median Income (AMI). Currently, 80% AMI is approximately $79,100 for a one-person household and $90,400 for a two-person household.
But Provincetown's housing challenges don't end at 80% AMI. Many year-round residents and workers earn more than that and still cannot afford the local housing market, so the Town has deliberately created deed-restricted housing for higher income levels as well.
In total, Provincetown now has 334 year-round homes that are deed-restricted by income. Of those, 266 qualify for the SHI. Another 68 deed-restricted year-round homes serve households at higher income levels, generally from 100% to 200% AMI, and aren't reflected in our 10.6% SHI number.
One example is Harbor Hill, owned by the Town, which provides 28 year-round rental homes for 54 people, serving households from 80% to 200% AMI.
I will also note that private rentals in Town, and those property owners that receive the Residential Tax Exemption for renting year-round are also not included in this count.
So, while reaching 10.6% on the SHI is an important milestone, the actual inventory of deed-restricted year-round housing Provincetown has created and preserved is even larger.
How Inclusionary Zoning Creates Affordable Homes at No Cost to the Town
One tool Provincetown uses to expand this inventory is Inclusionary Zoning.
In 2017, Town Meeting adopted Provincetown's Inclusionary Zoning Bylaw. The concept is straightforward: when qualifying private developments create new housing, they must contribute affordable or community housing units as part of the development.
The Town also provides incentives for greater levels of affordability. Developments that include more affordable and community housing can qualify for additional density and height.
This allows private development to create permanently deed-restricted housing for our year-round community without requiring the Town – aka taxpayers – t o purchase the land or pay to construct those homes.
Two current projects demonstrate how this works.
44 Captain Bertie's Way
Construction is underway at 44 Capt. Bertie's Way on 36 new condominiums, including 10 permanently deed-restricted affordable and community housing units — approximately 28% of the development.
The affordable and community homes will serve income-qualified first-time homebuyers from approximately 80% to 150% AMI, with anticipated purchase prices ranging from approximately $180,000 to $330,000.
These aren't simply discounted condos. Permanent deed restrictions require year-round owner occupancy and restrict future resale prices so the homes remain part of Provincetown's year-round housing supply.
The Town — not the developer — administers the lottery process, and the units include a local preference for eligible Provincetown residents and workers.
The Town also provides eligible buyers with down-payment assistance of up to 10% of the purchase price. On a $300,000 affordable condo, for example, that could provide as much as $30,000 toward the purchase.
Ongoing affordability matters, too. HOA fees for the affordable units will be lower than those charged to the market-rate units, helping make the homes sustainable for year-round owners over time.
This project has an anticipated completion of early 2027. The Town will provide information about applications and the lottery as construction nears completion.
85 Shank Painter Road (current Mac's Provincetown)
The proposed redevelopment at 85 Shank Painter Road would create 52 homes, including 13 permanently deed-restricted affordable and community housing units — 25% of the development.
The specific income levels and pricing for those 13 homes have not yet been established. Those decisions will be made through the Town's housing process, including the Community Housing Council, based on community housing needs. The income mix will likely be similar to 44 Capt. Bertie's, providing homeownership opportunities across a range of incomes not adequately served by Provincetown's housing market.
Again, the Town will administer the lottery process, not the developer, and the units will include local preference opportunities for eligible Provincetown residents and workers.
The current plan also includes ground-floor artist workspace, maintaining an active work component along Shank Painter Road rather than creating an exclusively residential development.
Together, 44 Captain Bertie's and 85 Shank Painter would create:
88 new homes.
23 permanently deed-restricted affordable and community homes.
Approximately 26% affordability across the two developments.
Local preference opportunities for Provincetown residents and workers.
$0 in Town funding required to construct those 23 affordable and community homes.
It is also important to distinguish where these two projects are in the development process. 44 Capt. Bertie’s has been approved and is well under construction. 85 Shank Painter, however, is just beginning the public process. The project has not yet been formally filed with the Town; its recent appearance before the Planning Board was an informal preliminary presentation. Once a formal application is submitted, the project will be subject to the Town’s required site plan review and public process, including opportunities for public input.
Why is this Happening on/around Shank Painter Road?
These projects should also be understood in the context of decisions Provincetown voters have made about the future of the Shank Painter Road corridor.
In 2025, Town Meeting adopted a Form-Based Code specifically for Shank Painter Road following an extensive public planning process.
The zoning encourages a more traditional, walkable mixed-use development pattern: buildings oriented toward the street, active commercial or workspace uses at the ground level, and residential development above.
It also provides additional height and density when developments provide significant amounts of deed-restricted affordable or community housing.
The Town intentionally created – and voters overwhelmingly approved – a zoning framework for this corridor that can accommodate additional housing while ensuring that private development contributes affordable housing and other community benefits.
The proposed 85 Shank Painter redevelopment is occurring within that framework approved by Town Meeting voters.
What is Happening with Mac's?
One concern about the proposed 85 Shank Painter redevelopment is the future of Mac's Provincetown restaurant and fish market.
An important point of clarification is that Mac is a partner in the proposed redevelopment, rather than a business owner being displaced by the project.
At a recent public Planning Board meeting, Mac stated that he is committed to remaining in Provincetown and intends to find another location in Town for both the restaurant and fish market.
As the redevelopment process moves forward, we expect to hear more from Mac about those plans.
What about Water and Sewer Capacity?
This is another important question, particularly given Provincetown's limited water and sewer capacity.
Residents are right to ask whether new development is consuming limited infrastructure capacity that could otherwise support affordable housing or other community needs.
In the case of 85 Shank Painter Road, however, the proposed redevelopment would require less capacity than is already allocated to the property.
The existing Mac's restaurant has an allocation of 9,100 gallons per day, based on 260 restaurant seats at 35 gallons per seat.
The proposed redevelopment would include 52 homes containing 79 bedrooms. At 110 gallons per bedroom, the development would require 8,690 gallons per day.
Existing allocation: 9,100 gallons/day
Proposed redevelopment: 8,690 gallons/day
Difference: 410 fewer gallons/day
The proposed redevelopment therefore does not require additional gallons from the Town. Based on the current plan, it would use 410 fewer gallons per day than the property's existing allocation, returning that capacity to the system.
Does Provincetown have a Housing Strategy?
Inclusionary Zoning is only one tool in Provincetown's housing strategy.
We are creating traditional affordable housing for lower-income households and community housing for middle-income residents and workers who earn too much to qualify for traditional affordable housing but cannot afford the local market. We are creating homeownership opportunities, converting seasonal housing into year-round rentals, using Town-owned land for housing, and requiring private development to contribute affordable and community homes.
Province Post has just added 65 year-round rental homes and helped Provincetown reach 10.6% on the SHI.
Harbor Hill, owned by the Town, provides 28 year-round rental homes for 54 people, serving households from 80% to 200% AMI.
Through Lease to Locals, the Town provides incentives to convert seasonal or short-term rentals into year-round leases. This Town-funded program is currently providing housing for as many as 93 people.
At the former police station at 26 Shank Painter Road, the Town is preparing to reissue a Request for Proposals for affordable homeownership. Because the Town owns the property, we can achieve a significantly greater percentage of affordability than would ordinarily be possible on privately owned land.
And we're planning for the next generation of housing.
What Type of Housing Provincetown Should Build Next?
Town Meeting voters approved the acquisition of 288A Bradford Street and 22/24 Nelson Avenue, and the Town has engaged JM Goldson to lead a community visioning process and develop concepts for additional affordable and community housing on those properties.
A community forum on the future of these two Town-owned properties will be held next Monday, September 21st, giving residents an opportunity to participate directly and help shape what comes next. More information on that forum as well as a survey residents can complete to help inform the type of housing the Town builds can be found at: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/f460287d4d024ac6afb90f6a1bbc1be3.
There isn't one solution to Provincetown's housing challenge. That's why we need to use every tool available.
When the Town owns land, we can pursue much higher levels of affordability. We can invest public dollars directly in housing and programs like Province Post, Harbor Hill and Lease to Locals. We can help residents become homeowners through down-payment assistance. And when private property is developed, Inclusionary Zoning ensures that private investment contributes permanently deed-restricted housing too.
There is much more work ahead, and we should continue asking hard questions about development, infrastructure, affordability and the future of our community.
But the direction of the numbers is important: Provincetown is increasing both the number of deed-restricted year-round homes and the percentage of our year-round housing stock that is affordable.
Today, Provincetown has 334 income-restricted year-round homes, including 266 that qualify for the state's SHI. We have reached 10.6% on the SHI, more than twice the percentage in Truro and significantly higher than Eastham and Wellfleet. And more affordable and community housing is underway or being planned.
That's real progress — and we're committed to continuing the work with our Select Board, housing boards, and residents.
https://www.provincetown-ma.gov/m/newsflash/home/detail/1946
