by Marc Spigel – 4/22/2026 Email Letter to Town of Wellfleet Selectboard
From: Marc Spigel mrspigel@aol.com
To: BOS@wellfleet-ma.gov bos@wellfleet-ma.gov
Cc: tom.guerino@wellfleet-ma.gov tom.guerino@wellfleet-ma.gov; john.bugbee@wellfleet-ma.gov john.bugbee@wellfleet-ma.gov; rebekah.eldridge@wellfleet-ma.gov rebekah.eldridge@wellfleet-ma.gov
Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2026 at 01:44:34 PM EDT
Subject: Disconnect between the Town of Wellfleet Housing Production Plan and the Maurice’s Master Plan
April 22, 2026
Wellfleet Selectboard,
I am writing to express my concern regarding the stated housing needs in the Maurice’s Master Plan that are currently in place regarding the development of Maurice’s Campground. I do not believe that the current plan fulfills the actual needs of our community, as I will outline below.
On February 2, 2026 I wrote to the Selectboard regarding the FACTS surrounding the Lawrence Hill applicants and related local preference, that turned out well below promised levels. As you know to date there has not been a final report as to the outcome of the lottery process as it relates to local preference. The final outcome should be considered as plan for Maurice’s proceed.
In this letter I want to point the Selectboard to the Housing Production Plan dated March 21, 2023 that covers a 5-year period through 2027, therefore this Plan that was prepared for the Town of Wellfleet by JM Goldson is still relevant. Here is a link to the related documents https://www.wellfleet-ma.gov/local-housing-partnership/pages/housing-production-plan-documents
As you are aware the Housing Production Plan was a very comprehensive analysis of Wellfleet’s affordable housing needs.
A few key points from the Summary of Housing needs per the Housing Production Plan:
· The cost burden levels indicate a need for 217 (78%) affordable ownership units and 62 (22%) affordable rental units to meet current estimated local needs.
· The analysis indicates a need for affordable housing for households up to 200 percent AMI in addition to unrestricted year-round market-rate rental housing.
Based on the information provided in the Housing Production Plan 78% of the development needs are for affordable ownership that extends to the higher end of the AMI scale (up to 200%).
When I look at the Maurice’s Master Plan there is a significant disconnect with the Housing Production Plan.
The break-out stated in the Maurice’s Master Plan calls for 75 (30%) affordable/attainable ownership units and 175 (70%) affordable rental units (not counting seasonal needs stated)
Housing Production Plan vs. Maurice’s Master Plan Percentage Analysis
| Description | Housing Production Plan | Maurice’s Master Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Rental Units | 22% | 70% |
| Ownership Units | 78% | 30% |
| Total | 100% | 100% |
The Maurice’s Master Plan is creating rental units well over our stated Housing Production Plan needs while at the same time creating significantly lower ownership opportunities than the Housing Production Plan would indicate are needed.
I firmly believe that the Town of Wellfleet should be building affordable and attainable housing that are in line with our needs. The local needs supported by both the Lawrence Hill applications as well as the Housing Production Plan clearly show a significant disconnect with the Maurice’s Master Plan.
I believe that if we re-examine and align the actual needs of Wellfleet to the information we learned with the applications at Lawrence Hill, combined with a re-balancing of ownership opportunities, that site density issues that are currently being debated will self-correct in the process.
Please listen to the sentiment of the community! We need more “missing middle” home ownership opportunities and less density that is currently proposed in the Maurice’s Master Plan.
I would appreciate it if these issues can be discussed as part of the next Joint meeting of the Selectboard and Maurice’s Planning Committee on April 29th, as a transparent understanding of the disconnect between the Housing Production Plan and the Maurice’s Master Plan should be explained publicly prior to Town Meeting.
Let’s take care of Wellfleet, not the rest of the Commonwealth.
Yours truly,
Marc Spigel
10 Sea Pine Road
Wellfleet, MA 02667