Barnstable County Report

The twists and turns of life on Main Street

Success: It all depends on where you look

   ^{Once-tailored canvas awnings are now tattered and unsightly. Photos by Peter Kenney.}

by Peter Kenney

For all the crowing by Hyannis people about the success of their Growth Incentive Zone in downtown Hyannis there has been nothing said about the empty storefronts and other buildings in Hyannis. One entire commercial block on Main Street, directly across from the Cape Cod Times offices is empty except for the second floor offices rented by the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound. A former art gallery at the corner of Main Street and Ocean Street, supposedly to be replaced by new mixed-use development, is temporarily barricaded behind a chain-link fence. The once-tailored canvas awnings above its doors and windows are tattered reminders of how slowly Hyannis is progressing.

Hyannis: Four projects and all is well?

But we still hear from Hyannis only about how successful their GIZ has been with the four major projects that have been started since its passage last year. For some reason we hear nothing about an entire commercial block being vacant, or the closed restaurant and empty 26,000-square-foot office building on South Street, or any of the other vacancies on and near Main Street. The drug houses and war-torn neighborhoods near Hyannis receive occasional publicity, but all is well because there are four new buildings on Main Street. Empty buildings on Route 132 are discussed, but they remain empty and the much-awaited Access Hyannis transportation plan is still not complete. Of course, it will merely replace a similar effort finished ten years ago that led to absolutely nothing being done about the snarl of traffic that plagues Hyannis.

Yarmouth: All we want is a little respect

Folks in Yarmouth have never appreciated the snide remarks made about Route 28 in their town by the likes of the Cape Cod Times and Elliot Carr. Last year Carr was at a meeting in Yarmouth to discuss economic development and -- with a grand wave of his arm toward Route 28 -- said, “Well, I guess that is what we are here to discuss.” He was referring to the forlorn appearance of the once-bustling commercial and motel stretch of Route 28 as it crossed from Barnstable through Yarmouth to the Bass River. In fact, Yarmouth, too, has recently gained approval for a Growth Incentive Zone (GIZ) extending for the entire length of Route 28. Its intent is to enable owners of motel properties to refurbish their outdated buildings and mix the uses they make of them to promote new residential development as well as new commercial space.

Chatham: Is the model showing her age?

Perhaps it is worth noting that our local economy might need some inspection and repair, After all, empty buildings say a lot about the health of a community’s economy. Three stores on Chatham’s Main Street are in the process of closing at this moment. And, Main Street in Chatham has long been regarded as a model of a successful small-town main street.

Dennis: Leave it to the locals

The Town of Dennis recently voted at its special town meeting to restrict franchise retailers in their town. Maybe they feel that a job is not meaningful unless provided by a locally owned business. They must be right...look at the booming business hub known as Dennisport.

Plan B:  Banish the experts

Time's running out to vote for Peter Kenney, the Great Gadfly for a Best of the Blogs award. With the millions of dollars Cape Cod residents pour into town, regional and state planning agencies annually, and with the pomp and circumstance that we have come to expect from the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, one has to wonder who is actually minding the stores?

Perhaps a new plan is in order: banish the experts from Cape Cod and let businesses develop and prosper as they choose.