- June 18, 2021
- Posted by: Stratford Team
- Category: Business
The lack of affordable housing on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket exacerbated an already-dire year during the pandemic, forces island fire departments to rely on firefighters who commute by ferry, and will lead to scaled-back business services in the upcoming tourist season, local officials and experts said Thursday.
Massachusetts for years has been grappling with a strained housing market featuring limited supply, sluggish production of new units, and skyrocketing prices. The COVID-19 crisis deepened the problems, prompting elected officials and experts from the area to call for additional action at the state and local level to get more development approved and generate more revenue for housing subsidies.
Wendy Northcross, CEO of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, cautioned that the effects are spilling out onto employers. While there are many reasons behind current workforce shortages, Northcross said the lack of housing — rather than the…
