Choose Granite Countertops in Brewster, MA for Elegance and Durability

Mass Audubon, the largest nature-based conservation organization in New England, has pledged a total of $3.5 million to the Town of Brewster to protect and enhance the Cape Cod Sea Camps properties in Brewster, consisting of the 55-acre Bay property, at 3057 Main Street, and the 66-acre Long Pond property, at 400 W.H. Besse Cartway.

Brewster Conservation Trust, Brewster’s private land trust (BCT), is also a partner in this effort.

Mass Audubon’s Board of Directors recently approved $2 million for the Bay property, the former main campus of Cape Cod Sea Camps which contains numerous buildings and other public amenities. As part of its commitment to the Bay property, Mass Audubon would hold a conservation restriction on approximately 10-acres of the Bay property that includes natural coastal dunes, a pond, woodlands, and trails areas, offer nature-based educational programming in partnership with the Town, establish an informal nature center with office space, and lease three renovated cabins for seasonal Mass Audubon employees.

For the 66-acre Long Pond property, Mass Audubon’s pledge of $1.5 million and Brewster Conservation Trust’s pledge of at least $1 million pending formal Town Meeting approval of the plan will ensure a conservation restriction protects 85 percent of the land. As part of this partnership, Mass Audubon will provide environmental and outdoor education for all ages including birding, guided walks, kayaking, field studies, and a potential summer camp on the Pond property. Public access will not be limited on either property.

“This is a rare and extraordinary opportunity to protect the ecological integrity of Cape Cod while simultaneously promoting nature-based education to the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts,” said David O’Neill, President of Mass Audubon. “We’re thrilled to work with the Town of Brewster and Brewster Conservation Trust to protect crucial and historic properties that should be enjoyed by all.”

“Our residents have consistently expressed overwhelming support for developing partnerships with Mass Audubon and Brewster Conservation Trust to provide nature-based programming and to help conserve critical portions of the Sea Camps properties,” said Ned Chatelain, Brewster Select Board Chair. “The Town of Brewster recognizes the unique opportunity presented by these properties for generations to come and we appreciate Brewster Conservation Trust’s and Mass Audubon’s willingness to partner with us in a way that balances a variety of public interests and reflects the diverse values expressed by our residents throughout the community planning process.”

“We are pleased to be part of the partnership with the Town and Mass Audubon that has made this possible,” noted BCT President Tino Kamarck. “Protecting our drinking water supply, safeguarding pond water quality, and providing public walking trails are fundamental parts of our mission. This protection of 56 acres is the largest land conservation purchase in Brewster since the Town protected hundreds of acres in the Punkhorn in the 1980’s.”

The Town of Brewster purchased the Bay and Long Pond properties in 2021 for $26M from the Delahanty families and has gathered community feedback through several town forums and surveys to help determine the best future uses for the properties. The Brewster Select Board and Bay & Pond Property Planning Committees will be sharing their recommended plans with residents at a public forum on February 15. The plans will be brought to Town Meeting for consideration by Brewster voters on May 11, 2024.

This weekend serves as a last chance for locals to get their fix of Kate's Fried Seafood & Ice Cream, which is being sold after 38 years.

Patch Staff

BREWSTER, MA — The passage of Labor Day weekend brings a few certainties to Cape Cod: Lighter traffic, cooler temperatures and the seasonal closure of a number of local haunts from seafood shacks to ice cream shops.

In Brewster, add Kate's Fried Seafood & Ice Cream to the list of seasonal closures. Except next year, it'll be a little different when and if Kate's reopens next season.

Kate's has been open for 38 years in Brewster, serving as the type of fried seafood and ice cream spot that keeps locals and tourists alike yearning for the summer season. Think clam cakes, fried fish and chowder, and also a Kate's invention in the Cape Cod Reuben.

Two years short of four decades, however, the owners of the business are looking to sell, beginning a new chapter for the restaurant.

Kathy and John Ohman announced at the beginning of the season that it would be their last with Kate's, the business they've owned since its inception.

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"After this year we will be closing our doors," they said in a message on Facebook in May.

"We thank everyone who has supported us over the last 38 years on the Cape. We hope to see everyone we can this summer. We understand if you can't make it out here this year. Thank you again to everyone who have been with us all these years and made us what we are today."

Now they hope another family will continue the legacy of Kate's by purchasing the restaurant, which will be sold as a total package including the land, business name and recipes, Richard Catania of The Realty Advisory Inc. of Centerville recently told the Cape Cod Times.

Catania noted that there are already a number of interested parties, and it's the hope of everyone involved that the restaurant will be open at the beginning of next summer.

But all of this is looking into the future, and the current iteration of Kate's isn't done just yet. Kate's will open this weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 8 p.m. for one last hurrah under the current ownership group.

Heather McCarron

Instead of living the "American Dream" of owning a home, Brewster's Matilda Delano says it's been more like an "American Nightmare" for her young family — her husband and five children ages 10 and under — in their years-long quest for stable housing.

One promising rental after another has been sold just as they began to settle in, and it's been a constant challenge to find much in the way of affordable, long-term housing in their town amid an abundance of short-term rentals offered to seasonal vacationers and people celebrating special occasions.

This summer, Delano decided she'd had enough. She crafted two proposed bylaws aimed at regulating short-term rentals in Brewster. Along with her two eldest children — Alice, 9, and Liliana, 10 — Delano went door to door collecting signatures so the proposals could go before the voters at the Nov. 13 special town meeting.

"I've just been experiencing the housing crisis for close to a decade now and I've been waiting for the town of Brewster to do something proactive to address it," she said Wednesday. "I haven't seen any real action from the town, so I decided to take some action myself."

Her proposals, which are the final two items on the 14-item special town meeting agenda, will be the highlight of a forum hosted by the Brewster Community Network starting at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Brewster Ladies' Library, 1822 Main St./6A.

According to the organization, the forum will include time for audience Q&A, as well as for attendees to offer opinions on other articles on the warrant.

Delano said she and her daughters collected 125 signatures for each of the proposals — 100 are required to get them on the town meeting agenda.

One proposal would require annual registration of short-term rentals in Brewster. Owners would pay a $150 annual fee, with proceeds going to positions for oversight and enforcement. The second proposal would restrict the number of short-term rentals a property owner can have in Brewster to one, unless the owner is a full-time resident of Brewster. Full-time residents would be allowed to operate two properties as short-term rentals.

Delano noted that Brewster has nearly 1,100 short-term rentals registered with the state's Public Registry of Lodging, "although the number likely exceeds that figure, as not all short-term rentals are officially registered."

She argues that having a registration system "would ensure that there is a way to collect data about short-term rentals, which is beneficial when assessing the housing needs of the community."

On the proposal to limit the number of short-term rental properties, Delano said in her commentary included on the town meeting warrant that the aim is to stop large investment groups, LLCs, corporations and other big owners from operating on a large scale in Brewster. This, she argues, would create more year-round housing and provide more opportunities for workers to stay in the town they work in.

A number of other towns on Cape have regulations in place related to short-term rentals, she pointed out, and Provincetown just passed some restrictions similar to what she's proposing in Brewster, she said.

"Brewster is a bit behind the times with this. A lot of neighboring towns already have registration systems in place," Delano said.

She finds it disheartening that Brewster is proposing some short-term rental options at the former Cape Cod Sea Camps property as part of its re-use plan, feeling that the town should focus more on affordable, long-term housing to help families stay in town.

It's telling, she said, that data from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education shows a marked decrease in elementary school enrollments in Brewster, down about 44% since the late '90s, while there's been an overall population increase of about 22%.

"From what I remember growing up Brewster, it was a family town," Delano said, but that's shifted to a more affluent and more mature demographic.

"I think we're ostracizing a large part of our community when we don't have housing families can afford," Delano said, noting the median house is now valued more than $700,000.

Town Manager Peter Lombardi said the Select Board and the Finance Committee have voted unanimously against both of Delano's proposals. But, he pointed out, the issue is not lost on the town's leaders. As part of their 2025 strategic plan, he said, the Select Board wants to evaluate impacts of short-term rentals on the community and to consider potential policy solutions.

Delano has created a website at ohmycod.org that features a detailed accounting of her family's struggle to find long-term and affordable housing on Cape in her article "The Housing Crisis: An American Nightmare." She's also featured profiles of at least two other families in her "Faces of the Housing Crisis" articles that have experienced their own housing struggles.

While disappointed her proposals don't have the support of the Select Board and Finance Committee, Delano said, "I'm hoping the town decides to move forward with some of these short-term rental regulations."

The town meeting where her proposals will be further discussed and voted upon will convene at 6 p.m. on Nov. 13 at Stony Brook Elementary School, 384 Underpass Road.

Heather McCarron can be reached at hmccarron@capecodonline.com, or follow her on X @HMcCarron_CCT

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Over a hundred Brewster residents attended the grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of the new Brewster Community Pool on Sunday June 25 on a glorious sunny afternoon. The pool, located at the former Sea Camps property at 3057 Main Street, remained open to attendees after the ribbon cutting until 6PM. Click here to watch the LCTV news report on the ribbon cutting event.

Ned Chatelain (Select Board Chair), Donna Kalinick (Assistant Town Manager), & Peter Lombardi (Town Manager)

Over 550 pool passes have been sold to residents to date, including almost 250 family passes. Amanda Bebrin, Chair of the Bay Property Planning Committee, noted in her remarks the large amount of community support and enthusiasm for making this facility available. “The committee has been driven by resident wants and needs in both interim uses and our long-term planning efforts – we knew there was strong interest in having the pool open.”

The Recreation Department, Department of Public Works, Property Manager, Town Management, and many other departments and staff have been working around the clock in recent months to get the pool ready for the summer season. Thomas Wingard, the Recreation Commission Representative on the Bay Property Planning Committee, highlighted the speed at which amenities have been made available on the property since its purchase. “We as a committee, along with the Town’s departments and management, successfully opened the bay beach last year, and, this year, with the same determination and hard work, we’re opening the only municipal swimming pool on the Cape.”

Members of the Bay Property Planning Committee

Since purchasing the property, Town staff and committees have embarked on a public engagement process inviting input from all residents about potential future uses. “This has been a very public undertaking, and the first public forum solicited a lot of public comment,” said Ned Chatelain, Chair of the Brewster Select Board. Mr. Chatelain added that the Town will continue to solicit feedback from residents on pool programming and operating practices. “I want to thank everyone for participating so far and encourage you to continue to do so – we would love to hear from you about how the pool can meet the needs of Brewster residents.”

The mood among speakers and attendees was one of excitement and anticipation for the fun-filled summers ahead. “It’s not often that you are given the opportunity to provide a new amenity like this to our residents – we look forward to the pool being a destination for all of us to gather and make memories for many years to come,” stated Peter Lombardi, Town Manager.

The Community Pool is open to residents 7 days a week for 11 hours a day until August 20. There will be a final opportunity to purchase guest passes on Friday, June 30, at the Arts Center from 9AM to 3PM. 4 test swim days will be offered this summer, on July 11, July 15, July 28 and August 6 – residents who have not purchased a pool pass can use the pool on these days for a $5 fee. Please call (508) 896-3701 ext. 1100 or email permits@brewster-ma.gov with any questions.

Brewster's New Community Pool

It’s always been good to live in Brewster, but it got better on Sept. 26, 2021. That day a record-setting number of Brewster voters, on a sunny baseball field, voted to acquire the former Cape Cod Sea Camps property.

The $26 million town acquisition was possible due to a news bombshell dropped in 2020. The Cape Cod Sea Camps, an organization that operated in Brewster for nearly 100 years, was closing. It was a sad day for the camp but an unexpected, extraordinary opportunity for a small town.

Against the odds, Brewster pulled off the Cape’s biggest municipal real estate acquisition in decades. Deep-pocketed developers coveted both Sea Camps properties but Brewster town government and residents saw an opportunity that could change the future of our coastal community.

The former Sea Camps consist of two properties. The Bay property, situated on Cape Cod Bay, is 55 acres with 92 structures including camper cabins, a dining hall, an arts center, a boathouse, recreation facilities and an antique home that served as the administration building. The pond property, on the eastern edge of Long Pond, was used for sailing and swimming programs. Its 66 acres are wooded with a small sandy beach area and a few storage buildings.

After the town took ownership, two parallel efforts were launched. First, activities designed to welcome residents onto the bay property got underway in the short term. These included opening a new beach for residents, holding community events, and opening the first outdoor municipal swimming pool on the Cape. A video was produced that introduced residents to the harder-to-access pond parcel.

The longer and more complex effort is planning the long-term future uses of both former Sea Camps properties. Brewster established two committees to guide the long-term planning process: the Bay Property Planning Committee and the Pond Property Planning Committee.

These committees, with the support of nationally-renowned landscape architecture firm Reed-Hilderbrand and town staff, have launched a year-long planning process. The single most important factor in getting the future plans right is engaging the Brewster community in the planning process. Brewster residents have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the community’s future — and there will be multiple opportunities for interested residents (full- and part-time) to share their views.

To kick off long-term Sea Camps planning, Brewster’s first public forum was held May 20 at the Sea Camps Bay property — about 400 Brewster residents took part and offered their opinions on a variety of topics. To collect more views, an online survey gathered community comments. More than 1,500 individuals took part in this first forum and survey.

There’s more opportunity ahead for Brewster residents to take part in designing the future of the Sea Camps. On Aug. 5, the town of Brewster will host a second public forum that will continue to shape planning priorities. Four more public forums will be held in the fall and winter — two will focus on the bay property and two others on the pond property plans. When the series of public forums conclude, a plan for each Sea Camps property, based on public comments, will be presented to voters at Brewster’s Town Meeting. If the plans are adopted, work will start to implement them.

The outpouring of community support for acquiring the former Sea Camps was a powerful statement about what is important to Brewster. We now need to hear from as many Brewster residents as possible — from all backgrounds — as the planning process moves forward. What you have to say will make a difference. Please take part in person, by survey or both. Together, we can design a future for the former Sea Camps that improves the quality of life in Brewster now and for generations to come.

Information about the Sea Camps planning process, including documents describing the current status of the properties, is available at https://www.brewster-ma.gov at the “Sea Camps” link.

Mary Chaffee is vice chair of the Brewster Select Board and is a member of the Bay Property Planning Committee.

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