As 2023 comes to a close and we consider everything the Cape Cod Chamber achieved over the last year, we offer our appreciation to the many members and supporters who helped make it possible. Comprised of over 1,100 businesses of all sizes and industries, the Chamber’s membership base represents a diverse set of needs and priorities. These member priorities directly inform the work of the Chamber and reinforce our role as a regional leader on behalf of the business and nonprofit community.
The issues we work on are essential to the long-term vitality of our region and its businesses. Some – like housing and rebuilding the Canal Bridges – require complex and time-intensive solutions. But the Cape has never shied away from a difficult problem, from preserving undeveloped land through the creation of the state’s first land bank, to the work that’s now underway to modernize the region’s wastewater infrastructure. Our strength as a region lies in a spirit of collaboration and the tenacity to do whatever it takes to move Cape Cod forward.
In this spirit, the Cape Cod Chamber is welcoming the New Year with a clear focus on the issues that matter most to our business community. Here’s a preview of what you can expect from the Chamber in 2024:
Continued advocacy to replace the Canal Bridges
Safe, reliable, and modern transportation infrastructure is critical for a thriving regional economy. This is especially true for Cape Cod, where remote geography and limited roadway access points (two bridges, with four lanes each) leave an entire region vulnerable to infrastructure failures, weather emergencies, and sea level rise. Replacement of the Sagamore and Bourne Bridges is fundamental to the future of Cape Cod. In 2024, the Chamber will continue to work closely with state and federal partners to advocate for a clear funding plan to replace both bridges, while minimizing impacts on regional businesses.
Expanded support for employers to house the workforce
Business owners consistently tell us that labor supply is their biggest challenge, and this challenge is directly linked to a lack of housing for the workforce. In early December, the Chamber was awarded $280,000 in ARPA funds from Barnstable County to expand its workforce housing program. Funds will be used in the coming year to further increase the J-1 host housing network for seasonal student Visa workers; to help employers to secure H-2B Visa workers; and to examine hotel and motel conversions for seasonal and year-round workforce housing. The Chamber will continue to advocate for policy solutions that preserve year-round housing stock, support private sector housing innovation, and encourage redevelopment of underused properties for housing.
Sustainable Tourism Promotion
As travel and tourism have rebounded post-pandemic, neighboring destinations are making significant investments to sustain and grow their economies for both tourists and residents. On Cape Cod, changing visitation patterns, labor shortages, inflation, and a booming short-term rental market are impacting traditional hotel and motel lodging businesses. To ensure the competitiveness of our region, the Chamber will continue work to establish a Cape Cod Tourism Destination Marketing District (TDMD) in 2024. The Cape Cod TDMD will provide our region with a dedicated, stable source of tourism promotion funding, while helping us confront significant challenges like a shortage of workforce housing, and replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore Bridges. In the coming months, select boards and town councils in each town will vote on the TDMD, paving the way for a petition of hotel and motel businesses to officially form the district. To learn more about the Cape Cod TDMD and how it will benefit Cape Cod, visit our TDMD info page: Tourism Destination Marketing District (capecodchamber.org)
This is, of course, just a sampling of what is to come in the New Year. There is much work ahead, and we look forward to making 2024 our best year yet.