The Department of Conservation & Recreation partners with Falmouth Housing Trust and 300 Committee Land Trust on new project that conserves land and creates affordable housing on Cape Cod.
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) today announced they have partnered with The 300 Committee Land Trust and the Falmouth Housing Trust on a project that will conserve and protect the water quality and ecological health of Bourne Pond in Falmouth and create much needed affordable housing in the community. This collaboration reflects the agency’s ongoing efforts to protect and enhance the state’s natural resources for the well-being of residents across Massachusetts.
“At DCR, we’re committed to working with our partners on projects like this that create healthy communities by preserving and promoting our public lands,” said DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo. “This public private partnership is a great example of how we can work with our partners to achieve our shared goals – of protecting our environment and creating much needed affordable housing in a region of critical need.”
The transaction was successfully completed on Friday, June 7, 2024, after a three-year effort by DCR and the Trusts. The project, located in Falmouth, will combine DCR’s land and resource protection work with the production of urgently needed affordable housing in a 3.7-acre area between Bourne Pond and the Waquoit Highway. The initiative showcases the state’s commitment to innovative solutions for complex challenges. The project will permanently preserve 2.7 acres on Bourne Pond under DCR’s stewardship as part of the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR). The remaining acre of land along the Waquoit Highway was acquired by the Falmouth Housing Trust and will be used for the creation of five affordable deed restricted housing units for sale to households earning up to 80% and up to 120% of area median income for Barnstable County. The work between these three groups demonstrates the power of collective action in achieving shared goals.
“Although our primary focus will always be preserving open space, The 300 Committee Land Trust is increasingly on the lookout for redevelopment opportunities with non-profit partners to alleviate Cape Cod’s dire shortage of affordable housing,” said Jessica Whritenour, The 300 Committee’s Executive Director. “This partnership marries two goals so often pitted against each other: open space preservation and affordable housing development.”
“The Falmouth Housing Trust is very excited to be a part of this land acquisition partnership,” said Laura Moynihan, Executive Director of the Falmouth Housing Trust. “Which brings together state and local resources to allow for housing to be built and sold to our working families while at the same time preserving environmentally significant land.”
DCR’s 2.7 acre parcel falls within the Waquoit Bay Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC), a designation that recognizes the area’s extraordinary natural resources. This project will safeguard the water quality and ecological health of Bourne Pond as well as the downstream waterbodies of Bog Pond, Caleb Pond, and Waquoit Bay, all of which have seen a sharp decline in water quality over the past decade.
Through this partnership with The 300 Committee Land Trust and the Falmouth Housing Trust, DCR is setting a precedent for future endeavors that address both conservation and housing challenges. The agency remains committed to preserving Massachusetts’ natural beauty and enhancing the quality of life for all residents in Falmouth and beyond.
Maro Titus has a deep connection to the Falmouth Community that dates back to her childhood, shaping her passion for the area. Leveraging her successful career in healthcare administration, Maro has transitioned her expertise to Kinlin Grover Compass Real Estate. As a dedicated agent, she strives to understand each client’s unique needs, bringing a wealth of marketing knowledge and enthusiasm to the real estate practice. With a background in executive leadership encompassing strategic planning, government affairs, and business development, Maro’s professional journey is marked by a commitment to excellence.
Marie Bigelow retired in 2014 from Corporate Banking in Boston after 28 years, mostly with BankBoston, Citizens, and Santander Bank. Her banking experience is primarily as a Senior Credit professional with experience in diversified lending arenas including Non-Profit, Large Corporate, Middle Market, Asset Based, Leveraged Finance and Commercial Real Estate Lending. She brings strong financial analysis, real estate finance, and loan structuring experience to her new role at FHT.
David Sutkowy has lived in Falmouth since 2020. 
Director, Addie Drolette, is a Falmouth native and makes her home in East Falmouth. Most of Addie’s professional career has been spent serving the mortgage financing needs of the community of Falmouth. She is presently a Senior Residential Loan Officer with Martha’s Vineyard Bank. 
Savannah Fabbio lives in East Falmouth with her husband Jay and is a Mortgage Loan Officer for Shamrock Home Loans in Osterville. Prior to this she was an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager for The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod and Assistant Manager at Citizens Bank.
Dave Garrison and his wife, Lori, moved to Falmouth in 2014 after full and interesting careers in Washington DC. Dave was raised in the Boston suburbs. He has been coming to the Cape every summer since 1944. 
After completing a 35 year career in marketing and communications, most recently as Senior Vice-President of Marketing for Dunkin’ U.S. – with previous marketing leadership roles at The Gillette Company and Ocean Spray Cranberries – Tom Manchester currently sits on the board and is an investor in a start-up business, The Mobile Locker Company and is also an instructor for Sports Marketing at Stonehill College. 
Ed Monteiro was President of the Board of Directors of Falmouth Housing Trust in the ‘90’s, and we are thrilled that he is back. 
Sudie Gifford comes to our board with an extremely varied background in arts, education, finance, public relations, and charity work.
Susan Roman is the Owner of 
Troy Clarkson is an author and speaker with more than a quarter-century of experience in positions of leadership in government and public service. He has been actively involved in his beloved Falmouth since his teen years, when he wrote and published ‘The Cove Chronicle,’ a newspaper that he sold door-to-door for a quarter and that documented the lives of his friends and neighbors.
Kevin McCarthy joined the board of directors of the Falmouth Housing Trust in 2012. Kevin’s entire career has been spent pursuing various “oceans” related endeavors, first as a professional diver, followed by various senior level management positions at a number of oceanographic manufacturing companies, including Klein Associates and Teledyne Benthos. He holds a B.S. from Northeastern University and an M.B.A. from Suffolk University. In 2000, he joined Hydroid LLC, a startup subsea robotics company that was founded to commercialize the REMUS autonomous underwater vehicle technologies developed at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In 2008, the company was acquired by the Norwegian company, Kongsberg Maritime. Kevin retired from his position of Vice President of Marketing in 2010 to devote more time to his passion for wildlife photography. Some of his work can be viewed at: www.McCarthyNatureImages.com.
Information coming soon.
Information coming soon.
Joanne O’Sullivan is a real estate attorney who has been practicing law in Falmouth since 1995. She is a self described “wash-ashore” living on Cape Cod for close to 20 years. Joanne grew up in South Boston, and graduated from the University of Chicago and Boston College Law School. Attorney O’Sullivan has been a sole practitioner for the past six years. She is married and her children are enrolled in the Falmouth Public Schools. Ms. O’Sullivan joined the FHT Board of Directors in 2009 and became Vice President in 2011.
Kenneth Buckland and his family; wife Nicolette and two boys, moved to Falmouth during Hurricane Gloria in 1985. They moved to town so that Ken could take the position as the Town Planner.
Joan Bates has lived in Falmouth with her husband, Robert, since 2002. Prior to that, the couple lived in Newton. Joan’s 25-year professional career was in special education and nonprofit management.
Beth Ciarletta grew up in rural New Jersey then moved to Raleigh, NC for eighteen years where she met her husband Michael, co-founded a business, married and began their family. She relocated to Falmouth in 2012 with her husband to raise their children in a smaller community-based town, and to be closer to family. Her husband’s family lives in Norwood, MA and vacationed in Falmouth and on Cape Cod for many years.
Carey Murphy lives in Waquoit with his wife of 31 years, Martha. Their three adult sons are all employed in the ski business, a sport that Carey loves to spend his winter months enjoying. They recently sold their retail business, Kensington’s at Mashpee Commons, after owning and operating it for 29 years.