The Falmouth EDIC gave an update on the Falmouth Station at its meeting on Tuesday, March 8, which included addressing the need to amp up its community outreach and engagement surrounding the project.

The main point of the board’s discussion regarding Falmouth Station was the potential for enhanced focus on community outreach partnered with better practices. Board member Michael B. Galasso pointed out that they have “taken a little bit of a beating” in that sphere thus far and suggested putting more time and money into those efforts.

Executive director Wayne Lingafelter asked the board for permission to go before the Falmouth Select Board during the public comment portion of its next meeting to address comments made at a previous meeting.

Read More

Following the Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation’s recent presentation of three concept designs for development at the Falmouth Station, board members on Tuesday, February 8, made it a point to clarify that the three ideas that have been communicated to the public are just ideas meant to solicit feedback and are not a definite plan that is ready to move forward.

Executive director Wayne Lingafelter said the EDIC’s January 26 stakeholders meeting was well attended and received by the community. A total of 31 community members were in attendance for the 70-minute meeting, he said, adding that both the presentation and dialogue that followed were constructive. Discussion focused on potential concerns that community members had regarding the project, like increased traffic on Depot Avenue and the size and scale as was presented, but Mr. Lingafelter said that he is concerned that there was miscommunication.

“I think we tried to be very upfront and make sure that the community understand that this was the first step; it was a preliminary set of conceptual plans that we presented,” he said. “I think there was probably some misunderstanding that this was going to be the only opportunity for the community and specifically the neighborhood to react to those plans, which is certainly not our intent.”

Read More

The Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation is poised to present to the select board for its approval two candidates to fill two open positions on the EDIC board.

Mark Lowenstein and Adrian Merryman each participated in a brief interview during the EDIC’s last two meetings. The Falmouth residents both shared information about their professional experience and areas of expertise with the board.

Mr. Lowenstein, who was interviewed on January 18, explained how he was recently active with the EDIC through his work with Community Development Block Grants. A former lawyer in the high tech field who grew up in the Boston area, Mr. Lowenstein has owned a house in Falmouth for 30 years and lived here full time for the past 10 years. He then ventured into entrepreneurship and found success in small businesses.

Later, he became a college professor in Vermont, where he attended college. As part of his work in higher education, Mr. Lowenstein joined the Rutland Economic Development Committee, which furthered his interests in creating economic vitality in communities. He has also worked recently with Cape Cod SCORE, a small-business management consulting agency.

Read More

A Depot Avenue resident expressed his deep concerns regarding the EDIC’s plans for development at Falmouth Station at the Falmouth Historical Commission’s meeting on Tuesday, February 1.

Benjamin Mezzacappa went before the commission during its discussion of the Falmouth Station plans and said that as a resident, he has serious concerns regarding the already high density and traffic of the area and the impact that the proposed developments would have on the historic preservation of the area’s character.

“My family has owned property at 29 Depot Avenue since the early 1970s,” he said. “I have several 200-year-old buildings on that land. I really have a personal love for that whole area, Depot Avenue and Highfield Drive. I advocate for stewardship of that area [and] frankly I just think it is one of the most historically significant areas of this town, being all Beebe and Swift land.”

The Falmouth Station and the surrounding 3.9 acres are not in the historic district but are bordered by it on two sides. While the historical commission has no say over the usage of that parcel, chairman Edward Haddad said that he did remind the EDIC that it should be mindful of the historic significance of the property and its surroundings.

Read More

The Falmouth EDIC on Tuesday, January 18, presented three conceptual plans for the revitalization of the Falmouth Station property as part of the final stages of the Master Plan Study sponsored by MassDevelopment.

The three concept plans represent three options for the property—open space, single building workforce housing, and multi-building workforce housing—and come as the culmination of the five-month study done with MassDevelopment and other consultants. The concept plans were presented by consultants from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), and DREAM Collaborative, which are civil engineering and architectural companies, respectively.

The Master Plan Study—which began in September with a site visit and the review of previous studies and proposed developments for the area—included a stakeholders meeting. The meeting occurred in two sessions—one in-person and one virtual—and provided the consultants with information that VHB partner Ken Schwartz said was used in the development of the three concept plans.

Read More

The Falmouth EDIC has reached a lease renewal agreement with chef John Marcellino, owner of The Station Grill on Depot Avenue.

EDIC executive director Wayne Lingafelter said the lease for the establishment has been renewed through the end of December 2023 as of last week, putting an end to any qualms over the potential loss of a restaurant so loved by the community.

“I think the reason we got the extension is because of the people of Falmouth, the visitors, and the summer residents that spoke up on our behalf,” Mr. Marcellino said in a phone call. “I feel that the EDIC is meeting me halfway in trying to solve this problem [and] I think that the two-year extension is a beginning.”

The issue first arose in September, when the EDIC discussed a potential request for proposals for the property as required by Massachusetts state procurement laws. A handful of residents, including Mr. Marcellino, attended the meeting to voice their support for The Station Grill. The discussion of lease renewal was the subject of numerous executive sessions for the EDIC board, but the resolution is one that Mr. Lingafelter thinks will please the eatery’s supporters.

Read More

The Falmouth EDIC December monthly meeting on Tuesday, December 14, was largely dominated by talk of budget, the technology park, and Falmouth Station as the board gets ready to begin a new fiscal year.

Executive director Wayne Lingafelter took to the lectern to present a short PowerPoint outlining the projected budget for the 2022 calendar year. Based on a select few budget assumptions and drivers, projected net income for the EDIC in 2022 is $88,296. Main sources of income include payments from the landfill solar array, retention of current tenancy at the Falmouth Station, and the projected sale of a parcel of land at Falmouth Technology Park. These, coupled with minimal projected expenditures and investments, would yield a projected base net income of over $240,000 before overhead and administrative costs are considered.

Read More

By Callie Remillard, Falmouth Enterprise

The EDIC is in good financial standing as the end of its fiscal year approaches next month and is looking to solidify its budget for 2022.

Income payments from the solar fields in town and the Plymouth and Brockton bus line, which lease part of Falmouth Station, have put the EDIC in a comfortable position financially, with a strong cash balance of $373,000, as reported by treasurer Kevin Holmes.

“I would say that utilizing and optimizing the income of the station will be helpful,” Mr. Holmes said. “I would say that we are still having a slight burn on cash, so that is something that we’re going to need to be mindful of going forward.”

Read More

The Falmouth EDIC will hold a stakeholder meeting on Wednesday, October 20, to discuss long-term planning goals for the Falmouth Station.

This meeting is the first in a multi-step process aimed at revitalizing not just the station itself, but the entire property. The project was made possible thanks to a $57,000 grant secured by the EDIC from Mass Development.

The meeting, which will include an in-person morning session and a virtual evening session, is intended to gather the input of those invited so that the EDIC and their consultants have some information to work off of before heading to a public meeting. Invitations were sent to about 80 neighbors and stakeholders who may have an interest in or idea for the project.

“We’re going into this with an open mind,” said EDIC executive director Wayne Lingafelter. “We’re doing this master planning brainstorming session with the community to gather the input around what might be able to be developed on that site. We’d like to do something there that supports the community’s interests and needs.”

Read More

The Falmouth Economic Development and Industrial Corporation put a special focus on diversity and inclusion at its monthly meeting on Tuesday, October 12.

It was also the final meeting for vice chairman Christopher Simmler.

“I have been proud to be part of the EDIC and the work we have accomplished,” Mr. Simmler said in an email to the Enterprise. “I think the EDIC is in a very favorable position with the town and I hope that partnership continues as there are many more opportunities the EDIC can take on in support of Falmouth’s growth.”

With the departure of Mr. Simmler, the EDIC now has two vacancies on its board. The composition of the board of directors must meet certain criteria, with at least one member having experience in each of the following areas: industrial development, finance, real estate, municipal government, and a representative of low-income people. The other two spots can be anyone with either a combination of those skills or a new skill set entirely.

Board member Michael Galasso asked if the board is looking for someone with affordable housing experience, but executive director Wayne Lingafelter said the EDIC could benefit from moving in a different direction.

Read More