Overview
Public funding has been a cornerstone of Cape Cod land preservation. In November 1998, voters across all 15 Barnstable County towns ratified the landmark Cape Cod Land Bank Act, approving a 3% property tax surcharge dedicated to open space acquisition. By 2007, most Cape towns transitioned from the Land Bank into the Community Preservation Act (CPA) to access state matching funds and expand funding to historic preservation and affordable housing.
To document this transformative period, The Compact of Cape Cod Conservation Trusts, Inc. conducted comprehensive original research—funded by a grant from the Cape Cod Five Cents Savings Bank Charitable Foundation—releasing its findings on August 6, 2008, at its 22nd annual meeting. Today, The Compact uses this expertise to help local land trusts and town committees navigate CPA funding, state grants, and strategic land acquisition.
Cape Cod Land Bank Era Performance Summary (1998–2007)
Key Capital & Acreage Metrics
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Total Transactions Completed: 233 separate land transactions negotiated across Barnstable County.
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Total Acreage Preserved: 4,450 acres secured for public open space.
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Gross Acquisition Investment: $213,600,000 total capital invested.
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Net Local Taxpayer Cost: $145,500,000 (after leveraging outside grants, subsidies, and private donations).
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Gross Cost Efficiency: $48,000 per acre average gross cost (compared to vacant residential house lots selling for over $250,000 during the same era).
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Electoral Mandate: Ratified countywide by an overall 58% voter majority in November 1998.
Core Achievements & Primary Benefits
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Institutionalization of Municipal Open Space: Land acquisition transitioned from episodic, reactive responses to development threats into a standard municipal operating procedure. Open Space Committees became permanent municipal bodies operating from a position of financial strength.
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Dedicated Off-Budget Funding: Land purchases no longer competed directly against general municipal operating budgets or facility repairs.
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Institutional Town-Land Trust Collaboration: Approximately 40% of all 233 Land Bank deals involved direct support from local non-profit land trusts. Trusts assisted with deal negotiation, grant writing, private fundraising, voter education, baseline stewardship, and drafting Conservation Restrictions (CRs). (For example, The 300 Committee in Falmouth was essentially deputized by the Town to execute its Land Bank program).
Issues & Future Challenges Identified by The Compact
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Deed & Legal Recording Anomalies: Compact research revealed inconsistencies in deed records across towns. Less than 20% of purchases had permanent restrictions recorded alongside the deeds, and some deeds lacked attached Town Meeting votes or state grant indexes.
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Land-Use Substitution Risks: Deeds citing general "Land Bank purposes" rather than explicit "conservation use" allow future municipal administrations to convert natural forest land into ballfields, community gardens, or clear-cut vistas. (Provincetown was the sole municipality that recorded stand-alone Conservation Restrictions over 100% of its Land Bank properties).
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Maintaining Conservation Momentum Under CPA: The shift to CPA in 2006/2007 divided surcharge revenues among multiple local needs. The Compact emphasizes maintaining the open space funding intensity established during the Land Bank era to meet regional goals (such as the Regional Policy Plan target of preserving 1 acre for every new acre developed).
Town-by-Town Land Bank Summaries & Resources
The original study published complete town-by-town PDF and data summaries for all 15 Barnstable County municipalities:
| Cape Cod Natural History Conference | View Document | |
| Cape-Wide Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Town by Town Land Bank Tally | Excel (.xls) | View Document |
| Barnstable Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Bourne Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Brewster Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Chatham Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Dennis Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Eastham Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Falmouth Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Harwich Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Mashpee Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Orleans Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Provincetown Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Sandwich Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Truro Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Wellfleet Land Bank Summary | View Document | |
| Yarmouth Land Bank Summary | View Document |
Technical CPA & Grant Guidance Services
The Compact provides ongoing technical advisory services to maximize open space funding across Cape Cod:
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Leveraging State Subsidies (LAND Grants): Guiding towns to apply for state LAND grants (formerly State Self Help), which cover up to 52% of purchase price or $500,000. Over $7.3 million in state grant funding supplemented the Land Bank era (led by Wellfleet, which secured nearly $1.5 million in state funds toward $4.5 million in acquisitions).
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Multi-Source Acquisition Packages: Structuring joint financing packages that blend local municipal CPA allocations, state LAND grants, private donor contributions, and bridge loans from the Thomsen Land Fund.
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Permanent Protection Standards: Ensuring CPA-funded open space transactions include permanent, legally binding Conservation Restrictions (CRs).