Opinion/Letters: Wind energy can help slow the impacts of climate change
We encourage Yarmouth residents to vote no on the proposed accessory Apartment zoning amendments (warrant Article 19) at the Nov. 7 special town meeting.
The purpose and intent to offer year-round, smaller rental housing to local workers and to assist seniors and family members are well stated but the reality and the details speak differently. The proposed amendments allow homeowners to construct accessory apartments, rent to anyone and set rental prices at any rate the market will bear.
Each homeowner who buys a single-family home relies on that zoning designation to ensure quiet use and protected value for single-family residential neighborhoods. The proposed amendments significantly alter current single-family zoning regulations for lots consisting of 10,000 square feet or more. The current required minimum 25,000 square foot lot for building new homes is ignored. The vast majority of neighborhoods would effectively be zoned multi-family. The change from single-family to multi-family use via these amendments would result in major alteration in the character of Yarmouth neighborhoods and the expected enjoyment of use that accompanies single-family neighborhoods. Homes are in effect converted to rental businesses resulting in increased density, more traffic, and multiple parked vehicles.
The proposed amendments do not limit the number of accessory apartments. This especially burdens neighborhoods with concentrated home lots and neighborhoods near Yarmouth’s recreational bodies of water
Warrant Article 19 may suggest solving a small fraction of our housing shortage. But voters should not allow these proposed amendments as presented to result in a larger problem.
Arthur and Judy Warren, West Yarmouth
Wind energy essential to reducing fossil fuel emissions
As a former resident of Barnstable for many years, it is with considerable interest I follow the ongoing debate about wind turbine cable landings in the town. The recent open meeting allowed many residents to voice their opinions. I don’t question the motivation of opponents, but I do question their priorities.
I’ve been a climate activist for more than twenty years, and I have followed the science closely; becoming very concerned, as a new grandmother around that time, and for the future of all children and grandchildren. I have watched as the climate has changed, dramatically, in that relatively short time frame. We live in one of the most vulnerable places on the East Coast, and we know storms are stronger, carry more rain, and sea level continues to rise more quickly than predicted. What is our responsibility to the generations who follow us?
We know the culprit is emissions, primarily from fossil fuels, which have caused heat-trapping gasses to accumulate and global temperatures to rise. Sea level rise is exacerbated by melting glaciers, threatening large areas of the globe. The answer seems clear — we have to significantly reduce our reliance on burning fossil fuels, and renewable energy is a proven way to do that. I read today, that we may have five years to reduce emissions. Does that make anyone rethink their priorities? The beaches and historic homes are threatened by worsening climate much more than by cable landings.
I sincerely hope that the town of Barnstable and Avangrid come to an agreement. We deny projects like these at our peril.
Sheila Place, Yarmouth Port
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Letters: Replace fossil fuel with wind energy to curb climate change,
