UMass Cape Cod

Cape Cod’s summers are legendary—beaches, lobster rolls, and bustling businesses welcoming millions of visitors. But behind the scenes, a housing crisis is threatening this vibrant seasonal economy. Seasonal workers, from college students to international J-1 visa holders, struggle to find affordable places to live as they compete with vacationers and short-term rentals commanding sky-high rates. The result? Businesses can’t hire enough staff, leading to shorter hours, frustrated customers, and lost revenue. Meanwhile, the off-season brings economic quiet, with many shops and restaurants shuttered until spring.

What if there was a way to tackle both the housing shortage and the off-season slump? I believe the answer lies in transforming Cape Cod Community College (CCCC) into UMass Cape Cod, complete with new dormitories to house seasonal workers in the summer and support a year-round student community to keep the economy humming in winter. Here’s how this bold idea could reshape Cape Cod’s future.

Cape Cod’s tourism industry employs 15,000–20,000 seasonal workers each summer, but affordable housing is nearly nonexistent. With median home prices hitting $730,000 and short-term rentals dominating the market, workers face impossible choices: pay exorbitant rents, live in overcrowded conditions, or skip Cape Cod altogether. This isn’t just a worker problem—it’s a business crisis. Restaurants are cutting menus, hotels are turning away guests, and shops are closing early because they can’t find staff.

The off-season brings another challenge: economic stagnation. Winter unemployment spikes as seasonal jobs vanish, leaving local businesses struggling to survive until the next tourist wave. Cape Cod needs a solution that addresses both the summer housing shortage and the winter economic lull.

Picture Cape Cod Community College rebranded and expanded as UMass Cape Cod, a dynamic University of Massachusetts campus with modern dormitories housing 500–1,000 people. This campus would transform the region in two powerful ways. During the summer, the dorms would offer affordable housing priced at $100–$150 per week for seasonal workers, including UMass students and international J-1/H-2B visa holders. Students from across the UMass system could live on campus while working at local restaurants, shops, or attractions, filling critical labor gaps.

This approach is proven: UMass Amherst houses over 14,000 students in 51 residence halls, showing it’s scalable. In the off-season, UMass Cape Cod would sustain a vibrant student community enrolled in programs like tourism management, marine biology, or environmental science. These students would spend money at local businesses, take part-time jobs, and join internships, injecting millions annually into the economy and counteracting the winter slowdown.