Hyannis Harbor Plan

The Hyannis Harbor planning initiative, ‘Gateway Hyannis’ was conceived by the Town of Barnstable Growth Management Department to look at two interrelated development issues along the Hyannis waterfront: 1) the lack of available land for development that can enhance the waterfront as a destination and 2) the dominance of surface parking lots servicing the ferries to Nantucket. Offshoots, in partnership with Utile, Inc. and the consultant team, looked at the broader interrelationship between vehicular access to the Hyannis waterfront by visitors, the brand of Hyannis as a destination, and a range of new economic activities that would complement the existing mix of retail, visitor destinations, and services. Two primary recommendations emerged during the planning process. The first was a plan to consolidate waterfront service parking lots, specifically those owned and operated by the Steamship Authority, into nearby parking structures—to open up the land for more sustainable and brand-enhancing waterfront uses. The second was to improve the experience of visitors arriving to the village by car. This would be accomplished by focusing appropriate development and public improvements at the gateways to Hyannis Harbor­—to improve the character of the village—and by reorganizing the one-way/two-way pattern to make access to waterfront destinations more direct and memorable.