 Jobs/Whitings Neighborhood
The
Master Plan for the Jobs/Whitings neighborhood calls for the creation
of a predominately residential
neighborhood
directly adjacent
to and an integral part of the Mashpee Commons ‘downtown’.
From a planning and design standpoint, we have sought to provide
a neighborhood of varying housing types and styles. We have created
a plan that incorporates all aspects of ‘smart growth’ principles
expanding upon that which we have incorporated to date in the Mashpee
Commons master plan. We have provided for a number of different types
of housing ranging from single family houses, to traditional townhouses
(zero lot line), multifamily (apartment) units and live/work units
where residential units are provided over first floor retail/office
space as well as a significant commitment to the provision of affordable
housing.
 The plan is established upon a grid of residential scale streets
with on-street parking. Virtually every residence is designed to
abut either formal (town greens, play areas, etc.) or informal (undisturbed)
open space.. Our plan insures that the affordable housing units are
interspersed throughout all areas of the residential neighborhood
and that these units are designed in the same manner as the market
rate units such that the exterior of the unit is not discernable
in any way from the market rate units. We have designated on our
plan specific lots on various blocks within the neighborhood where
the affordable housing units would be built (see Affordable Unit
Plan). On site parking and garages are placed to the rear of the
parcel and are accessed by a lane thereby preserving the character
of the residential street. All utilities are placed underground within
the lanes thereby preserving the visual character of the residential
street and avoiding any conflicts with streetscape and landscaping.
The entire neighborhood will be connected to the existing Mashpee
Commons wastewater treatment plant which removes the vast amount
of Nitrogen from the effluent. More than 17 acres, or almost 30%
of the total project site, will be set aside as open space. Every
house will be within a short walk to the existing Mashpee Commons
downtown providing access to entertainment, restaurants, over 65
stores, post office, banks, food stores, pharmacies, etc. as well
as many municipal buildings, including the Town Library, Police and
Fire Departments, Senior Citizen Center and The Boys and Girls Club
and Schools. This neighborhood, as is true of all of the Mashpee
Commons neighborhoods, is currently serviced by the Regional Transit
Authority.
The Architecture
 Cape Cod has a strong tradition of crafting homes and buildings of
a style that has come to be known as New England vernacular architecture.
By incorporating Cape Cod’s traditional details, materials
and forms we are confident that the buildings throughout the Jobs/Whitings
neighborhoods will create a pleasant, walkable neighborhood that
is reflective of traditional Cape towns. At the same time, the
Jobs/Whitings buildings will contribute to the tradition of quality
shops, apartments and buildings that currently exist in downtown
Mashpee.
The character of the Jobs/Whitings neighborhood depends
largely upon the quality of its buildings. Building a traditional
town requires
an understanding of the norms of traditional building design. The
typical New England house is simple while not necessarily plain
or severe. It is rectangular in plan, with balanced facades and straightforward
room arrangements. A traditional New England house is quickly recognizable
and understandable. New
England homes are constructed of familiar, simple building
materials. They are assembled in a straightforward
manner with as much an eye
to protecting the structure from New England’s ever changing
weather as to the beauty of proportion, massing, and details.
On
Cape Cod all of the traditional styles comprising New England
vernacular architecture are represented in historic buildings.
Georgian, Federal and Greek Revival examples are particularly
prominent. However,
the Cape has its own vernacular, the Cape house, that coexists
with these traditional styles within the region in a very compatible
manner.
Through careful documentation of these existing architectural
patterns on Cape Cod as well as other small towns and villages
in New England
we have created homes and mixed use buildings throughout the
Jobs/Whitings neighborhood that accurately reflect unique architecture
of the
region.
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