The Yarmouth Select Board, the Open Space and Community Preservation Committees, and the Department of Public Works are backing the proposed Chase Brook Park Project, an environmentally focused initiative with an estimated cost of up to $1.64 million. Yarmouth voters will have the opportunity to vote on the project at a town meeting scheduled for Apr. 29th.
Karen Greene, the director of Community Development for the town of Yarmouth, said that the idea to transform the site of the former Rascal’s nightclub into a nature park dates back 28 years. The property, located on Route 28, was acquired through a Massachusetts program called the Land Bank, which focused on land acquisition. Another parcel along Route 28, the 1750 House, was used as a boarding house.
The vision for Chase Brook Park truly began to take shape in 2017 when the Yankee Village Motel property came up for sale. Greene said, “We’d always thought, ‘How can we link the two other pocket parks?’ We were so excited when Yankee Village came on the market because it will join the two parcels and allow us to fulfill this master plan concept.”
Greene said she hopes that Chase Brook Park will offer both residents and visitors a peaceful spot along Yarmouth's busy corridor, where they can stop, enjoy nature, and take in the view of the water—something that was once visible from the three former properties near Lewis Bay.
Brittany DiRienzo, the Conservation Administrator, added that the park also aims to improve the community’s water quality. Removing the impervious surfaces from the former Yankee Village Motel property will make it easier to add native vegetation. The plan includes planting a variety of shrubs and perennials that will help build a better vegetative buffer around local water resources. Another key part of the project is managing invasive species, which will help improve the habitat for local wildlife.
Right now, the park reflects Cape Cod’s winter landscape. It consists of three parcels, two smaller pocket parks with picnic tables and two viewing platforms, while the middle parcel is vacant and filled with wood chips and invasive plants. DiRienzo said she’s excited about the transformation, adding, “There’s going to be a beautiful mix” of plants. Plans call for adding gray birch along the shoreline, and a variety of native shrubs, such as sweet pepperbush, bayberry, and butterfly milkweed.
Chase Brook Park is also part of a larger “undevelopment” plan. The project began in 1997, when Rascal’s nightclub burned down, marking the start of efforts to transform the area. The goal has been to remove the impervious surfaces, which contributed to water runoff that flows into Mill Creek Estuary off Lewis Bay. Nathan Whetten, Senior Project Manager with the Yarmouth Department of Public Works, explained that stormwater from these surfaces would carry nitrogen and contaminants into the water, which can be harmful without treatment. This project has a solution.
Whetten explained, “Stormwater is one of the problems that towns like ours face. The nature-based park solution will use the root system of plants that are adapted to the Cape Cod area to help clean the groundwater as it flows through the area.” This stormwater treatment plan, combined with the town’s wastewater program (which focuses on collecting wastewater rather than relying on septic systems), aims to make a significant positive impact on the local water system.
In terms of long-term care, the park will be designed with low maintenance in mind. Whetten joked, “It’s not a no-maintenance park, it’s a low-maintenance park.” There won’t be lawns to mow or water regularly. Instead, the maintenance will focus on selectively removing invasive species and occasional trimming.
The project is being funded through various sources, including the Community Preservation Committee and funds from the Yankee Village Acquisition. The Southeast New England Program Watershed Implementation Grant (SWIG) has contributed the largest portion of the funding, providing nearly $434,000. Additional funding for the project will be sought at the upcoming town meeting in April.
