Mashpee Commons in Mashpee, Massachusetts, is getting

Mashpee Commons in Mashpee, Massachusetts, is getting close to completing three live-work units – the first of 30 to 35 that will be built, according to Doug Storrs of Cornish Associates, the developer. The 2,100 sq. ft., two-story shopfront houses are similar in form to live-work units built in many new urban developments. However, instead of the developer selling them off as fee-simple properties, Cornish will retain ownership and lease them, Storr told New Urban News. For regulatory reasons — Storrs explains that the zoning calls for 40,000 sq. ft. lots — Cornish has retained ownership of the entire town center, which has been under construction for 18 years. An opportunity may arise eventually to subdivide and sell the live-work units, he explains. However, Mashpee’s new live-work units prove that fee-simple lots are not necessary for this building type. The physical form is more critical than how the land is divided, Storrs maintains. In the meantime, retaining ownership allows Cornish Associates more control over who occupies the units. Rather than leasing the first-floor commercial and second-floor apartments separately — which happens with many individually owned live-works — Storrs intends to lease both floors of each unit to the same party. “I feel it is important to start off with the people living above where they work,” he says. “We want people who are living downtown to be vested in downtown.” The strong demand for the units allows the developer to be choosy. Also close to completion in Mashpee Commons is a new building with three first-floor retail tenants, including Pottery Barn, and 24 apartments above on two floors. The completion of these projects will bring the number of apartments in the town center to 40, Storrs says.