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Popular Cape ice cream shop could be torn down if condos approved
Sundae School in Harwich is a favorite among Boston.com readers and just re-opened for the season.
The Harwich location of Sundae School, a beloved ice cream shop on the Cape, could be torn down to make way for a condominium development — and some Bay Staters aren’t happy.
Plans to build the 28-unit structure were filed earlier this year by the new owners of both the Sundae School in Harwich and Dennis Port, Rob DeMarco and Mike Kelley. As part of their job at Campanelli Development, they pitched Harwich’s planning board a two-to-three-story structure of condos for sale that would include underground parking.
But it would mean razing the current structure, Sundae School, which has been in business for decades. It’s also a favorite Cape ice cream spot for Boston.com readers.
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The proposal said the owners would seek to relocate Sundae School.
Ice cream
When DeMarco, Kelley, and Michelle White purchased both Sundae School locations in 2023, they told the Cape Cod Times they didn’t want the iconic ice cream shops to change. They also worked at the ice cream shop when they were teenagers, and had been interested in purchasing the shop for years before they finally put pen to paper.
It isn’t immediately clear what’s since changed, but the proposal mentions the decision for condos came after “subsidizing the operations” at the Harwich Sundae School location. The proposal also noted benefits of the new project, including much-needed additional housing, more money in taxes paid to the city, and traffic reduction during peak summer months.
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But not everyone is on board to see a 1,800 square-foot ice cream parlor become a three-story condominium complex.
A public hearing was held May 13, according to the town’s website. The email input posted by the Planning Board showed mostly opposition to the project.
“Like many residents in our community, we are shocked by the scale and the character of what is being proposed. This project, as described, is utterly out of step with Harwich Port’s identity, values, and vision,” wrote Joseph and Sharon Daley.
Some of the opposition were also skeptical of the traffic assessment done by the developer, while others shared how much summers at Sundae School meant to them over the years.
The few emails received and posted publicly that were in favor of the project noted the Cape’s dire need for more housing.
The Planning Board said another meeting for public comment will be held June 10. The project has not been approved yet, but the developer is currently seeking a review special permit and multifamily use permit, as well as waivers mostly for parking spaces, from the Planning Board.
The Harwich location of Sundae School reopened for the season on Saturday, and the Dennis Port location opened a week earlier.
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