Island Businesses Vie For Land Bank's Surplus Housing

Three island businesses are vying for houses that are being declared surplus by the Land Bank this week, and all three are eying the potential to create more staff housing for their employees.

The two structures that are up for grabs - a main house and a cottage - are located at the Land Bank’s property at 113 Madaket Road, which it acquired back in December 2009. The Land Bank put out a request to the community earlier this year seeking proposals to relocate and reuse the structures.

“That way less goes to the landfill, it saves us the expense of demolition, and hopefully they get repurposed for affordable and/or workforce housing,” said Land Bank executive director Jesse Bell. “A win-win-win.”

In another demonstration of the depth of Nantucket’s affordable housing crisis, three businesses answered the call and submitted proposals to acquire one or both of the structures to help their employees find housing.

They are: B-ACK Yard BBQ / Charlie Noble (Fred Bisaillon and Denise Corson); Lemon Press / Darya’s Salon (Michael and Darya Gault); and dentist Jessica Torre.

The Land Bank Commission will evaluate each of the proposals and grant the housing award during its meeting on Tuesday.

Michael and Darya Gault submitted a proposal to acquire both the main house and cottage from 113 Madaket Road, which they would move to a lot they own on Forrest Avenue.

“It is simply outrageous to rent on Nantucket,” the Gaults wrote in their proposal. “Not only is our work force affected by this issue, but employers are forced to make large financial sacrifices that sometimes can be crippling to small business owners. In February 2022, we purchased a piece of land and have been optimistic about an opportunity like this. We are big advocates of the sustainability factor of moving homes and we have the manpower and experience to put these buildings back together successfully. Once the houses are finished, I intend to fill both dwellings with year round staff. This will allow us to keep Lemon Press open year-round.”

Bisaillon and Corson hope to acquire the main house only and move it to their own property on Surfside Road where it would be used by their employees.

“They have been trying to find suitable housing for a young family with a toddler and a dog,” Bisaillon and Corson wrote in their proposal to the Land Bank. “We would love to help them and keep them here on island by providing them with a home.”

Torre, the owner of a dental practice on Old South Road, hopes to acquire the cottage from 113 Madaket Road and move it to her own property on Miacomet Avenue to house one of her employees.

“They are looking to expand their family and would be a perfect fit for this size home,” Torre wrote to the Land Bank. “They would also be interested in the purchase if it were to be made a part of the Covenant program in the future.”

The Land Bank asked those submitting proposals to identify the address of the potential destination, whether they own the property, a detailed plan and timeline for moving the structure(s) and the anticipated uses of the buildings to help the commission determine who is ultimately awarded the houses.

"we said the plan should provide enough information to give the Land Bank confidence that the proposer is organized and has done their diligence as far as the steps required to complete the work," Bell said. "Ultimately there will be an agreement that holds them to a timeline and insurance requirements, etcetera.”

The property at 113 Madaket Road is located at the southern edge of Maxcy Pond, and was purchased by the Land Bank for $2 million in 2009 from Greg Keltz. The terms of the Land Bank’s acquisition of the property stipulated that Keltz would retain the use of the property for 12 years - a term which just expired in December 2021.

“My understanding is that this parcel was the historical access to the pond,” Bell said.

The removal of the two structures, she added, will allow for the access point to be restored, and removal of the septic systems to benefit the health of the pond, which was recently stocked with trout by the Angler’s Club.