Nantucket Town Government Roundup, April 24 - May 14

With Town Meeting complete and Nantucket’s local elections right around the corner, this edition of the Current’s government roundup features more parking issues at the Select Board and some new affordable housing on the island.

• Parking continues to be an issue for the Select Board. After some discussion, the Select Board opted to cap two Nantucket Historical Association fundraisers slated for the Eleanor Ham Pony Field at 10 Mill Street at 250 attendees over parking concerns. The Nantucket Historical Association had initially asked to host 350 attendees at one event and 320 at the other, but Select Board members worried that guests would flood the area with cars and impose an undue burden on the area’s residents. The Select Board then approved a third request from the Nantucket Historical Association to host 300 guests at the Oldest House, but not before some discussion. That vote was 2-1, with Tom Dixon dissenting.
• At another meeting the following week, the Select Board formally decided to introduce greater flexibility into a policy that has traditionally allowed homeowners to remove one on-street parking space in front of their house if they construct a driveway that creates multiple private parking spaces. The Select Board has hesitated to follow this policy at recent meetings, unsure that cutting public parking to create a greater amount of private parking is a good trade for the town in certain parts of the island. During the discussion, Select Board vice chair Matt Fee spoke against the proliferation of cars, especially large vehicles, in downtown Nantucket, and the common practice of parking on and blocking sidewalks in the area. Select Board member Brooke Mohr suggested the possibility of a parking workshop.

• The Planning Board approved four Habitat for Humanity homes with two bedrooms each at 20 Nancy Ann Lane and five Housing Nantucket apartments at 73 and 75B Old South Road.

And here are the stories we have covered in full over the last three weeks:

• Town Meeting was held on Monday and Tuesday, and the Current was on site with live updates. Voters approved many capital projects, including $137 million for Our Island Home, $26 million for renovations to the public schools’ athletic complexes, and $44.8 million to sewer the Somerset area. But they rejected a $5.4 million plan for the next phase of renovations at the LORAN Barracks, and a plan to expand the controversial Sconset Bluff geotube erosion control project. The Current took a deeper look at what those overrides could mean for your tax bill, and whether the Select Board should increase the residential tax exemption. Town Meeting also approved a major raise for the Select Board.
• Nantucket’s local elections may be getting a little more competitive. This year’s elections will be held on Tuesday. The Current has published statements from the candidates for Select Board, Planning Board, School Committee, and Land Bank. This article explains how write-in campaigns work.
• Three candidates are vying for the Planning Board seat vacated by John Kitchener.
• Nine neighbors are suing to reverse a Housing Appeals Committee decision that approved the controversial Surfside Crossing development off South Shore Road over the objection of Nantucket’s Zoning Board of Appeals.
• Six applicants are applying for two seats on the Board of Health, amid controversy over how the Board has handled the issue of artificial turf.
• The Select Board voted 4-1 to uphold a Historic District Commission decision ordering the owners of a Surfside property on Nonantum Avenue to remove previously installed deer grates and relocate a deer fence, though an attorney for the homeowner suggested that the case would be appealed again, landing the matter in court.
• The town is seeking public comment on a brief summary of Vineyard Wind’s debris/infrastructure failure incident response plan.
• The Select Board handed out a number of liquor and entertainment licenses, including to a rebranded Fairgrounds restaurant.
• A new study from the UMass Donahue Institute, commissioned in part by the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission, estimates that a fee on high-value real estate transactions to fund affordable and attainable housing initiatives could generate more than $3.8 million annually on Nantucket.
• Mark Poor has resigned from the Zoning Board of Appeals.