Nantucket Town Government Roundup, Oct. 17 - 30

This government roundup includes new information on a number of subdivisions before the Planning Board and variances for summer camps.

• Nantucket’s Natural Resources Department received a $299,572 grant from the state’s Coastal Resilience Grant Program for the Surfside Wastewater Treatment Facility Dune Restoration Conceptual Design and Long-Term Planning project.
• After facing strong opposition against a proposed subdivision off of Old South Road that would have turned 11 Pinecrest Drive into eight buildable lots and an unbuildable road, local physical therapist Joe Manning came back to the Planning Board with a plan for a five-lot subdivision, which was provisionally advanced pending further plans, though Manning intends to apply for a rear-lot subdivision before actually constructing anything. He may need to agree to conditions limiting the number of buildings he can construct or requiring them to be occupied year-round for that plan to gain support. Manning’s application was the first in a series of extremely similar subdivision applications that went before the Planning Board Monday, all of which drew some controversy. Ultimately, most were advanced, but one proposed subdivision at 25 Fairgrounds Road was continued at the applicant’s request after it seemed likely the application would fail over concerns about frontage. Tension over proposed subdivisions that require variances, often advanced by the Planning Board with the understanding that they will later be conditioned to mitigate the consequences for the neighborhood and support year-round housing, appears to be building.
• The Planning Board also approved local orthopedic surgeon Rocco Monto’s medical practice at 1 Cherry Street after rejecting a previous application for an office in Naushop.
• The Town of Nantucket responded to a Current report and a public comment made at a recent Select Board meeting about the conditions of the LORAN station, used as seasonal housing for community service officers, downplaying the severity of the situation. Some of the Town’s claims seem at odds with the evidence the Current has reviewed.
• The Board of Health granted variances to a series of water-related camps Thursday without much controversy, broadly allowing them to continue their usual operations next summer.
• This coming Tuesday is Special Town Meeting, with the stage set for a showdown between two dueling short-term rental proposals. Several local boards met with town moderator Sarah Alger this week to prepare for the meeting, which will take place at Nantucket High School.