Naushop Neighborhood Revolts Over Dr. Rocco Monto's Proposed Practice Office

It’s rare that a relatively small office proposed in a commercial district on Nantucket sparks significant controversy, but that’s what happened at Monday’s Planning Board meeting when local orthopedic surgeon Rocco Monto suggested opening a practice on Goldfinch Drive in the Naushop neighborhood.

“This is about safety, congestion, and incremental costs on us,” Naushop Homeowners Association president Scott Wilson said. “The people of Naushop are almost universal in their opposition to this clinic.”

At the meeting, one abutter after another went to the mic to voice their concerns with Monto’s proposed practice. Opponents claimed it would significantly increase traffic, create dangerous conditions for children, and dramatically alter the character of what is now a quiet residential neighborhood.

“The streets in Naushop are very narrow, the sidewalks are narrow. Often you'll see people walking in the street, children playing in the street, people walking baby carriages in the street. It's just not compatible with an additional, I don't know, at least 50 additional car trips,” said attorney Sarah Alger, who was representing the homeowners association. “Honestly, I just don't think that given the neighborhood, and given the type of use that's proposed, and given the layout of this particular property, that this is going to be at all appropriate. And I'm very sorry to have to say that, but I think as hard as it is to find office space, I think this use should be looking somewhere else.”

Because the road is one-way, patients will have to drive through Naushop to reach the office. Additionally, some neighbors raised concerns about Monto’s proposed parking plan, critiquing both the number of spaces requested and their location, which allegedly relies on land that does not belong to him.

“The 14 spaces that are shown are not shown properly. They should not be there. They're on my space,” neighbor James Crowe said, referring to an easement he claims was granted to him.

In addition to the comments made during the meeting, the Planning Board received well over 100 pages of letters addressing the practice.

But from Monto’s perspective, it’s just an office in an area meant for business. While many of the neighbors are in a residential zone, Monto’s office would be in a commercial zone that straddles Old South Road.

“All I'm doing is running a small, low-volume office,” Monto said. "There's not going to be any surgery performed or any invasive procedures in this office. I will still be on staff at the hospital. All the procedures will be done there.”

Monto only plans to see a maximum of 20 patients a day, no more than one at a time.

Monto has been a surgeon at the Nantucket Cottage Hospital (NCH) for over 20 years, and has lived on Nantucket for the last 12. Now, he’s looking to move his practice out of NCH, and from his perspective, the Goldfinch Drive property makes sense, even considering the heavy traffic on Old South Road.

“He's a widely beloved and accepted member of the community,” said Monto’s attorney, Arthur Reade. “It's not easy finding a location that would be suitable for a medical practice, and we think that this is uniquely suitable for the purpose.”

Commercial space, of course, is at a premium on Nantucket, and it is never easy to find an office. If Monto is unable to open a clinic on Goldfinch Drive, his alternatives may not be much better.

While the practice does require a special permit as a medical office, an attorney for the property owner pointed out during Monday’s hearing that if the Planning Board opts to side with the abutters, the property owner can always turn around and rent the space to another, possibly more intensive office, without needing any special permits.

But the neighbors are willing to take their chances, given how disruptive and dangerous they believe Monto’s practice might be to the residents of Naushop.

What remained largely unspoken at the meeting Monday was the possibility that, if he is unable to relocate his practice on Nantucket, Monto might do what so many Nantucket doctors have done before him and leave the island altogether.

“I love Dr. Monto, and I'm very sorry that this isn't going to work,” Crowe said. “But I think this is the wrong space. And I would love to have him stay on-island, because I think he's a fantastic doctor.”

The hearing was continued until September, with Planning Board chair Dave Iverson urging Monto and the neighbors to hash out a compromise.

“If we deny this application…and the owner puts in a by-right business in there, it could have a higher level of traffic,” Iverson said. “You have no ability to regulate that in any way. But if you guys will sit through this process and work in good faith with the applicant, you will have the opportunity to get some meaningful regulations to address some of these problems. But if you don’t, and he puts a by-right business in there that has a much higher amount of come-and-go and traffic, we can’t help you. Nobody can help you.”