Planning Board Approves Seven New Apartments On Old South Road

The Planning Board voted 4-0 on Monday to approve seven apartments at 27 Old South Road after the applicant agreed to a series of conditions, including permanent year-round occupancy restrictions on all seven dwellings. Developer Dreamline Modular, run by managing partners Kris Megna and Doug Carlson, could have built five units on the property by right, but agreed to the Planning Board’s recommendations to secure a special permit for the final two buildings.

“It’s very rare that someone takes us so seriously when it comes to solving our affordable housing issues on the island, and I just thank you, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for being so helpful in this,” Planning Board member John Kitchener said.

When the development was initially brought before the Planning Board in May, only two units had year-round restrictions. But Megna and Carlson agreed to restrict the remaining units, and also altered their plans to expand the drainage system, increase green space, improve the sidewalk, and pave Rupert’s Way.

“We appreciate you reorganizing everything to give a little more green space and to make it more livable. We truly appreciate you deed restricting year-round,” Planning Board chair David Iverson said. “It's difficult for us to approve something like this on Old South Road, but I think that with the community good it will provide, it makes our job a little easier.”

The seven units have a combined 20 bedrooms, and the development also includes 22 parking spaces. Several neighbors, including former Planning Board alternate Campbell Sutton, voiced concerns about parking and traffic at the hearing.

“If we keep adding housing to Old South Road, we're just compounding the problems that we already have,” Sutton said. “It's nothing against the project, it just really needs to be thought out in terms of future use and how it could contribute to less vehicular traffic and not more.”

Iverson agreed that traffic is a concern in the area, but said that the year-round occupancy restrictions were worth the cost of the two additional units.

“Those two extra units [are] not going to be the end of the world for Old South Road. Unfortunately, we have to make a trade-off somewhere,” Iverson said. “When they agreed to restrict all the units to year-round housing, that provides a community benefit that justifies the two extra units.”

Ultimately, the board voted 4-0 to support the project, with new member Hillary Hedges Rayport recused as she had not been on the board for the initial application in May.

At the hearing, Megna expressed his desire to contribute to the Nantucket community and use the development to benefit the island. “I like to think that we're doing everything that we possibly could on this project,” he said.