Planning Board Smiles On Sketch Plans For Elder Housing On Woodland Drive

The Planning Board responded favorably to sketch plans for an eight-building elder housing development at 13 Woodland Drive on Thursday, potentially clearing the way for the end of a lengthy debate over the future of the property.

“I think this will be really beneficial, and I think it could work really well,” Planning Board member Joe Topham said.

The sketch plans, while not final, call for eight two-bedroom elder housing units to be constructed on a single lot. The plan meets setback and ground cover standards, but will eventually require a special permit for density, which the Planning Board seems inclined to grant.

“I think it's a great idea,” Planning Board chair Dave Iverson said. “I think you're on to something.”

Planning Board members suggested that they support the concept on Thursday, pointing to the value it could bring not only to the elders moving into the units but to younger islanders looking to buy homes for their families.

“This is going to be really, really beneficial to a lot of people on the island that will be clamouring to be a part of this,” Planning Board member John Kitchener said. “They may have homes that are a little bigger, that may find their way back on the market for people that need that.”

Stephen Maury, who owns 13 and 13A Woodland Drive, has been trying to develop the properties for well over a year without success. At the 2024 Special Town Meeting, Maury pushed a proposal that would have seen the properties turned into 40 attainable housing units, restricted to year-round occupancy and offered first to essential workers.

But the Select Board, Finance Committee, Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission, and Planning Board all objected, raising concerns about the increased density, and Maury was unable to secure the votes necessary to rezone the property to allow for the development. Neighbors also raised concerns about traffic and the impact on the area’s infrastructure.

Another, less expansive proposal failed at the 2025 Annual Town Meeting.

Now, Maury is taking a different approach, and it looks to be gaining more support.

Woodland Drive is located off Skyline Drive and backs up to the Richmond Great Point subdivision off Old South Road. Thirteen and 13A Woodland Drive were sold to Maury for $3 million in May 2024 by the estate of Walter Glowacki to Woodland Limited Partnership. The two properties are a combined 4.8 acres of land.