Select Board Clarifies Position On Requests To Eliminate Public Parking Spaces

A long-simmering debate about how to handle requests to eliminate public parking spaces on Nantucket came to a head at last Wednesday’s Select Board meeting, with the board voting to revise an informal policy that has traditionally allowed homeowners to eliminate an on-street parking space if they create at least two spaces of private parking in a new driveway. The board clarified that each application will now be reviewed individually and approval should no longer be expected by default.

“The message that I’m getting, from the majority of the board anyway, is that it shouldn’t be a given. The guidance shouldn’t be there that it’s a given,” Select Board chair Dawn Hill said. “I think it has to be more reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”

In recent months, the Select Board has worried that the policy is slowly eroding downtown parking by converting public spaces into private spaces, even if the overall amount of parking increases.

Ultimately, the Select Board opted to retain the policy not to consider applications that replace one public space with one private space and cautioned that even applications that increase parking may be denied. They are also considering a change that would block people who are permitted to remove on-street parking for a driveway from receiving on-street parking permits.

“The pressure on in-town subdivisions and the situations that we’ve been seeing makes me more uncomfortable removing publicly available parking spaces,” Select Board vice chair Brooke Mohr said. “The practice has been that a two-for-one thing was generally approved, but I'm beyond that. I think we need to look at it case-by-case and the specific locations and the impact to the immediate neighborhood one at a time.”

The policy first came under scrutiny last December, when the Select Board voted to remove seven spots downtown but continued discussions on other spots and asked for a more detailed review of the policy. That request was reiterated in April. The Select Board then discussed parking repeatedly throughout the summer. On Wednesday, the board finally addressed the policy.

After discussing the policy last Wednesday, the Select Board immediately faced its first tests in the form of traffic safety recommendations seeking the removal of several parking spaces.

Ultimately, the Select Board rejected an application to cut parking on 10 York Street. The board did, however, approve a request for a curb cut at 17A New Street; the creation of two accessible parking spaces on New Street; and the elimination of parking on the side of Delaney Road, in front of 28 Shell Street, and on Pleasant Street between Williams Lane and Commons Lane. Another application to eliminate parking on 13 West Chester Street was continued to give Select Board member Bob DeCosta a chance to view the location.

The Select Board also scheduled a public hearing on increasing parking tickets downtown from $25 to $50, and a pilot project to make Amelia Drive one-way.

On several applications, Select Board members criticized applicants for constructing their driveways first and asking for Select Board approval to remove on-street parking later.

“What really bugs me is people who go ahead and build it before they have permission,” Mohr said.