Updates On Affordable And Attainable Housing Plans Provided For Three Projects

The Affordable Housing Trust received updates on a plan for attainable housing at 158 Madaket Road and a pair of Habitat for Humanity affordable housing projects on Tuesday.

The Trust authorized the purchase of 158 Madaket Road for attainable housing in January, setting aside $2 million for the vacant lot near the landfill. Three buildings previously located at 41 Jefferson Avenue, the record-breaking $26 million beachfront property the Land Bank purchased in November of 2024, have been relocated to the site and will be deed-restricted for year-round occupancy at an attainable cost.

The three homes are intended as homeownership opportunities for island residents who otherwise would struggle to afford to purchase a home on Nantucket.

SMRT, the architecture and engineering firm hired by the town to design the project, has now released a site design package for bid.

The move of the three buildings from 41 Jefferson Avenue to 158 Madaket Road is a notable partnership between the Affordable Housing Trust and the Land Bank. The latter organization paid for the move, allowing it to indirectly assist in the creation of attainable housing on island despite regulations preventing it from directly supporting such initiatives.

Habitat for Humanity also updated the Affordable Housing Trust on a pair of projects Tuesday. Phase two of Habitat’s Waitt Drive development is now complete, with final approval received for sewer connections. Closings are expected in August.

The largest project in Habitat’s history on Nantucket, the development provides affordable homeownership opportunities for six year-round families. It was completed ahead of schedule and under budget, a rare feat given the cost of construction on Nantucket.

“You’ve done a great job,” Affordable Housing Trust and Select Board member Brooke Mohr said. “I am in that neighborhood almost every day, whether it’s in my car or on my bike, and seeing the progress, and seeing the pavement go in and the cars in the driveway and kids on bikes, it’s great. It’s really good to see.”

Additionally, Habitat has acquired a lot at 20 Nancy Ann Lane, where it plans to build four more affordable homes. The Planning Board has already approved the project, which Habitat hopes to have complete by the end of 2027.