Help Shape Nantucket's Housing Future

To the editor: Housing affects nearly every aspect of life on Nantucket—from our workforce and local businesses to ourschools, healthcare system, public safety, and the ability of families to remain part of this community. As the Town updates its five-year Housing Production Plan, we are asking residents and visitors to help shape the future of housing on Nantucket.

A Housing Production Plan (HPP) is a state-recognized strategic planning document that assesses a community's current and future housing needs and establishes a roadmap for how those needs can be addressed over the next five years. Rather than focusing on a single project or neighborhood, the plan takes a comprehensive look at housing across the island and identifies priorities, policies, and locations for future housing efforts.

The Town's current Housing Production Plan is nearing the end of its five-year term, making this the right time to evaluate our progress, identify what has changed, and establish new priorities for the years ahead. Since the last plan was adopted, Nantucket has experienced significant changes in housing costs, workforce needs, state housing policy, and local housing development. Updating the plan ensures our strategies reflect today's realities and tomorrow's challenges.

Equally important, the Housing Production Plan is one of the best opportunities for community members to influence housing policy before specific projects are proposed. Too often, public conversation begins only after a development application is filed. The HPP allows residents to help answer the bigger questions first:

• What types of housing are most needed?

• What are the Town’s most significant needs?

• Where should future housing opportunities be explored?

• What values or principles should guide housing decisions over the next five years?

Your input will help inform the goals, recommendations, and implementation strategies that guide the Town's housing efforts. Whether you have lived on Nantucket your entire life, recently moved here, rent, own, work seasonally, or operate a business, your perspective is important.

We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to complete the Housing Production Plan survey and share your thoughts: https://nantucket-ma.gov/housi...

The more voices we hear, the stronger and more representative this plan will be. Housing affects our entire community, and this is your opportunity to help shape Nantucket's housing future before decisions are made.

Thank you for taking the time to participate.

Kristie Ferrantella 
Housing Director, Town of Nantucket