Aspirational Statement

Nantucket is a diverse community with a broad spectrum of economic circumstances and has housing stock that meets the range of needs. Year-round housing is achievable for those who work on the island, especially municipal employees. Our seasonal workforce is able to find safe and secure housing. The various tiers of affordable and attainable housing make year-round living comfortable, stable, and inclusive.

Since 2019, the Town’s Housing Department, through the Affordable Housing Trust, has worked to achieve Safe Harbor status limiting the number of 40B projects that can be built on island while also creating housing projects and programs to provide safe housing for all residents.

Sixty-seven million ($151 million) in funding approved through Town Meeting and Town Elections since 2019 has enabled the purchase of vacant land, existing housing units, and construction subsidies to encourage affordable and attainable housing. The Affordable Housing Trust has acquired vacant properties on Orange Street, Bartlett Road, Parker Lane, and Fairgrounds Road to build housing units. Some are already under construction and others are well along in the planning phase.

Nantucket has also played a leading role in advancing a home rule petition at the state level for a real estate transfer fee that would provide a steady stream of income for housing projects by a proposed .5% fee added to sale of a home on the amount over $2 million.

Goals

1. Prioritize the housing needs of the Town and school employees, including unit development, maintenance, and management.
2. Evaluate the potential for a coordinated housing effort for public employees across municipal operations.
3. Explore incentives to encourage year-round rentals.
4. Achieve and maintain Safe Harbor status under Chapter 40B to maintain local control over affordable and attainable housing initiatives.
5. Promote affordable and attainable homeownership opportunities for the year-round community through various approaches, which will meet housing needs at all income levels and lessen the burdens of government.

Activities That Have Been Completed or Operationalized

Over the last five years, considerable progress has been made to achieve the goals in the Housing focus area. A selection of completed activities or operationalized programs include:

• More than tripled the Town’s official Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) to 497 units in 2026
• Receiving certification for the Town’s Housing Production Plan from the Department of Housing and Community Development in 2021
• Achieving and extending Safe Harbor status through December 2027, based on having deployed a portion of the resources approved by Annual Town Meetings (ATM) for affordability buy-downs, SHI-inclusion, and accelerated production
• Surveying Town employees on the topic of housing in 2022, which revealed that 50% of survey respondents were housing cost burdened, and half of that group is extremely housing cost burdened
• Purchasing land at 135 and 137 Orange Street and 12 and 12R Bartlett Road to support creation of up to 36 affordable housing units, which will contribute to Safe Harbor status
• Researching community land trusts, which are proven models utilized across the country that may aid the Town in achieving its housing goals.
• Approval of a permanent $6.5 million override at 2023 ATM and Annual Election
• Collaborating with Nantucket Land Bank to reuse existing homes to create new homeownership opportunities for year-round community members.