A 156-UNIT 40B development has been proposed for a high-density, high-traffic area of the island. Even by 40B standards, the Nantucket Board of Selectmen  have deemed this project too aggressive. Fighting this development is not just for the neighborhood, it’s for all islanders and visitors concerned about fairness, the environment, traffic, and the continued destruction of the island’s open spaces. It is a fight for the character of the island.

THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING argument is a ruse.  Although 40B legislation was originally meant to facilitate home ownership for low-income individuals and families, Nantucket's uniquely high-demand market has led to using the 40B as a cynical land-grab.  The Surfside Crossing developers have proposed a development with an estimated direct* profit of over $24 million. (*They are not required to list indirect profits in their application.) ANYONE who lives in Massachusetts is free to enter the lottery for the “affordable” units. This is not a solution to Nantucket’s housing crisis.

 We have started this GoFundMe campaign to help pay for the legal work needed to fight back!

Our first step has been to hire a lawyer to research and compose a letter to Mass Housing on our behalf.  Although Mass Housing may approve the 40B application, our legal engagement is a critical step in the process of halting or downsizing this project. We are setting the stage for future litigation, and need to have our legal arguments in place if and when the project goes before the Nantucket Zoning Board of Appeals. Our next steps will have to include further representation. 

We NEED YOUR HELP to do it!

Please DONATE what you can, and SHARE this campaign.

Donations may be made anonymously and EVERY contribution helps!

THANK YOU!

Our COMMUNITY CONCERNS, and the reasons WE NEED TO FIGHT THIS, include:

TRAFFIC -   This complex adds 300+ vehicles which dump out directly onto South Shore Road as the only means of egress, adding to an already congested and dangerous intersection. The intersection of South Shore Road and Surfside Road directly impacts the intersections at the high school, as well as Fairgrounds and Old South Road, and provides the most direct access to Nantucket’s most popular beaches: Surfside, Fisherman's and Nobadeer.

PARKING - The current plan does not allow for a reasonable number of parking spaces per unit. 

EMERGENCY RESPONSE ISSUES – South Shore Road is a dead end with no cut-throughs or other means of egress for all of the residents of the road, including Sherburne Commons. The current plan does not allow for proper turning radiuses for emergency vehicles. 

SEWER & WATER – According to the Town of Nantucket, the current pumping and piping system down South Shore Road cannot handle the added capacity. Existing sewer infrastructure is inadequate to serve a project of this magnitude. In addition, the water infrastructure capacity may not be able to serve this development.

NOISE POLLUTION – This complex will take at least FIVE YEARS to build, with the attendant disruptions to South Shore Road and beyond.

WATER POLLUTION  - With almost no green space,  how will the impervious surfaces  (parking, sidewalks, roofs, roads)  impact the groundwater and the aquifer which many local homes rely on? This is a wellhead protection area.

LIGHT POLLUTION  - The plans call for streetlights throughout the complex (goodbye, Nantucket night sky),  and local residents will get to experience the headlights of an additional 300+ cars on South Shore Road.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES – The immediate vicinity contains significant Wampanoag activity, including a burial ground and artifacts. It is also home to several protected species.

UNDUE BURDEN or “disparate impact” – We agree with the Nantucket Board of Selectmen that “the density of this project would overcrowd and overwhelm the property and the neighborhood.”  Of Nantucket’s thirteen affordable (and high-density) developments, TEN of them are within a one-mile radius of the Surfside and South Shore Road intersection. Ever wonder why there are no 40Bs in Wauwinet?  No high-density developments that override all local zoning in Sconset? One of the reasons is that the people in those neighborhoods can afford whatever legal fees are needed. This proposed 40B is in a working-class, year-round community, where we need to come together to fight it.

Please help us protect our community!
Please donate what you can!
Thank you!


Who we are: We are a group of  concerned year-round and seasonal residents from all parts of the island standing up for responsible development and responsible leadership from our town officials.

What the funds are for: We have hired a lawyer to represent us.  As  mentioned above, one of the reasons that this development  has been proposed for a working class, year-round neighborhood is because it is so expensive to fight it! Every dollar we raise will be put towards legal fees and outreach. I will withdraw the funds in my name (Joan Alison Stockman) and deposit them in the Nantucket Tipping Point bank account set up for this purpose.