HDC approves East Lincoln Avenue driveway revision, requires front planting exhibit

The Nantucket Historic District Commission narrowly approved revisions to a driveway on East Lincoln Avenue on Oct. 7, 2024, but required a planting/vegetation plan to screen the widened area in front of the property.

Commissioners split 3–2 on the application after a prolonged discussion about how the revised, wider driveway would appear from the street. Commissioner Val moved to approve the plan "as submitted subject to vegetation across the front of the property where the driveway is not, shown as Exhibit A." The motion passed with Commissioners Val, Joe and Connie voting yes and Commissioners Angus and Abby voting no.

Why it mattered: The proposal added a compact extra parking strip and widened an apron so the applicant could avoid on‑street parking. Commissioners who opposed said the wider pavement would be out of character and would remove space for vegetation; commissioners in favor said off‑street parking reduced street congestion and that careful planting could mitigate visual impacts.

What the commission required: The vote was conditional. The applicant must submit an Exhibit A — a planting plan that defines species, distances and placement of landscaping across the front of the lot — and the plan must be sufficient to screen and visually soften the widened driveway. The commission explicitly authorized an Exhibit A that staff can review; if the screening is inadequate commissioners asked that the full board be allowed to review any subsequent changes.

Next steps: Staff will circulate Exhibit A to commissioners for a limited (consent-level) review. HDC staff will inspect the installed planting after the work and verify that the planting shown in Exhibit A was installed.

Ending: The commission framed the decision as a compromise: allowing increased off‑street parking while protecting the public-facing character of the street through mandated vegetation.