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Commission approves minor revisions to paired Cato Lane dwellings; commissioners warn about driveway siting
Summary
The HDC approved architectural revisions to 10 and 8 Cato Lane — including flipped mudroom, revised dormers, and altered trim — but commissioners cautioned about future hardscape and scoop‑out driveways, urging further review if the applicant returns with landscaping/hardscape plans.
The Nantucket Historic District Commission approved minor architectural revisions Sept. 16 to two new dwellings at 10 and 8 Cato Lane, after reviewing changes intended to differentiate the paired houses and to respond to earlier board feedback.
Architect Jerry Darr described changes to 10 Cato Lane that included removing a proposed chimney, relocating a mudroom entrance forward, and reducing or changing some second‑floor window arrangements. The board approved those revisions by voice vote, with one commissioner recorded as opposed on a separate item (10 Kato had one dissent earlier on a related motion).
For 8 Cato Lane, the architects changed front dormers to gable dormers, reduced dormer count and window types (6 over 6), increased ridge hierarchy through a steeper primary slope, and adjusted trim color to provide visual differentiation from the neighboring house. Commissioners welcomed the moves to make the houses read differently from the street; several members still urged longer‑term attention to streetscape, number of dormers and massing.
Several commissioners also raised concerns about the proposed driveway configuration and potential “scoop‑out” parking that would create driveway cuts into the street; staff and the applicant noted the hardscape/landscape layouts would come on a separate submission. Commissioner Abby explicitly asked that any future hardscape proposals be sensitive to the rural streetscape character and recommended moving the primary house mass a few feet if a vehicle scoop‑out was proposed so that the parked car would not dominate the street edge.
The commission approved the architectural revisions for both houses as submitted but recorded that landscaping/hardscape will be reviewed separately and that prior approvals for the building placement could be revisited if hardscape changes materially alter the street appearance.
