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Zoning board approves move of oceanfront house on Sheep Pond Road to counter erosion; requires parking shown on revised plan
Summary
The Zoning Board granted a variance Sept. 11 allowing a house at 6 Sheep Pond Road to be relocated landward to avoid an eroding shoreline; the decision requires the applicant to attach a revised plan showing two conforming parking spaces.
The Town of Nantucket Zoning Board of Appeals on Sept. 11 approved a variance to allow a dwelling at 6 Sheep Pond Road to be relocated forward on its lot to escape an eroding shoreline. The board’s decision follows an order of conditions from the Nantucket Conservation Commission and staff recommendation in favor of the move.
Surveyor Paul Santos presented the request for property owner Brendan Madigan, saying the house — originally built in 1983 and previously relocated in 2010 — would be moved about 65 feet landward to reduce risk from coastal bank erosion. Santos said the relocation would not enlarge the building’s footprint or add habitable area; instead the house would be sited to comply with current coastal‑bank protections while requiring relief from the front yard and a limited side‑yard encroachment only for an exterior condensing unit.
The plan approved by the board reflects changes negotiated with a neighbor that keep the main structure a full 15 feet from the side property line, with only the external AC unit inside the setback. Santos said the house will remain a similar foundation type (crawlspace or piles as appropriate) and that the Conservation Commission has issued an order of conditions.
Neighbors raised questions about parking and site access given recent storms and road adjustments in the Sheep Pond/Redbond area. Abutter Edmund Cienaba asked how tenants and visitors would park; Santos and town staff said the property will be accessed via a new town access road planned by the town and that the applicant will design the septic/tight tank to permit vehicles to park above it. In response to the neighbor’s concerns the board conditioned the variance on a revised plan showing two code‑compliant parking spaces; Santos agreed to append that plan to the decision.
Board members noted the application was similar to other coastal relocation requests permitted on Nantucket where structures are moved landward rather than expanded seaward. The motion to grant the variance and to attach the revised plan passed unanimously.
The applicant must file the revised plan showing two conforming parking spaces with the zoning office and then proceed with routine building‑permit and Board of Health approvals.
