The Harbor Plan Update Committee on Thursday reviewed a near-final draft of an updated harbor plan that the group spent about two and a half years preparing and invited public comment before sending a municipal draft to the select board and then to the state for approval.
"We've been working on this, I don't know, over 2 years now? 2 and a half," said Linda Williams, chair of the Harbor Plan Update Committee, as the meeting opened. Committee members and consultants summarized the plan's goals—water quality, natural resources, public access, commercial and recreational fishing, commercial waterfronts, boating and navigation, coastal resilience and administration and coordination—and asked the public to submit detailed comments before the comment period ends on August 31.
The plan, a 131-page draft prepared with consultants from the Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston and technical support from the Woods Hole Group and Coastal Zone Management, would replace the town's 2009 plan and aims to be state-approved to increase weight in state licensing and permitting decisions.
"What we're here to do tonight isn't to necessarily go through the harbor plan page by page," Jeff Carlson, director of the Natural Resources Department, told attendees, urging oral and written public input and noting that the committee will refine the draft before formal municipal and state hearings.
Nut graf: The draft consolidates two years of committee work into measurable objectives and recommendations, but residents and boaters at the meeting pressed for clearer commitments on enforcement, funding and practical access measures—particularly for older and mobility-impaired residents—and for continued protection and monitoring of eelgrass and other natural resources.
Key points and next steps
- Process and status: Kim Starbuck of the Urban Harbors Institute and committee members said the draft will be revised after the public comment period, go to the select board for municipal approval and then be submitted for state approval. The committee expects the plan to guide Chapter 91 licensing and state permitting reviews once adopted.
- Public comment period: The committee announced that the comment period for the draft is open through August 31 and encouraged written comments or use of the town's Google form and the committee’s subsequent public meetings.
- Implementation emphasis: Consultants and committee members stressed implementation. "We don't want it sitting on the shelves," said Kristen Utterwick of the Urban Harbors Institute; the plan recommends forming an implementation committee to assign responsible parties and track progress.
Substantive issues raised by speakers
- Water quality and contaminants: The draft emphasizes water-quality monitoring, stormwater management, and strengthening enforcement and education. Emily (committee member) noted recommendations to assess new and emerging contaminants, and proponents urged expanding monitoring and funding for water-quality work.
- Fertilizer and runoff: The plan recommends strengthening the town's fertilizer licensing program and increasing outreach. Several speakers, including Dave Franzero (committee member), said enforcement and public education are necessary to change property-owner practices that contribute to nutrient runoff.
- Eelgrass and natural resources: The draft calls for an eelgrass management plan and invasive species monitoring. Kim Starbuck noted that an eelgrass management plan was completed in June and is referenced in the harbor update.
- Boating, carrying capacity and pump-outs: The plan recommends evaluating harbor carrying capacity and improving small-boat access. Committee members and commenters discussed continuing the town's pump-out program and a dye-tablet practice used by visiting boaters; one committee member reported the town handled about 130,000 gallons of sewage from pump-out operations last year and noted Nantucket is in a federal no-discharge zone.
- Public access and elder/mobility access: Multiple residents urged the plan and its implementation to focus on practical access for older and mobility-impaired residents. Campbell Sutton and others asked for movable or powered seating, dock handrails, ramps and other measures so older residents can reach boats and shorelines. Committee members said access would be refined during implementation and flagged as an action item for the harbor-plan implementation committee.
- Historic-preservation concerns: A member of the Historic District Commission requested formal stakeholder inclusion and review of potential impacts to historic structures from adaptation measures. Committee members said staff had reached out to relevant town offices and that the HDC could provide formal comments.
- Funding and staffing: Multiple speakers and staff stressed that recommendations will require additional staffing and funding—especially for Natural Resources and the marine department—to support monitoring, enforcement, outreach and implementation. Jeff Carlson said many recommendations will require increased town capacity and community buy-in to succeed.
Public engagement and outreach findings
- The committee reported more than 500 responses to a 2023 public survey and noted a well-attended public meeting at the Nantucket Hotel that brought boaters, residents and fishermen to the table. The draft expanded the 2009 planning area to include primary coastal flood zones to address resiliency and sea-level-rise concerns.
Decisions and formal actions at the meeting
- The committee approved the meeting agenda by motion and voice vote. There were no legislative votes on the plan itself; the committee will take additional meetings to revise the draft and will schedule a municipal public hearing before the select board ahead of state submission.
Quotes (attributed to speakers listed in the meeting roster)
- "We've been working on this, I don't know, over 2 years now? 2 and a half," Linda Williams, chair of the Harbor Plan Update Committee.
- "What we're here to do tonight isn't to necessarily go through the harbor plan page by page," Jeff Carlson, director of the Natural Resources Department.
- "This is an update to the 2009 plan," Kim Starbuck, Urban Harbors Institute, UMass Boston.
- "This plan will be adopted, by the state just like the 02/1991," Dave Franzero, committee member (on the effect of state approval on permitting and review).
- "It'll be a bit of a cultural shift...Until the people that live here and our residents and visitors want to accept and participate in those programs, they will never be successful," Jeff Carlson (on education and enforcement).
Meeting outcome and follow-up
The committee closed public comment and adjourned by voice vote. The draft will be revised in light of comments, the committee will schedule additional meetings and pursue municipal and then state approval. The committee and consultants flagged implementation, staffing, funding and targeted outreach—including elder-access measures, continued eelgrass management and increased water-quality monitoring—as priorities for the implementation committee that will follow adoption.
Ending: The committee asked residents who want to be kept informed to sign the meeting sign-in sheet, use the town website and the Google form for comments through August 31, or contact Natural Resources staff for follow-up; the town will post the meeting recording on the town YouTube channel for those who missed it.