Nantucket prioritizes coastal resiliency projects; debris removal from bluffs poses permitting and logistics challenges

Nantucket — Town staff on July 12 told the Advisory Committee of Nonvoting Taxpayers that coastal resiliency is a high-priority, multi-year program involving substantial design, permitting and funding needs, and that removing storm-deposited debris from eroding bluffs is technically and logistically difficult. Libby Gibson summarized the town’s coastal-resiliency plan, saying it contains projects spread over 25 years and worth “hundreds of millions of dollars.” She identified near-term focal areas as the Washington Street corridor and downtown flood barrier, Ames Ave in Madaket and Tom Nevers Park, and said the town is pursuing design and permitting for debris removal and erosion-control work. Gibson explained that debris on Tom Nevers and other bluffs can be extensive and not easily removed: getting necessary heavy equipment to the site is difficult; once crews start removal they must complete it; and multiple permits are required. “It takes a long time. And we have an associated erosion control planning with the debris removal,” she said. Why it matters: coastal resiliency projects address chronic flooding and long-term sea-level rise risks in critical downtown and neighborhood corridors. Permitting, equipment access and multiagency approvals can slow design and construction schedules and drive costs. Supporting details: Gibson said the town is prioritizing Washington Street corridor work for near-term design and that funds for design and permitting are in process. She noted coastal projects will likely be financed over many years and that immediate tasks include up-front design, permitting and site access planning. Quotes from the meeting: “We have a coastal resiliency plan with hundreds of millions of dollars of projects in it that span... over 25 years,” Gibson said. On debris she said, “You need permits to remove it all. So we have some funds to do design and permitting, which is underway. It takes a long time.” Ending: The town plans phased design and permitting work; committee members asked for updates as projects progress through design and funding stages.