Historic-preservation guidance aims to make Nantucket buildings more flood-resilient while protecting character

Holly Backus, Preservation Planner for the Town of Nantucket, told the Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee on May 27 that the town’s Resilient Nantucket design guidelines and toolkit translate federal guidance into island-specific recommendations so property owners and regulators can adapt historic buildings to rising seas without needlessly erasing character.

Why it matters: the entire island sits inside the local historic-district jurisdiction and a large share of structures were judged contributing through a period of significance extended to 1975; Backus said that requires balancing flood adaptation and preservation.

Backus described how the guidelines were developed from National Park Service and FEMA guidance and from local work under the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program. She said the Historic District Commission adopted Resilient Nantucket after multiple public meetings in June 2021 and that the documents are now available on the town website as both an illustrated design guidance manual and a property-owner toolkit.

“we are 1 of the largest historic districts in the…