Applicants, commissioners split over gable vs. shed roof at 808 Somerset; board orders site view

The Nantucket Historic Commission on Tuesday held an application for 808 Somerset for further review after commissioners debated replacing a low shed roof with a projecting gable and adding a small front porch and bathroom.

The applicant described the work as “turning a low shed into a small gable to create headroom for a bathroom,” and said the project otherwise keeps the existing footprint. Commissioners questioned whether a lower shed roof would better match the house’s existing eaves and proportions.

The applicant’s representative noted the owner, Marty McGowan, has already planted hollies around the property and asked the commission to avoid conditions that would require evergreen pines; McGowan’s plants were presented as screening that reduces the project’s visibility. Fire officials asked for a 3-foot access along one side of the building; the applicant said that requirement influenced how many panels on a nearby fence could remain. Commissioners said they wanted a site visit so members could see the existing eave heights and the landscape screening before deciding.

The commission voted to hold the application for a view and return it for review at the next meeting. No design changes were approved at this hearing.

The decision to view was unanimous among the commissioners present. The board asked the applicant to supply any missing exhibit drawings called out in staff email correspondence and to coordinate the site visit with staff.