Zoning board presses Surfside Crossing applicant on secondary access, fire safety and stormwater risks

The Town of Nantucket Zoning Board of Appeals on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025 continued its review of Surfside Crossing LLC’s proposed Surfside Crossing 40B condominium project, pressing the applicant for clearer plans for emergency and secondary vehicle access, firefighting operations, pedestrian and school bus access, and stormwater protections.

The hearing brought several expert witnesses and detailed technical back-and-forth. Retired Deputy Fire Chief Robert Bates told the board the project “does not meet the requirements of a secondary access roadway” for large fire apparatus and cited National Fire Protection Association guidance on multiple access roads. Project engineer Don Bracken explained the current design includes a single 24-foot-wide two-way driveway for daily use and a separate emergency-access path surfaced with “reinforced turf,” which, Bracken said, “can hold an emergency vehicle.” Attorney Paul Haverty, representing the applicant, said the team will review the recorded conservation restriction held by Natural Heritage to determine whether a wider or additional access is possible and will report back to the board.

Why it matters: Board members, emergency responders and neighborhood speakers said the single regular driveway plus an emergency-only path could leave residents and firefighters at risk in a worst-case event. The site also lies in a municipal recharge area where speakers warned about contaminated runoff and PFAS risk if stormwater and fire-suppression water are not controlled.

Discussion highlights

- Emergency…