HDC approves solar panels on 54 Main Street with condition to shift array away from Orange Street

The Nantucket Historic District Commission voted Jan. 28 to approve a proposal to install roof-mounted solar panels on the rear roof plane of 54 Main Street, a building the applicant described as obscured from public views by mature trees and a high black roof. The board required the array be shifted as far to the right (away from Orange Street) as feasible on the roof plane to minimize visibility from the public way.

Applicant Tobias presented photographs and said the roof is black and the proposal locates the panels on an easterly plane “away from Ocean Path.” Preservation planner Holly told commissioners she would prefer a mock-up or fewer panels on the south plane if the board was not comfortable with visibility. Neighbors asked the applicant to maximize setback from the Orange Street elevation; commissioners agreed shifting the array a foot or more to the right would reduce visibility. One neighbor’s representative urged locating the panels as far to the right as possible and recommended cobbling in mechanicals when possible.

The commission’s motion approved the installation with a single condition: move the panels as far to the right as is practicable on the nominated roof plane to minimize visibility toward Orange Street. Commissioners voted unanimously in favor. Staff will require final as-built drawings showing the shifted array prior to issuing a certificate of appropriateness.

The decision reflects the HDC’s standard practice of preferring solar installations on rear or less-visible roof planes and of favoring darker roofs and reduced visibility where panels are visible from public ways. The applicant agreed to revise placement and provide final documentation required for HDC staff sign-off.