Town and Land Bank Present Two Concepts to Reduce Flooding at Francis Street Beach

Town coastal resilience staff and land bank representatives presented two conceptual designs Jan. 17 to reduce flooding through Francis Street Beach that regularly reaches Washington Street, a major corridor between downtown and the harbor.

Leah Hill, the town’s coastal resilience coordinator and a project manager, told the Nantucket Historical Commission the project is “a collaboration with the town, the land bank, and [other partners]” and that “the main purpose of this project is to reduce flood risk on Washington Street.”

Nut graf: The work group overseeing the Francis Street Beach Improvement Project is considering two early alternatives — a “dune swoop” and a “beach overlook” — both of which would create an elevated dune system with an embedded flood wall and native plantings. The group plans to pick one alternative to advance to 30% design; that design will be…