The Nantucket Historic District Commission on Jan. 14 held an application for a new, single‑story main house, guest house, garage and pool at 3 Pops Lane and asked the applicant for substantial revisions after several abutters described the proposal as out of character for the small Pops Lane enclave.

Abutters and abutters’ representatives said the proposed assembly of low, connected masses would read as a single, long “wall of massing” when viewed from the creeks and public ways. Several speakers said the proposal’s length, high degree of glazing facing Millie’s Creek and a proposed two‑foot change in finished grade would make the new compound highly visible from small waterways and boat passages.

Mark Gatone, the applicant’s architect, said the design team reduced oversized windows, added muntins and broke the massing into smaller components. He also pointed to site context materials intended to show the proposal compared with neighbors. Critics said the revisions were insufficient: Linda (last name omitted in record) and other abutters urged a “substantial revision, if not total redesign,” citing height and length, the extent of glazing, skylights and grading.

The commission asked for a more robust submission before a decision. Members requested two cross sections that slice through the property from the road toward the water to show existing and proposed grade relationships; a roof/plan/site plan set that clearly reflects proposed contours and finished grades; and a clearer set of elevations that respond to massing comments (fewer continuous glass expanses facing the creek, simpler eave‑forward forms, and consideration of hips instead of some gables). HDC members also asked the applicant to show where the proposal would be visible from the water with photos or a site section and to reduce the apparent continuous glazing on creek‑facing elevations.

Motion and status: Commissioner Joe moved to hold the application for revisions and additional information; the motion carried unanimously. The record shows the commission and neighbors seeking changes to reduce perceived visual impact from the creeks and to clarify grading and drainage details.

Why it matters: The property is in Madaket’s creekside area; neighbors and the commission are emphasizing character, shoreline visibility and the effect of apparent massing in a narrow cluster of homes. The applicant will return with the requested site sections, revised roof and elevation drawings and clearer grading information.