At its Oct. 28 meeting, the Nantucket Historic District Commission approved a group of related design applications for the 10 Marble Way subdivision and took final or conditional action on a number of other items, while holding three larger projects for further revisions and additional documentation.

The commission approved the Lot 1 garage ADU, the Lot 1 duplex behind it, the Lot 2 single‑family dwelling, Lot 2 garage/ADU and the Lot 2 cottage in a single package after discussing site plan context, garage orientation and vegetative screening. The board debated two design options for the Lot 1 garage ADU — garage doors facing the street versus doors on the rear — and a majority favored the option that placed the garage doors toward the street because it allowed the structure to sit farther back from the road. Commissioners also noted the garage height shown in plans is 25 feet 8 inches and asked that landscape screening be used to soften views along Marble Way. The Lot 2 cottage and other Lot 2 structures were approved with one explicit condition: a deciduous columnar tree (or equivalent) planted at the front corner to help visually break up the alleyways created by shared driveways and improve streetscape rhythm.

On smaller residential items, the HDC approved a solar‑panel plan for 8 Isabella on the condition that the panels visible on the front/east roof plane be removed. The board accepted site photographs and testimony that most panels were on rear roof planes and concluded that removing the front panels would meet the commission’s visibility standard for the private drive.

The commission also approved a permit for a permanent pad‑mounted generator at 14 Eel Point Road, a replacement for an existing trailer‑mounted temporary unit, and conditioned the approval on retaining the existing vegetative screening that conceals the generator from nearby public viewpoints.

An enforcement‑adjacent matter drew significant attention: three as‑built arbors and a Belgian‑block perimeter installed at 32 Hulbert without HDC review. The Historic Structures Advisory Group and multiple commissioners described the installed elements as out of character with the street and walked the board through the visual concerns. Rather than immediate denial, the commission voted to take the item up at the start of its Nov. 18 meeting so members can view the site once leaves are down; the owner was told removing the visible arbor before that meeting would be appropriate.

The board approved a path forward for a deteriorated accessory garage at 25 Prospect Street, asking that the structure be moved off the lot if feasible; a co‑located shed (a newer accessory structure) was cleared for demolition or removal depending on further evaluation. The Historic Structures advisory group recommended moving rather than demolishing the older building where feasible.

Three larger and more visually sensitive proposals were held for revisions and more information. The HDC held the proposed new dwelling at 16 Squam Road for revisions addressing ridgeline visibility and massing; commissioners noted the site’s steep grade and the parcel’s clearing limits and asked the applicant to reduce perceived prominence from the roadway. An Underhill Cottage renovation on Centrally Street — which would have moved and added to a historic Underhill Cottage — was held so the applicant can resubmit plans with a reduced and more subordinate addition, lower plate heights where feasible and clarified preservation treatment for original openings and features. The commission likewise held a proposed new hotel building at 30 North Beach for additional street‑section renderings, campus‑level context and more refined streetscape images before it will consider final approval.

At the end of the meeting the HDC approved a new single‑family house at 34 A Wall Street on the condition the applicant lower the overall building height by one foot (to be documented on revised drawings), and approved a six‑foot cedar privacy fence on 3 Kings Way with a required set‑back shown on an Exhibit A plan so the fence does not run all the way to the public way.

Chair and commissioners emphasized a recurring theme through the long agenda: the importance of keeping additions subordinate to historic structures, using vegetation to mitigate visibility when possible, and providing clear streetscape context for larger projects. Several approvals carried conditions the commission said are intended to preserve long‑term streetscape character or to require follow‑up information when a change in scale could affect nearby views.

The commission set multiple items for further review and scheduled a site view on several contentious matters. The meeting adjourned after the board completed the agenda.