Town staff outline phased plan to build municipal employee housing on Waite Drive; committee urges smaller, concrete first‑phase ask

The housing department presented a phased plan on Nov. 6 to develop municipal employee housing on town‑owned parcels on Waite Drive, recommending the Capital Committee back a targeted first‑phase appropriation to engage an owner’s project manager (OPM), complete site design and obtain construction bids before the May town meeting.

Christie Ferantella, the town’s housing specialist, told the committee Nantucket faces acute year‑round housing pressure: median home prices are about $3.5 million and median monthly rent is about $3,000 while median family income is roughly $160,000. A municipal employee survey indicated 52% of respondents said their housing was tied to their ability to work for the town and two‑thirds expected to lose their housing within three years.

Ferantella described the Waite Drive site as three contiguous lots (with an option to reconfigure into five lots) adjacent to recent Habitat for Humanity construction and a municipal dorm. The concept she showed, prepared by Griffin Architects, would allow two structures per reconfigured lot (duplexes or small single‑family homes and accessory units). Her recommended approach is to fund one lot in year‑one, procure an OPM using funds already appropriated (from a 2022 appropriation), and have competitive bids in hand prior to the May town meeting so voters would see a hard price for the proof‑of‑concept build.

Staff said the town currently manages about 43 housing units for municipal employees (25 of which are leased from private homeowners) and maintains a wait list of roughly 40–45 employees seeking year‑round housing. Housing staff highlighted challenges with the current scattered‑site, privately leased model: renewals are subject to landlords’ decisions and rent increases, pet policies frequently exclude staff, and operations/repairs are more complex when units are not standardized.

Committee members pressed on cost, scale and strategy. Members recalled last year’s broader $14 million ask, which drew criticism for lacking precise bid estimates. In response, staff said the narrower first‑phase approach should produce a single, defensible price for May. Committee members recommended pairing the technical work with a communications plan and with trusted community speakers at town meeting, and suggested creating a modest borrowing authority (a small “pot” of money) so the town could quickly buy suitable houses if they come on the market.

Staff also discussed funding options and the new “seasonal communities” state statute. Ferantella said the seasonal‑communities tool could allow higher AMI limits (up to 250% of AMI in some interpretations) and give the town more financing flexibility for municipal employee housing, but that implementing guidelines and administrative rules were still being finalized statewide. The Affordable Housing Trust remains restricted by deed‑restriction and lottery rules that would generally prevent the trust from reserving units solely for municipal employees.

Key numbers discussed: - Municipal employee survey: 52% of responding employees say housing is tied to ability to work for the town; two‑thirds expect to lose housing in three years. - Town‑managed inventory: ~43 units (25 leased from private homeowners); wait list ~40–45 employees. - Prior conceptual ask: $14,000,000 (previous year’s approach; staff now propose smaller first phase). - Staff estimate for how the Waite Drive build affects need: the initial phase would provide 2 units (one reconfigured lot); full reconfiguration could yield multiple lots with 5–7 bedrooms per lot across phases. Staff estimated the program would address 25–35 bedrooms over time.

Why it matters: staff said securing stable, year‑round housing for essential town and school employees — public safety, public works, teachers and other critical services — supports recruitment and retention and directly affects the town’s ability to deliver services.

Follow‑up items and next steps: staff will work with the communications team to prepare outreach (graphics, FAQs, information sessions) ahead of the May warrant, use the 2022 appropriation to hire an OPM and produce bids for a single lot, and continue to explore seasonal‑communities tools and coordination with Housing Nantucket, Habitat for Humanity and the school district.

Provenance: Waite Drive housing presentation began at 00:19:51 of the transcript and continued through roughly 01:29:46.