Nantucket reaches 8% of state SHI as town seeks deed‑restriction proposals; legislators press transfer‑fee option
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Summary
The Affordable Housing Trust opened a year‑round deed‑restriction pilot and announced Tacoma Green’s 64 units have been added to the state Subsidized Housing Inventory (bringing Nantucket to 8%). State Sen. Julian Cyr and Rep. Thomas Mokeley updated the board on housing legislation, including a transfer‑fee/home‑rule strategy.
The Nantucket Select Board heard an update Thursday that the town has reached 8% of the state’s 10% Subsidized Housing Inventory (SHI) target after the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities added 64 rental units at Tacoma Green to the SHI list.
Dylan Metchimpel, the town’s deputy housing director, told the board the Affordable Housing Trust is seeking proposals for a year‑round deed‑restriction pilot to preserve housing for residents who live and work on Nantucket. Questions are due Jan. 9, 2026; applications are due Jan. 28, 2026; awards are expected Feb. 27, 2026, and guidance is posted on the Housing Trust’s web page, Metchimpel said.
Metchimpel said the town applied for an additional safe‑harbor extension with EOHLC through Dec. 10, 2027; the extension would allow continued local control over Chapter 40B developments while the town adds SHI‑eligible units. He said Nantucket had about 150 SHI units in 2019 (≈2.5%) and now lists roughly 497 units and is “energized” to reach the 10% threshold.
State Sen. Julian Cyr and Rep. Thomas Mokeley joined the virtual meeting to brief the board on several bills that affect Nantucket. Cyr, who chairs the Senate housing committee, described ongoing work on a broad housing package and noted the inspector general’s report on the Steamship Authority, calling it a “cascade of failures” that will require accountability and possible governance reform. He said a term‑limits bill is one option under consideration.
Mokeley described progress on Nantucket’s home‑rule petitions: two passed the House (a charter amendment to make the town charter gender‑neutral and a conveyance of School Street to the county), and other petitions are progressing in committees. Both legislators said they are pursuing a luxury real‑estate transfer fee (often framed as a tool for seasonal communities) and working with committee chairs to find a legislative vehicle if politically feasible.
Why it matters: SHI increases provide access to state tools and funding and can change the town’s planning priorities. Legislators’ attention to transfer fees and seasonal‑community provisions could create new local revenue options for housing programs but must pass multiple committee hurdles at the State House.
What’s next: The Housing Trust will accept proposals for the deed‑restriction pilot; staff await the EOHLC decision on safe harbor extension and will continue to coordinate with the legislative delegation on home‑rule petitions and revenue tools.
