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Nantucket’s Planning Department outlines services, staffing and role in town master plan
Summary
Leslie Snell, the town’s planning director, summarized the Planning and Land Use Services (PLUS) department’s structure, core services (permitting, code enforcement, applications processing), interboard support, and its role in updating the town master plan under Massachusetts law.
Leslie Snell, director of planning for the Town of Nantucket and executive director of the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission, gave an overview of the town’s Planning and Land Use Services department in a Government 101 presentation.
Snell said the PLUS department ‘‘has over 20 full time employees and was established in 2012’’ and that staff work from an office at 2 Beargrounds Road. She introduced Deputy Director Megan Trudell and said the two together oversee three divisions: Land use and regulatory; Regional focus; and Safety and code compliance.
The Land use and regulatory division provides staff support for planning, zoning, architectural review and historic preservation, Snell said, while the regional focus team handles energy and transportation initiatives. The safety and code compliance division oversees building, mechanical, plumbing, gas, wiring and zoning codes and supports inspectors who perform site reviews and compliance checks.
"Our department provides a wide range of services including reviewing and issuing building, plumbing, and electrical permits and enforcing codes when needed, processing applications and providing staff recommendations for boards and commissions," Snell said. She noted residents can access forms, fee schedules and GIS maps on the department website.
Snell described daily operations that support those services: PLUS staff respond to walk-ins, phone calls and emails; intake applications; enter permits into the electronic system; process public notices; file documents with the town clerk; and provide support to inspectors and land use specialists.
She also highlighted routine administrative work that keeps the department functioning: maintaining permanent records, compiling meeting agendas and packets, taking minutes, assembling reports and managing public records requests.
On longer-term work, Snell said PLUS supports updates to the town’s master plan "which serves as the roadmap for the long term physical development of the island as required by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, Section 81D." That role includes preparing staff recommendations and coordination with boards such as the Nantucket Planning and Economic Development Commission, the Historic District Commission, the Nantucket Historical Commission, the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The presentation closed with Snell thanking viewers for watching the Town’s Government 101 series. The overview is intended to clarify how residents interact with PLUS for permits, code compliance and planning inquiries.
