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Airport staff outline housing strategy amid island affordability challenges; commission asks for bed‑mapping
Summary
Airport Manager Smith presented a housing production/strategy briefing citing extreme local housing costs and limited listings; commissioners debated stipends, rental guarantees, building vs. buying, and asked staff to perform bed‑mapping for full‑time and seasonal employees before the next meeting.
Airport Manager Smith presented a data‑driven housing strategy briefing to the commission on March 24, describing the scale of the local housing challenge for airport staff. Smith said the current average market home value on Nantucket is roughly $2,970,000, with a median listing price near $3.5 million and an estimated $1,750 per square foot. Active housing listings were cited at just 78 at the time of the review.
Smith compared utility and fuel costs (electricity roughly 18–21¢/kWh; gasoline and water estimates were also cited) and surveyed peer small/seasonal airports for potential solutions: stipends (Jackson Hole), dormitories or bunkhouses (Eagle County, Sun Valley, Telluride) and rental guarantees or P3 approaches. She presented sample new‑construction scenarios (2,400 and 3,600 sq ft multiunit models) and OPM‑sourced cost estimates for per‑bedroom and per‑square‑foot costs; she also reported employee survey results showing average employee rent near $2,500/month and seven immediate housing needs among staff (three with children).
Commissioners debated options. Commissioner Buscayran warned buying individual houses creates fairness problems and favored a stipend model. Commissioner Marks warned that public construction faces procurement and OPM cost inflation and suggested exploring private builds or rental agreements and P3 models to avoid a large municipal cost premium. Chair Arthur Gasparo and others emphasized that a mix of controlled airport‑owned units and stipends might be needed to balance recruitment and fairness while controlling costs.
Commissioners asked staff to perform a bed‑mapping exercise for the Thompson House, dormitory and crew quarters, report projected utilization for seasonal and full‑time staff, and return with recommendations at the next commission meeting. Manager Smith said the dormitory currently has seven empty rooms and one full‑time occupant and that a CO is expected in August; she committed to bed mapping and returning to the commission in two weeks for review.
