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Commission grants Land Bank waivers for ADA boardwalk, dock and demolition at 16 & 19 East Creek
Summary
The Nantucket Conservation Commission granted waivers and approved an order allowing the Nantucket Islands Land Bank to demolish an existing dwelling, build an ADA boardwalk, rebuild a dock and install a scenic overlook at 16 and 19 East Creek, with conditions including erosion controls, a revised planting plan, annual monitoring and explicit public access terms.
At its April 2 meeting the Nantucket Conservation Commission voted unanimously to grant waivers and approve an order for the Nantucket Islands Land Bank to remove an existing dwelling at 16 and 19 East Creek and construct an ADA-compliant boardwalk leading to a rebuilt dock and scenic overlook.
Liz Phelps represented the Land Bank and said Rachel Freeman, the Land Bank executive director, and engineers from PAR Corporation were present. Phelps noted the project had been presented at a prior hearing and that commissioners had conducted a site visit on March 31. The application included demolition, construction of an ADA boardwalk and pier, parking reconfiguration and vegetation management within coastal storm flowage, coastal bank, land under the ocean, salt marsh, and their buffer zones.
Adrien Lennon (PAR Corporation) described the alternatives the design team evaluated: attempting to land the boardwalk closer to the seaward side would have required a significant amount of fill into the coastal bank to meet ADA grades, which would increase impacts. Moving the boardwalk upslope, nearer the parking lot, avoided fill, maintained ADA-compliant grades, and reduced impacts. Lennon said the design maintains sea-level-rise–resilient elevations while providing ADA access.
Commissioners asked for specific protective conditions. They asked for a planting schedule and methodology for the revised boardwalk area (staff noted the original plans included a planting schedule on plan sheets L601 and L602), required a complete erosion- and sediment-control plan prior to construction, debris-sweep responsibilities during construction, annual monitoring reports with photographs, and an explicit order condition that the boardwalk and pier be open for public recreation including boating uses. Staff read the project-specific waiver citations and stated the commission finds the project will provide a significant public benefit while minimizing adverse impacts.
The commission moved to approve the order as amended with the additional erosion-control, planting and public-access conditions and voted by roll call to grant the order and waivers unanimously. Staff will require submittal of the erosion-control plan, an updated planting schedule for the revised work area, and the monitoring reports described in the order before construction begins.
