Community Housing Initiatives
“The housing crisis lies at the heart of most of Nantucket’s economic, social, and even environmental problems.” Comprehensive Community Plan, 2000 (Chapter 2, page 52)
It’s one of the truest statements in the Comp Plan. At Sustainable Nantucket we always felt that dwindling options to rent or buy affordable housing is a community character issue.
Community character changes when our schools, hospitals, town departments and local businesses cannot hire and keep staff, and our workforce increasingly commutes by high-speed ferry and plane because of Nantucket’s spiraling housing costs. Community character changes when our friends and neighbors move off island because it’s too expensive to fulfill the dream of staying. We spent the lion’s share of our first three years as a new organization focused on how to be creative in providing more solutions for community housing.
Some of our efforts and successes:
Provided Funding and Research
Sponsored the Jonathan Rose Affordable Housing Study (pdf). This study helped inform the Comprehensive Planning process in developing objectives for creating a variety of housing options.
Published an assessment of renters entitled “Housing our Community—a Year-round Housing Needs Assessment” (pdf). Based on this study Sustainable Nantucket, in cooperation with the Nantucket Resident Housing Partnership, developed an Action Plan that lists concrete goals and the financial requirements needed to reach these goals.
Developed a set of prototype affordable housing guidelines and covenants that could be adapted to Nantucket.
Provided funding for legal review of documentation for a Nantucket Housing Needs Program and Covenant.
Helped Start a Partnership for Housing
Sustainable Nantucket participated in the formation of an ad-hoc committee, made up of housing stakeholders and concerned citizens, to explore the feasibility of implementing the housing recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan. In February of 2001, this ad hoc group formally established itself as the Nantucket Resident Housing Partnership (NRHP), a diverse, 18 member advisory group. Our Executive Director, Christine Silverstein, was appointed Chairperson and a member of our board, Beth Ann Meehan of Pacific Bank, was an active member. In the fall of 2002 the NRHP received the NP&EDC’s Citizen Planner of the Year award.
The Partnership accomplishments include the following:
Participated in the redrafting of the Nantucket Housing Needs Program, which was adopted at the 2001 Annual Town Meeting.
Initiated a citizens petition to put the Community Preservation Act on the April 2001 ballot and organized public education forums in support.
Formed a sub-committee that worked extensively on drafting the Nantucket Housing Needs Covenant.
Successfully lobbied for the passage of Senate Bill 2006, the enabling legislation for the Nantucket Housing Needs Covenant program.
Supported the Establishment of the Nantucket Housing Office (NHO).
This office, generously funded by a Community Preservation Act grant and spun off originally from the Nantucket Housing Authority, is a non-profit organization serving the Nantucket community by promoting, implementing, and administering programs developed to meet the housing needs of those committed to year-round residency.
Tags: Community Character, Grow Smart, People, Sustainability
