Status Update April 9, 2015

Obviously we are disappointed in the results of last night’s meeting. We worked closely with our neighbors on Nantucket and Town officials to design a development that is appropriate for the area and would start to address the crisis that the Island unquestionably faces with respect to housing needs, particularly for year round residents and families. The vast majority of our neighbors worked in collaboration with us to try to create a new neighborhood that would make this vision a reality, and we are thankful to them and the majority of all Town Meeting voters and the different Town Boards, particularly the Planning Board and the Finance Committee, who voted in favor of the plan.

We heard two major arguments last night: first, that our target prices were not ‘affordable enough;’ and second that our proposal was too dense. In reality, the economics of real estate development on Nantucket often make these two arguments contradictory, if not mutually exclusive.

We remain committed to finding solutions to the housing shortage on the Island, and will take a fresh look at the best way to create housing options that are more affordable. However, given the magnitude of our investment, we are looking into all options that may be available or the future development of this area, including an increased affordable housing development.