17 North Beach Street
Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-1515
HOUSE CALL
Anne Kuszpa and Housing Nantucket on the prescription for solving Nantucket’s housing crisis.
What is the biggest challenge that Housing Nantucket faces right now while trying to help with housing, and how can it be resolved?
The biggest challenges we face are very limited land resources and very high real estate prices. There are 381 households on our rental waitlists, and very few turnovers per year. Over a hundred households are qualified to purchase a Covenant home, but there are currently none on the market. We meet these challenges by continuing to deliver new housing at a steady pace, building new partnerships, and expanding outreach efforts.
Tell me more about current projects and the difference they will make in the housing crisis on the island?
Our current projects include 22 rental apartments under construction at Wiggles Way, next to Faregrounds Restaurant. Wiggles Way is a creative partnership between the municipality, our nonprofit and the private sector. Thanks to grant funding from ReMain Nantucket and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the property will be entirely powered by an on-site solar photovoltaic system.
In addition to the multifamily rental units at Wiggles Way, we’re building three single-family homes on Honeysuckle Drive. Most households on Nantucket cannot afford to buy a home at the 2022 median home price of $3.36 million. The Honeysuckle homes will provide attainable housing for working families who exceed traditional affordable housing guidelines yet are priced out of the open market.
What are some other ways that Housing Nantucket plans on helping, even if they aren’t in fruition yet?
We recently held a housing summit where we convened municipal leaders, private developers, philanthropists, conservationists, and other local experts for a daylong discussion facilitated by a regional expert. Participants discussed the enormous challenges that must be overcome to meet the vast community need. By the end of the day, participants identified eight short-term strategies, which we agreed would be collectively addressed. Some action items include strengthening collaborations with conservation groups and adopting an inclusionary zoning bylaw. These initiatives are all underway, and we welcome help.
Tell me more about the classes offered through Housing Nantucket. How does this help?
Buying a home on Nantucket can be stressful for anyone. Our course helps first-time homebuyers make informed decisions and gives them a road map to successful homeownership. Local professionals speak about how to deal with credit issues, working with a real estate agent, applying for a mortgage and more. Completing the class provides students with access to closing cost assistance and special mortgage products with local banks. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, we are able to offer this class free of charge to students, many of whom eventually do close the deal on a home of their own.
How can readers help?
Many Nantucket firefighters live on the mainland and commute to the island for their shifts. This is but one symptom of the island’s housing crisis and illustrates how inadequate workforce housing puts the entire community at risk. There are many ways to help contribute toward solutions. We’re always looking for creative new partnerships that achieve shared objectives. Financial gifts to our nonprofit over $1,000 are eligible for Community Investment Tax Credits, which is a special designation from the State of Massachusetts. Landholders can donate property or create a Covenant home on their land. I’m confident that with summer residents and year-rounders working together as an interconnected team, solving this problem is within reach.
Looking ahead through the end of the summer and into the rest of this year, what do you hope you will be able to accomplish by the end of 2023?
We expect to finish both the Wiggles Way and Honeysuckle builds by the end of this year. On September 7, Nashville singer and songwriter Maggie Rose will perform at the Chicken Box to help us raise funds for these exciting projects. Buy tickets at housingnantucket.org.
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