16 and 18 Vesper Lane Cottage Hospital Housing

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

What: Nantucket Cottage Hospital major site plan review for staff housing (about 48 apartments in two buildings) at 16 and 18 Vesper Lane.
Where it stands: approved 5-0 on 2026-10-19 after the applicant moved the east building back and added parking.
Next: approval letter to be signed by the chair; the hospital still hopes for a better alternate access across federal (Coast Guard) land.

Presented by Rick Bodd with the hospital team and civil engineer Steve Glowaki.
East building moved to 20 ft from the east boundary (was 7 ft).
22 parking spaces added and 8 lost, so 116 spaces are provided and no parking waiver is needed.
Buildings are 39 ft and 38.5 ft; the hospital overlay district allows up to 50 ft.
Landscape plan with evergreen screening, a board fence and a patio; arborist letter calls for a root protection fence 15 ft from neighbor trees.
Shadow study: the neighbor's own trees cast nearly as much shadow to the east in the late afternoon.
Construction expected to take 14 to 16 months; digging 5 to 6 ft from the east foundation with sheet piles.
An alternate access (needs Coast Guard approval) would add about 10 parallel parking spaces.

Abutters worried about lost sunset views, noise, parking lot lighting, construction disruption and overlapping work with the adjacent town affordable housing parcel.
Member Borgerson urged parking permits and management so the lot does not become a free-for-all.
Campbell Sutton suggested a management plan and motion-activated lighting.
Cameron Marks asked the arborist to confirm sheet piles will not harm boundary trees and asked about east-side lighting.
Tracy McDonald asked whether the shared easement is wide enough for emergency access; the engineer said a fire truck turning template worked.
A hospital housing coordinator and the chief nursing officer spoke in support.

This is site plan review, not a special permit, so Leslie Snell said the board cannot attach conditions.
The applicant volunteered to protect all adjacent mature trees, add signage and a management plan, use low and motion-sensor lighting where sensible, and have the arborist review the sheet piles.
Public hearing closed 5-0; major site plan review approved 5-0 on a motion by Nat.

About 38 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-19 - Planning Board	38

2026-11-04 - Select Board — Affordable Housing Trust update: the town was awarded a $3.14 million Housing Works Infrastructure Program grant for Vesper Lane.
2026-10-19 - Planning Board — Revised plan presented; neighbors and supporters heard; major site plan review approved 5-0.