Save Our Waterfront, Inc.INTRODUCTION
The Nantucket waterfront is a national treasure that must be protected. Our island's harbors, beaches, inlets, marshes and creeks are a vital part of our heritage and critical to our island economy. In order to preserve and protect this priceless resource for the use, enjoyment and benefit of all who live and visit here - now and in the future - we have established a new non-profit organization called Save Our Waterfront. The mission of Save Our Waterfront is to promote policies and programs that foster the preservation of and access to Nantucket's waterfront resources for everyone. Our purpose in writing is to invite you to join us in this important effort.
Since World War II, we have witnessed many changes on our island. Nantucket's waterfront has transitioned from traditional maritime uses to mainly tourist and recreational activities. Nantucket Island is the fastest growing county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and one of the most rapidly developing locales in the entire United States. This growth is translating into accelerated, uncontrolled waterfront development by private developers and investors, which has no historic precedent. Beach and harbor access, once taken for granted, is being "privatized" and lost to the public. Our harbors are becoming choked with moorings and pleasure craft. The channel is becoming a super highway. Docks are being proposed and built on the public water sheet, while anchorages are being extended into scallop beds and important marine habitat. All of this is occurring without adequate planning or public input.
Many of the founders of Save Our Waterfront initially came together in reaction to the plans of developers to construct a Major Commercial Development (MCD) on the harbor in the Old Historic District (OHD). If permitted to go forward, this MCD would convert Nantucket's last on-water boatyard into an exclusive, 400-member equity yacht club. However, we soon realized that there is a much larger problem: Our waterfront is unprotected.
In monitoring this MCD proposal, we found ourselves looking for opportunities for public input, control and planning that simply were not there. While certain town agencies and boards have partial jurisdiction over the waterfront and water resources, there is no overall harbor-management plan to reference for specific guidance. The fact is that the state has jurisdiction over development activities in the harbor itself because our community has not acted to ensure local control. Unfortunately, the Nantucket and Madaket Harbors Management Plan, developed by a broad-based community group in 1993, was never adopted.
If you agree that our community's best interests are served by protecting our unique historic waterfront and environmental water resources, as well as advocating for the maximum public access possible to our shoreline, we invite you to join us. This site has additional information about Save Our Waterfront, our goals and anticipated action plans. In addition we will post regular status reports on each project. Your support - and that of others who care about Nantucket's waterfront - will enable our new organization to begin to meet its mission.
Please contact us with your questions and comments.