voices: the community speaks of Nantucket and GHYC

Nantucket Planning Board
1 East Chestnut Street
Nantucket, MA 02554

March 17, 2004

Dear Board Members and Staff,

The purpose of this letter is to address parking calculations as proposed by the applicant GHYC in their MCD application to convert an existing Grandfathered Boat Yard into a Multi function Yacht Club and Marina with a token Boatyard appendage. The main reason for the boatyards use remaining is to clearly serve the Yacht Club members only. Their own information provides for 51 slips on a new pier, 19 valet boat racks, and 150 moorings for use by new GHYC members. In addition a launch boat service with no parking provided.

I have spent a great deal of time reviewing the GHYC proposal for parking, see charts provided by applicant, I can find that no such parking space calculations have ever been used by this town to determine parking requirements. It is a misleading and inaccurate method of calculating the required parking by this applicant. Why would two of our local consultants not submit the accurate calculations based on the Town of Nantucket Zoning Bylaw?

I find it misleading that the applicant states to have met the Town Zoning Bylaw requirements for parking. Their chart is incorrect by dividing all people on site by four to arrive at a number of parking spaces this calculation only applies to the restaurant use. That is only one area of required parking and does not apply to Employee Dormitories, Staff in restaurant, Private pier slips, moorings, valet boats, Sports Barn facilities, Store, Boatyard customers and employees. The entire picture needs to be provided for and to comply with Town Zoning Bylaws. Please require that the applicant meets these standards and that no waivers be granted for this over developed proposal. All neighbors and residents will lose if MCD requirement as well as current zoning Bylaws is not upheld. The attorney for the GHYC has presented the opinion that this is a RC district and that the proposed use is "Grandfathered" only a half-truth here. The "Grey Lady Marine" and related boatyard use is "Grandfathered" however all other proposed uses are not. Grey Lady Marine is a year round operation that handles perhaps 10-20 employees and has never had a parking crunch evident, with the exception being during times of a Hurricane when people are glad to have their boats on dry land safe and sound.

Not a parking concern but impacted negatively by this proposal is the travel lift location and the plan to off load boats to a fork lift midway along the south property line/travel lift way. This is necessary to put a boat into the valet racks or onto a trailer, I believe this will spill over and onto the town road, which will effect residents, local businesses, and residents going to the town beach.

The existing travel lift never crossed Washington Street Extension, and all boat repair, maintenance, loading and unloading of trailers from either a fork lift or travel lift was on the waterfront, hence the water dependent use, now 95% of the working boatyard is proposed next to the airport 4+ miles from the water. The inland lot was used to store boats over the winter months; can our town roads handle the increased traffic? Will the Travel lift be stored in the Boat Repair Building? Does it make good sense from a public safety standpoint to valet boats across the Town road 4-5 times a day? Would common sense surround a structure with second story boats on racks with the hope you can't see them?

The proposed valet racks will cause an unnecessary fire hazard with cars parked under them on a daily basis. Does the town want a parking lot with a second level of boats perched above a never before seen scenario anywhere on the island? Egress and traffic problems seem obvious from a public safety perspective. My neighbors are also very concerned with the increased risk of fire and the Boat Repair Building placement.

ARTICLE IV

Town of Nantucket Zoning Bylaw

139-18 (Off Street Parking Requirements)

Refer to A through D

The backing of vehicles is not permitted in this section, but is necessary for the valet parking to occur as proposed. Another big new unknown precedent here on Nantucket I have no such use existing in this Town.

139-19 Screening; driveways; lighting.

• Screening is required at all street fronts or abutting property. 20 or more spaces 5' wide planting buffer, 1 tree per 8 parking spaces. No more than one drive per one hundred feet. Lighting fixtures shall be arranged as to direct light away from street and adjoining residential uses.

139-20 Off-street loading facilities.

• Not sure this has been addressed not clear on plans, I'm sure a 330 seat restaurant, bar and grille will need regular deliveries.

We have reviewed the Zoning Bylaw for required parking and have several questions with the proposed parking calculations. As I read the Nantucket Zoning Article IV section 139-18

Off-street parking requirements. I calculate the following parking requirements;

Line by line parking analysis, (table D page 13953); Spaces required

2 Dwelling Units in the Todd Bldg. Condos above Annye's,

• 2 dwelling units = 2 spaces

Restaurants, taverns and bars include outside seating:

• (1-parking space for each 4 seats required) per Town Zoning Bylaw

Pool/Pool House

• Pool & Deck & Snack Bar, Grille Rm., Grille Rm. Porch, Bar = 203 seats = 51 spaces

Club House

• Formal Dining, Dining Porch, Private Dining, Grille Rm., Grille Porch, Bar = 283 seats = 71 spaces

Library and Billiard Room

• 16 seats = 4 spaces

Meeting Rooms, Pool House & Club House;

• Pool = 20, Club = 75 = 24 spaces

Tuckernuck Inn (employee dormitories)

• Use not Grandfathered, 22 Employees = 12 spaces

Retail Store, Annye's

• 1,800 sf aprox. = 9 spaces

Sports Barn - (Squash and Health Club)

• (1 for ea. 3 persons of total bldg. Occupancy) 780 CMR Table 1008.1.2 allows 7sf. Per occupant assume occupancy of 150 people or 7 S.F. x 150 = 1,050 S.F. = 150 / 3 = 50 spaces

Grey Lady Marine: Grandfathered Use, (Boat Repair, Travel Lift, Valet Service)

• Assume 6 employees = 2 space 1,000 SF retail @ 1 for ea. 200 SF = 5 spaces

GHYC offices: employees?

• 1 space for each 3; assume 15 = 5 spaces

Valet Boat people = 19 boats

• Assume 1 for each boat (based on Federal guidelines) = 19 spaces

Pier with 51 Slips =

• Minimum 1 per boat (based on Federal guidelines)= Dave Fronzuto suggests closer to 2-3 spaces per slip. 51 spaces

Moorings

• 184 these must be moorings now held by new Club Members (Using applicants number of 20%) = 37 moorings = 37 spaces

Total Parking required at full swing = 291 spaces

The applicant proposes 400 family memberships of GHYC @ avg. 4 people per family = 1,600 members. This would require 400 spaces if each family arrived in only one car. Add to that the other uses and employees and this number could push into the 500 range. How is this possible with only 104 spaces provided? I believe this is why the applicant has provided these charts which minimize the facts and mislead your board. Why not calculate the parking required and request relief from spaces or is this really too much relief. Please ask the questions and remember once this is allowed there is no turning back. Maybe limiting the uses and memberships are a way to make this proposal work. Perhaps 200 members with no Sports barn, no valet boat services, and a better Boatyard facility is all this site can handle.

Thank you for your consideration,

David Wiley,
Save our Waterfront member