Nantucket Massachusetts

AN ADVISORY SERVICES PANEL REPORT

www.uli.org Nantucket Massachusetts

Implementing Downtown’s Future

October 13–17, 2008 An Advisory Services Panel Report

Urban Land Institute 1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 West Washington, D.C. 20007-5201 About the Urban Land Institute

he mission of the Urban Land Institute is Established in 1936, the Institute today has more to provide leadership in the responsible than 38,000 members worldwide, representing use of land and in creating and sustaining the entire spectrum of the land use and develop- T thriving communities worldwide. ULI is ment disciplines. Professionals represented committed to include developers, builders, property owners, investors, architects, public officials, plan ners, • Bringing together leaders from across the real estate brokers, appraisers, attorneys, engi- fields of real estate and land use policy to neers, financiers, academics, students, and exchange best practices and serve community librarians. needs; ULI relies heavily on the experience of its • Fostering collaboration within and beyond members. It is through member involvement ULI’s membership through mentoring, and information resources that ULI has dialogue, and problem solving; been able to set standards of excellence in • Exploring issues of urbanization, conservation, de velopment prac tice. The Institute has long regeneration, land use, capital formation, and been recognized as one of the world’s most sustainable development; respected and widely quoted sources of objective information on urban planning, growth, • Advancing land use policies and design and development. practices that respect the uniqueness of both built and natural environments;

• Sharing knowledge through education, applied research, publishing, and electronic media; and

• Sustaining a diverse global network of local practice and advisory efforts that address current and future challenges.

Cover photo by Thomas W. Eitler

2 An Advisory Services Panel Report About ULI Advisory Services

he goal of ULI’s Advisory Services Pro- stakeholders in the project under consideration, gram is to bring the finest expertise in participants in ULI’s five-day panel assignments the real estate field to bear on complex are able to make accurate assessments of a spon- T land use planning and development sor’s issues and to provide recommendations in a projects, programs, and policies. Since 1947, compressed amount of time. this program has assembled well over 400 ULI-member teams to help sponsors find A major strength of the program is ULI’s unique creative, practical solutions for issues such as ability to draw on the knowledge and expertise downtown redevelopment, land management of its members, including land developers and strategies, evaluation of development potential, owners, public officials, academics, representa- growth management, community revitaliza- tives of financial institutions, and others. In tion, brownfields redevelopment, military base fulfillment of the mission of the Urban Land reuse, provision of low-cost and affordable Institute, this Advisory Services panel report is housing, and asset management strategies, intended to provide objective advice that will among other matters. A wide variety of public, promote the respon sible use of land to enhance the environment. private, and nonprofit organizations have contracted for ULI’s Advisory Services. ULI Program Staff Each panel team is composed of highly qualified professionals who volunteer their time to ULI. Marta V. Goldsmith They are chosen for their knowledge of the panel Senior Vice President, Community/ topic and screened to ensure their objectivity. Education Provost ULI’s interdisciplinary panel teams provide Thomas W. Eitler a holistic look at development problems. A Vice President, Advisory Services respected ULI member who has previous panel Matthew Rader experience chairs each panel. Manager, Advisory Services The agenda for a five-day panel assignment is Caroline Dietrich intensive. It includes an in-depth briefing day Panel Coordinator, Advisory Services composed of a tour of the site and meetings with James A. Mulligan sponsor representatives; a day of hour-long Managing Editor interviews of typically 50 to 75 key community representatives; and two days of formulating Laura Glassman, Publications Professionals LLC recommendations. Long nights of discussion Manuscript Editor precede the panel’s conclusions. On the final Betsy VanBuskirk day on site, the panel makes an oral presentation Creative Director of its findings and conclusions to the sponsor. Susan S. Teachey, ON-Q Design, Inc. A written re port is pre pared and published. Desktop Publishing Specialist/Graphics Because the sponsoring entities are responsible Craig Chapman for significant preparation before the panel’s vis- Director, Publishing Operations it, including sending extensive briefing materials to each member and arranging for the panel to meet with key local community members and

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 3 Acknowledgments

he panel thanks ReMain Nantucket, downtown will provide new ideas and clearer specifically Wendy Schmidt, Melissa direction in the future. Philbrick, and Rachel Hobart, for inviting T the panel to comment on the challenges The panel also thanks the more than 200 Nan- and opportunities facing Nantucket’s historic tucket residents who gave up their time to be downtown at this critical juncture. The panel also interviewed or prepare written comments. All wishes to thank others associated with ReMain these individuals informed the panel’s work by Nantucket for creating a detailed briefing book sharing their views, opinions, frustrations, and and orientation tour, arranging interviews, hopes for the future of downtown. The panel and providing ongoing support throughout the hopes the strategies presented in this report will visit. Without their assistance, the panel would assist in developing a stronger, more integrated not have been able to do its work. downtown for Nantucket.

The panel hopes that ReMain Nantucket’s foresight in bringing an objective, expert ULI panel to consider options for the future of

4 An Advisory Services Panel Report Contents

ULI Panel and Project Staff 6

Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment 7

Question 1 13

Question 2(A) 16

Question 2(B) 19

Question 2(C) 21

Question 3 24

Question 4 29

Question 5 38

Conclusion 39

About the Panel 40

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 5 ULI Panel and Project Staff

Panel Chair Alexandra Notay Director, Research James DeFrancia Urban Land Institute Principal London, United Kingdom Lowe Enterprises Community Development Aspen, Colorado Ross Tilghman Director Panel Members Tilghman Group Seattle, Washington Ford C. Frick Managing Director Gregory A. Weimerskirch BBC Research and Consulting Principal Denver, Colorado Urban Design Associates, Ltd. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Betsy Jackson President Stan Zemler The Urban Agenda, Inc. Town Manager Ann Arbor, Michigan Town of Vail Vail, Colorado Michael Maxwell Managing Partner ULI Project Staff Maxwell + Partners, LLC Miami Shores, Florida Thomas W. Eitler Vice President Ed McMahon Advisory Services Senior Resident Fellow Urban Land Institute Caroline Dietrich Washington, D.C. Panel Associate Advisory Services

6 An Advisory Services Panel Report Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment

n island 14 miles long and 3½ miles wide, the west coast. The island’s summer population Nantucket is located in the Atlantic is larger than that of any city in Vermont. Ocean, 30 miles south of Cape Cod, A Massachusetts. The island’s one town, Nantucket Island also called Nantucket, hugs the busy harbor. The year-round population of approximately Th e island, town, and county of Nantucket 10,000 swells to 50,000 during the summer are coterminous with one another. Th e island season. The town includes a bountiful array operates under a town meeting form of of stores, quaint inns, cobblestone streets, government. A town administrator manages interesting historic sites, and an active harbor. the island government’s day-to-day activities Scores of sophisticated shops and galleries oc- under direction from the Board of Selectmen, cupy wharf shacks on the harbor. The rest of the and citizens gather annually to discuss poli- island is mainly residential, with the exception tical, administrative, or legislative issues at the of two notable villages, Siasconset (’Sconset to town meeting. the islanders) on the east coast and Madaket on Location map.

VERMONT NEW HAMPSHIRE Haverhill Lawrence NEW YORK Lowell

Lynn ATLANTIC OCEAN MASSACHUSETTS Medford Cambridge Boston Massachusetts Bay Framingham Brookline Worcester Quincy Weymouth Springfield

Taunton

Cape Cod Bay RHODE CONNECTICUT ISLAND Fall River New Bedford Buzzards Bay

Nantucket Sound MARTHA’S VINEYARD

NANTUCKET ISLAND Rhode Island Sound

Gardiners Bay Long Island Sound Napeague NEW YORK Bay

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 7 Forestdale Chatham Marstons Mills West Dennis Harwich Port Centerville Hyannis North Falmouth aven West Yarmouth Cotuit Osterville Buzzards West Falmouth outh Bay Falmouth East Falmouth Teaticket Woods Hole

Nantucket Sound

Vineyard Haven Oak Bluffs

MARTHA’S Edgartown VINEYARD

NANTUCKET ISLAND

Nantucket Siasconset

Regional map. History its dramatic decline. As the whaling industry suff ered, so did Nantucket. Th e late 19th century Nantucket takes its name from a word in an witnessed a marked decline in population and Eastern Algonquian language of southern New industry. England, originally spelled variously as natocke, nantican, and nautican. Th e meaning of the Downtown term is uncertain, although it may have meant “in the midst of waters,” or “faraway island.” Like other islands and other coastal areas in New England, Nantucket became a tourist Although the island was offi cially “discovered” destination and summer colony in the late in 1602, the original Indian inhabitants lived 19th and early 20th centuries. Although undisturbed until 1641, when the island was fi shing and agriculture remained important deeded to Th omas Mayhew by the English through the 1950s, summer tourism became Crown. Settlement by the English began in the primary “industry” on the island. Com- 1659, and the island was known mainly as a munity leaders recognized tourism’s potential fi shing and agricultural community. Nantucket early, and consequently, Nantucket includes was part of Dukes County, New York, until 1691, some of the country’s earliest eff orts when it was transferred to the newly formed in historic preservation. Province of Massachusetts Bay and split off to form Nantucket County. Th e four-block downtown area contains some of the best preserved and most interesting In the late 1600s, whales were found off shore, pre–Civil War structures in the United States. and between 1750 and 1840, the island was one In 1966, the town was listed on the National of the major whaling ports in North America. By Register of Historic Places. In the early 1960s, 1840, Nantucket was the unoffi cial “capital” of Walter Beinecke, Jr., began to revitalize down- the North American whaling industry. Herman town buildings to attract wealthy tourists. Melville’s masterpiece Moby Dick begins on He began a 20-year program of rehabilitating Nantucket, and it remains the quintessential the old downtown, building by building. novel about the whaling industry. In that same Where he found no buildings or modern year, however—1840—oil was discovered in ones, he built new ones with 18th- and 19th- Pennsylvania, and the whaling industry began century architecture. Although his eff orts

8 An Advisory Services Panel Report were controversial at the time, many feel they Th e island needs more housing opportunities The west end of Nan- substantially improved the town’s look and feel for islanders and workforce. Many summer tucket Harbor includes and created downtown’s current environment. and year-round residents are concerned about the Brant Point Light- how to maintain the unique nature of the tourist house and the U.S. Since the 1970s, the “elite” nature of Nan- industry while providing appropriate housing Coast Guard dock. tucket’s summer guests has established and employment opportunities for workers the island as one of the most desirable and and islanders alike. Many of those who have expensive real estate locations in the world. grown up on the island or that visited every Although many explanations exist for this summer fi nd buying, renting, or maintaining phenomenon—including Beinecke’s program, homes increasingly difficult. The service an extensive architectural review process, a workforce of teachers, nurses, and small limited number of dwellings, and the island’s businesspeople as well as the professional force historic and natural beauty—the last 20 years of doctors, lawyers, and accountants fi nds have seen land and housing prices appreciate owning or maintaining homes on the island far beyond similar areas on the eastern sea- increasingly diffi cult. board. Housing, both downtown and in the Th e downtown is symptomatic of islandwide island’s other villages and hamlets, commands issues. ReMain Nantucket, an island-based substantial prices. philanthropic organization, invited ULI to convene a panel to provide advice on strategies Problems and Issues to enhance and protect downtown’s economic, social, and environmental vitality for future Many businesses on the island rely on the generations. Th e group provided the panel with summer months to carry them through the the questions listed in the next section. Th is entire year. Although the popular Daff odil report details the panel’s responses. Weekend in April and Christmas Stroll Weekend in December extended the tourist The Panel’s Assignment season, June, July, and August remain the height of the season. Th e island’s unique ReMain Nantucket posed fi ve questions that wealth and climate lead to a number of provided the scope of work for panel’s assign- problems and issues. ment. Th e focus of the fi ve questions was on the

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 9 survival of Nantucket’s downtown. Th e panel used to allow local businesses to attain and shaped its recommendations as answers to each maintain proﬁ tability? (C) What strategies and question or part of a question. opportunities arise from seasonality? Question 1 Question 3

What currently is the function of Nantucket’s What are the barriers to coming to downtown downtown relative to the rest of the island and and how do we get around them? Other than what should it be in the future? What does a the airport, the delivery systems for people, vibrant year-round downtown look and feel cars, goods, and fuel all originate in the like given the island’s seasonal economic cycles? downtown district. Are there ways to capitalize What uses, services, and institutions need to be on that infl ux to enhance the downtown area? downtown for it to be part of the daily lives of Are there ways to manage the seasonal peak both year-round and summer residents? Is there capacity issues—traffi c, parking, and pedestrian an acceptable percentage or mix of businesses fl ow—to mitigate the impacts of those delivery and uses that can be closed in the off -season systems on the environment and the downtown without making downtown seem deserted? infrastructure and economy? During the last 12 Question 2 months, a transportation plan and downtown parking garage have been debated in town, a (A) How can downtown best complement downtown bus stop is being tested, and Zipcars the Mid-island area where many people now have been considered by a nonprofi t. What conduct most of their commercial activities other ideas can Nantucket explore to creatively of daily living and vice versa? (B) Given high solve transportation issues and concerns in an real estate values, what strategies can be environmentally sensitive way?

10 An Advisory Services Panel Report Question 4 Invest in Downtown Management The narrow lanes of ’Sconset, at the east end Can you help us identify big ideas or po- Th e panel recommends strategically investing of the island, are a sharp tential projects and opportunities that in downtown management, including hiring contrast to the busy can be targeted over the next ten years to a downtown manager, managing downtown streets of the town strengthen downtown’s economic, social, parking, developing strategies to fund infra- of Nantucket. and environmental future? And then help us structure and programming, and developing understand the pros and cons. programs for both residents and guests. Question 5 Evolve the Nantucket Islands Land Bank

Is there a role for philanthropy in enhancing Th e Nantucket Islands Land Bank should or creating an economically, socially, and broaden its mission from a sole focus on environmentally sustainable downtown? What open space to a broader focus on community are possible public/private partnerships and preservation. New initiatives for the land opportunities for collaborations to strengthen bank could include encouraging workforce the future of downtown Nantucket? housing projects, creating civic space and public gathering areas, improving waterfront Summary of Recommendations access, expanding the bike-path system, and improving connections between Mid-island Th e panel suggests a number of initiatives and downtown commercial areas. and programs that can help the island begin Emphasize Workforce Housing to address the outlined issues. Th e panel’s recommendations support a number of big Th e panel recommends rapidly expanding ideas that follow. existing programs of the Nantucket Housing

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 11 Authority and Nantucket Housing Offi ce, off -season, to increase islanders’ thinking prioritizing these programs with greater and interaction on Nantucket’s future, and to immediacy, and providing for more coor- position Nantucket as the strategic center of dinated action from town government and thought on these issues. the community. Th is eff ort should include investment in new multifamily housing and Create a New Waterfront Neighborhood creation of new housing stock, particularly Th e new neighborhood should create a place in downtown. that strengthens the connection between the Create the Nantucket Institute waterfront and downtown, respects the historical fabric and seafaring nature of the island, uses Th is think tank should focus on both local sustainable development practices for new and global issues of historic preservation, buildings and infrastructure, and provides a sustainability and community viability, setting and focus for other big ideas discussed conservation, aquacultural and agricultural in this report, such as workforce housing, the stewardship, and technology interface with Nantucket Institute, community and historic each of these topics. Th e focus of the institute preservation, and repositioning of downtown would be to reposition downtown for the that is attractive to year-round residents.

12 An Advisory Services Panel Report Question 1

The legacy of Walter Beinecke, Jr.: Shops throughout the historic What currently is the function of Nantucket’s downtown are in either downtown relative to the rest of the island and space converted from what should it be in the future? What does a residences and older vibrant year-round downtown look and feel commercial uses or like given the island’s seasonal economic newly built structures cycles? What uses, services, and institutions that reflect the historical need to be downtown for it to be part of the architecture of the town. daily lives of both year-round and summer These spaces accom- residents? Is there an acceptable percentage or modate high-quality retail mix of businesses and uses that can be closed focused on seasonal and in the oﬀ -season without making downtown short-term visitors. seem deserted?

Downtown Nantucket deﬁ nes the community for year-round residents, seasonal visitors, and tourists alike. As the island’s heart and soul, downtown supports community life and vitality. Unlike a shopping center or a mall, downtown is about more than retail. In its best condition, it served as the island’s governmental, civic, cultural, and religious center; key transportation hub; most signiﬁ cant neighborhood; and tourism epicenter. Downtown is also the gateway to the rest of the island.

Downtowns are like ecosystems. Th ey are fragile and can be disrupted. Downtown Nantucket looks healthy. Although its architecture and character are well preserved, all is not well. Like many other communities nationwide, Nantucket has decentralized retail and civic services from downtown to edge locations.

Nantucket’s growth as a seasonal enclave for the wealthy has created new demand for a diﬀ erent kind of downtown retail. It has also led to soaring real estate values that make it more diﬃ cult for employees to live on the island. National economic and demographic changes will continue to shape the depth of the market and consequently the value of property and retail goods on Nantucket. Other external forces that shape Nantucket’s downtown retail

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 13 Easy Street at the base of Main Street.

mix include competition from the Internet • Entryway facilities for all visitors, freight, and the mainland, labor force limitations and fuel; including H2B visa policies, and environmental • regulations. Attractions, including historic and architectural collections, waterfront activities, Similarly, changes in local economic and mar- museums, and not-for-profit organizations; ket conditions, ranging from the slow erosion and of downtown’s overnight lodging to the migra- • tion of full-time island residents out of the Accommodations for residents, seasonal older, core-area, residential neighborhoods, workers, and overnight guests. all contribute to a diffi cult business climate In recent years, many of these functions have and undermine the traditional functions of partially or fully eroded. Much of the local- downtown. On-island infl uences shaping down- serving retail has migrated to Mid-island, town include growing congestion, soaring land which off ers convenience, easy parking, and and housing values, parking chaos, lodging- lower lease costs. A number of government and base changes, community residential patterns, civic uses have already left downtown; more building ownership policies, privatization of government offi ces are proposed for relocation. the island experience, and the relationship with Th e guest-bed base has also changed as large Mid-island. Th e current downtown is a product private homes dispersed across the island have of the interplay of these varied and sometimes replaced downtown lodges and fundamentally competing infl uences. altered longstanding traffi c and shopping pat- Downtown embodies community values be- terns. Th e number of year-round residents cause it was the center of almost all community living in or near downtown has dramatically functions. Much more than a retail center, declined. Local-serving retail is rapidly being downtown served as the heart of government replaced by seasonal businesses. Many year- and civic activity; the entryway for visitors round residents have stopped coming down- and goods; the lodging hub; and a home for town because they can fi nd nowhere to park workers, families, and summer guests. Future or nothing to buy. planning for downtown must include the Downtown is losing its relevance. One resi- following diverse uses: dent told the panel, “I go downtown now for • Government and civic services, including pleasure, not necessity—just to make sure it’s public safety, administration, courts, library, still there!” By this process of specialization, and churches; downtown loses its richness, the casual interaction that comes with multiple layers of • Retail services for islanders, seasonal resi- functions. Downtown becomes a monoculture dents, overnight guests, day visitors, and that supports only a small share of life on the harbor uses; island. Rising rents, lowered margins, continual

14 An Advisory Services Panel Report traﬃ c congestion, and an abundance of high- end seasonal stores—ironically, all signs of current market success—are threatening downtown’s fragile ecosystem.

“We are a living museum but we’ve preserved the exterior and none of the essence of the community that makes our real history. We’ve preserved the shells and created a ghost town,” a resident told the panel.

Untreated, these inﬂ uences will continue to produce a narrowed version of downtown, Trends Are Not Destiny Mitchell’s Book Corner, and Nantucket will cease to be the heart and at the upper end of soul of the island. Given current pressures, an Th e panel believes that market intervention Main Street, is another “unattended” downtown will see increasing strategies can reverse these trends by gathering place during retail seasonality, narrowing retail mix, addressing the following issues: both the summer season decreasing government and associated uses, and winter months. • diminishing presence of service professionals, Deal with parking, congestion, and and declining local retail ownership. Ultimately, circulation. this self-destructive cycle will lead to falling • Interject culture, entertainment, rents and the beginning of a new cycle. management, and community functions.

Nantucket will become an outdoor museum, a • Retain and expand key civic uses. theme park for tourists, but not a real town or a vibrant mixed-use place. Ironically, the newer, • Tackle housing affordability. narrower, and function-specifi c downtown • will also become unsustainable. If landlords Integrate Mid-island commercial uses. allow the retail mix to shrink, accept short- • Make use of off-season capacity. term return instead of the market security of a multifunctional, more complex downtown, • Intervene in the commercial mix. then ultimately the emerging visitor–summer • guest market will also leave downtown, bored Rethink the harborside site. and disinterested with the predictability of the Th e remainder of this report expands on these experience. Eventually, rents will fall and a new ideas and off ers recommendations on how to regeneration process will begin. In the interim, infl uence the pressures reshaping downtown, much will be lost for all involved. revitalize the community’s core, and reinvent If residents think this result is acceptable, a place that will still express the unique and then so be it; but if they think downtown is compelling character of Nantucket. worth saving, then they will have to do more to address the forces that are changing its character.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 15 Question 2(A)

How can downtown best complement the schools, diversity of goods and services, and Mid-island area where many people now community activities. conduct most of their commercial activities of daily living and vice versa? Services migrated out of downtown for the same reasons. Th ey are valid reasons that mirror Mid-island and downtown are distinct national and especially small-town trends physically and functionally. Th e two areas across the nation. To begin evolving both places, must become complementary, connective, residents need to shift from an “us versus them” and integrated. Th e migration of services mentality to a creative approach of developing from downtown to Mid-island refl ects two complementary, supportive places. trends seen in many small towns nationwide. Retail and services follow population from Connective historic downtowns to fringe areas. Th e physical obsolescence of historic buildings “We need better connections between Mid- and their incompatibility with contemporary island and downtown so they don’t feel like merchandising strategies and automobile- two diff erent things. It’s only a 15-minute oriented consumers accelerate this trend. walk—it just feels like miles!” a resident told Mid-island’s continuing growth makes it the panel. more convenient for year-round residents and enables it to further assume downtown’s Downtown and Mid-island need stronger traditional role. Mid-island continues to grow connections. Presently, bicycles, cars, trucks, because it requires less time to access, park, and and pedestrians face numerous real and fi nd products unavailable downtown—all issues perceived barriers when moving between the that frustrate islanders who attempt to shop two areas. Th ese barriers must be understood regularly downtown. and removed to enable the two areas to become distinct but mutually supportive. Th e proposed Complementary bike path connecting downtown and Mid- island needs to be constructed. Downtown and Mid-island need to adopt separ- ate, complementary roles. Downtown functions As local-serving economic, educational, as a special, occasional civic and cultural place and health activities relocated to Mid-island, where the island began and its heart still lives. downtown evolved into a hub for cultural, Mid-island functions as the center of commerce, entertainment, civic, and specialty retail especially to year-round residents, because it uses. Downtown’s major services include is convenient and provides daily necessities, theater, movies, and cultural venues of all including food, education, and health care. kinds that support art shows, seasonal events, and civic functions. Creating a complementary relationship between these two places requires understanding the Changing roles for downtown and Mid-island needs of businesses and residents and the reduce trips from year-round residents into reasons each prefers Mid-island or downtown. downtown. Most year-round residents no Islanders repeatedly told the panel that they longer live in or adjacent to downtown. Resi- use Mid-island over downtown based on dents no longer need to travel downtown to convenience, proximity to their homes and meet their daily needs.

16 An Advisory Services Panel Report Ultimately, downtown and Mid-island must each be organized and regulated as distinct economic and social places so that residents are required to view and use both places for what they are. Recognizing diﬀ erent uses for each area will reinforce a complementary relationship between them.

Downtown is the heart and soul of the island. It is the historic civic center, the gathering and vehicles to access both locations. Real and A home at the eastern place, the point of most arrivals, and the symbol perceived barriers must be removed to provide end of downtown’s of the island. It is now a largely seasonal place. fast and easy access between the two areas. waterfront. Yet it remains the place that islanders show off to their visitors because it visually and Satellite parking and transit service can help spiritually says who and what Nantucket is. unify Mid-island and downtown. Th e panel recommends creating seasonal satellite parking Mid-island supplanted downtown’s traditional in Mid-island adjacent to a transit hub with role as the center of commerce because it is frequent connecting shuttles to downtown. Th is convenient to the places where year-round report further details these recommendations residents live and work and because it is under Question 3. accessible to cars, transit, pedestrians, and bicycles. However, it wants to become more like downtown. Why? Residents are nostalgic Integrated for traditional design and spatial organization, Downtown must move to become more relevant which is the essence of Nantucket and the for more people by being recognized as the reason people are here. Mid-island is missing island’s center of civic, cultural, entertainment, the elemental design, organization, walkable specialty retail, and visitor arrival. Solidifying density, and look of downtown. the distinct roles of each place must be impor- Overcoming that love/hate emotion is achievable. tant to residents and policy makers. Clearly By using the same concerted efforts that defi ning the roles and functions of each place preserved downtown—unifi ed municipal and will permit each to positively evolve in a natural private eff orts and investments in planning, way. Integrating the roles of each place means zoning, form, pattern, and design concepts— respecting the distinct contribution each makes Mid-island’s physical form can be made worthy to island society and economic life. of the island’s heritage. Integration also means evolving the form and Th e panel recommends taking concrete steps appearance of Mid-island. Downtown is what to address these challenges. Mid-island should everyone thinks all parts of Nantucket should be viewed as a complement to downtown, not a look like. Moving the look, organization, and feel competitor. To work together, each area should of Mid-island to fi t expectations and perceptions specialize its uses. Mid-island should become of Nantucket urban form is an essential tool Nantucket’s regional center for shopping, ser- that will integrate the two places. Reforming vices, education, and health care. Downtown can Mid-island should be based on the design and then become the island’s gateway and specialty spatial requirements for development that retail, entertainment, cultural, and civic center. facilitate automobiles while maintaining the Both areas should serve as transit hubs. essential form, pattern, organization, and feel of downtown. Th e panel also recommends creating strong connections between Mid-island and down- Integration means bringing the two areas town. Steps should be taken to encourage easier together through design. Form-based codes connections for bicycles, transit, pedestrians, can change Mid-island’s physical organization

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 17 and look in the vein of downtown while Realizing the old days were great is everyone’s accommodating and facilitating ease of access perception. After all, “old” made the island by cars, bikes, and public transit. Zoning and what it is and who the islanders are. Although thoughtful marketplace management can understanding and respecting the heritage also help create distinct opportunities and of the island and its people are important, uses exclusive to downtown and Mid-island. the future health and success of downtown, Transit, pedestrian paths, and bikeways can Mid-island, and year-round and seasonal help integrate the two areas by providing easy residents require that Nantucket move on and connections and shrinking the actual and evolve. If islanders are to overcome the current perceived distances. challenges, they must continue to honor and respect the past by maintaining the island’s Nantucket can create a new model for small physical continuity and to embrace the future towns across the country facing similar by building on the past. Th ey cannot be afraid challenges by using the design tools that to change. made it internationally famous, coupled with thoughtful marketplace management. Th e model should address how design looks, feels, and functions; what retail and civic services it supplies; and how visitors access and circulate in downtown.

18 An Advisory Services Panel Report Question 2(B)

Given the high real estate values, what stra- cost situations. Financial dependency can be tegies can be used to allow local businesses to created that may be diﬃ cult to sustain when attain and maintain proﬁ tability? the benefactor is no longer present or willing to provide support. “We need a quality experience downtown for residents and tourists,” according to a Nantucket resident interviewed by the panel. Improve Circulation

Th e community can support successful busi- Circulation improvements will enhance down- nesses with zoning restrictions, planned town’s business environment and customer interventions, and thoughtful business edu- experience. Circulation improvements should cation and assistance. Real estate values address parking management, vehicle circu- and commercial rents are likely to remain lation, pedestrian movement, wayﬁ nding, market driven and will determine which and freight movement. Producing and imple- retail, restaurant, and oﬃ ce uses locate menting a parking management strategy that downtown. Th e focus should remain on has both summer and winter components keeping downtown Nantucket vital while will greatly improve conditions for visitors retaining desired businesses. as well as residents and ultimately the downtown businesses. Use Vertical Zoning to Control Future Outcomes Invest in Infrastructure and Services

Some communities use vertical zoning to Investing in the retail environment infra- create a sustainable mix of uses, including structure and maintenance will improve the retail, offi ce, and housing. Vertical zoning opportunity to compete in a challenging busi- generally permits only restaurants or retail ness environment. Place making investments to occupy fi rst-fl oor spaces. Usually, the can vary greatly and can include street furniture, zoning grandfathers existing uses but prohibits public art, and storefront improvements. Th e future nonconforming uses. Over time, the addition of a public art program that emphasizes zoning leads to more active and supportive the local culture and artists can greatly enhance retail and restaurant business zones, while the downtown experience and give locals a offi ce and other nonactive uses move to reason to visit downtown. second or third fl oors. A commitment to high-quality public services, Target Retention Efforts such as trash removal and clean public bath- rooms, sidewalks, and streets, will assist in Planned interventions or targeted retention creating an environment that improves the of a certain business or type of business can opportunity for a successful and competitive play a signifi cant role in maintaining a mix business environment. Funds needed for of local and other businesses. Th is type of these services can be town provided, or some intervention should be considered only when business improvement districts (BIDs) or economic realities are aff ecting the ability of general improvement districts could be created a business to continue operating in changing to enhance town-supported eff orts.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 19 Create a Stakeholder Group can assist in increasing overall profi tability, thus creating a higher probability for retention. Establish a group or individual who focuses on Th is role is often played by the local chambers of downtown’s economic health and vitality while commerce or other local business groups. also being mindful of the needs of residents, visitors, and businesses. Th is entity would be Add Housing responsible for creating events and a climate for business success. Funding such a group or By encouraging development of year-round individual could be town supported, business and income-diverse resident housing in or supported, or some combination. Alternatively, near downtown, Nantucket will add to the a BID or other district could be created to fund long-term viability of the area and improve these eff orts. the opportunity for business success. Nearby residents will aid in supporting economic Invest in Business Support vitality. Th ese residents will assist in animating the streets of downtown and be more likely to Business education, training, and support use local businesses. programs will help retain local businesses. Small business development and support is off ered all across the country. Training programs and technical assistance help a business be more eff ective and effi cient and

The ULI panel and sponsors in front of the Whaling Museum.

20 An Advisory Services Panel Report Question 2(C)

What strategies and opportunities arise from online auction, Web-streamed lectures, seasonality? performances, and demonstrations. Initially, this event could be tied to the Christmas With “downtime” after the high season Stroll and pitched as an opportunity to “Buy ranging from eight to nine months, down- Nantucket” for the holidays. It could even town Nantucket needs to off er activities and include on-site packaging and shipping from services that attract islanders and break up the island proprietors. Once established the long winter months. Th ese activities use in the off -season, and with the creation of downtown’s infrastructure (buildings, meeting more gathering space in downtown, this places, and sense of place) and bring the year- event could be presented during the high round population’s talents and achievements season as well, thereby giving local artisans downtown. With many businesses shuttered, access to the island’s strongest consumer and tourism, the primary economic driver, market—tourists and summer residents. in hibernation, downtown can use two strategies to sustain cultural and economic Create the “Taste of Nantucket” vitality and refocus the district on the needs At the opening and close of the high season, of year-round residents. downtown could be the site for an on-street food fair. Th is event could highlight locally grown Diversify the Economy produce and prepared products, including food contests, cooking demonstrations, tours Th is sounds like a mighty challenge, but it can to local farms, and home-gardening lectures; begin with small steps. Th e more downtown it could feature some of the higher-end diversifi es its economy with new ideas and downtown restaurants in a more aff ordable, activities, the more relevance downtown will “food bites” sort of way. Th e eff ect of the event gain for year-round islanders. Th e following could be extended by creating an online (and ideas are simple steps that could begin to print) sales opportunity for the collected food diversify downtown’s economy. All three products featured during the event. Vinegar of these ideas could be promoted through a makers, chocolatiers, jam producers, bakers, “Made in Nantucket” campaign, similar to and others could be included under an um- the “Handmade in America” campaign in brella “Nantucket Treats” Web catalogue. North Carolina, to highlight the island’s arts, products, and talented workforce. Organize Educational Programs Promote Nantucket’s Cottage Downtown organizations could organize and Arts-and-Crafts Industry host extracurricular and vocational education programs that lead to high-value jobs based on Many local artisans do not have a retail venue the traditional trades and current professional from which to show and sell their products. needs of the island. Preservation carpentry, Downtown in the off -season would be an sustainable landscape design and maintenance, ideal place to host an event that invites Nan- fi nancial planning, culinary training, server tucket artisans to display and demonstrate and hospitality training for summer workers, their talents. “Off -season pricing” may organic gardening (and Master Gardener off er an opportunity to sell to islanders as certifi cation), marine mechanics, traditional well. Th e event could be Webcast, with an boatbuilding, and many more courses could

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 21 The Dreamland Theatre, be developed and conducted downtown Create a Skating Rink converted to a motion during the off -season, using local talent for picture facility in the curriculum development and downtown If weather permits, convert an underused 1920s, is currently closed venues for classroom and fi eldwork. Arranging parking lot into a simple temporary skating for renovations. It has for continuing education credits or other rink somewhere in downtown. Th e parking served a number of certifi cate relationships with colleges and lot could be fl ooded and benches moved to roles in the community, universities could attract more participation. the location. Live or recorded music could including as a place of be brought to the site, and vendors could be assembly and earlier in Create Wintertime Events licensed to provide hot beverages and snacks. the 20th century as a Even if the rink is open only during the day- hall for the Improved for Islanders light hours for a couple of weekends, it would Order of the Redman. give people a reason to stretch their legs and Downtown is too beautiful to be abandoned come downtown. in the off -season. Organizers need to continue to create or expand events that encourage Sponsor a Frozen 5K islanders to come down and explore. If businesses are not open, organizers should Th e downtown management organizations create opportunities for entrepreneurs to sell could sponsor a Frozen 5K and Fun Run that in other ways during the event. During the begins and ends downtown, with music, panel’s interview, one resident said, “We need hot drinks, and prizes from local businesses. physical and cultural revitalization down- Knitted scarves or fi shermen’s caps could be town. Th ere used to be band nights on the given out instead of T-shirts! waterfront, street fairs, all sorts of activities Hold Public Events and Tours that have stopped. I miss seeing young people downtown—that’s what makes a place alive, Additional activities could include a children’s and we don’t have that anymore.” scavenger hunt, perhaps around Valentine’s

22 An Advisory Services Panel Report Day or St. Patrick’s Day. Off -season historic Timing house and garden tours, similar to those currently produced by the Nantucket Historical Short-term (six to 12 months) action items Association, would provide opportunities for include the following: locals to experience what visitors do without • all the crowds. Host the Frozen 5K for New Year’s 2010. Hold a Downtown History Walk • Outline possible ideas and events for vocational and lifelong learning programming, Reintroduce the community to the sights and and identify events partnerships. sounds, the architecture and the human stories behind the island’s history by producing a Midterm (12 to 24 months) action items include weekend historic walking tour of downtown. the following: Using school students to research and present • Promote lifelong learning programs in the history of the buildings and other landmarks downtown. will bring their families downtown. Employing the local theater community to develop strolling • Plan and present Taste of Nantucket. characters, perform small vignettes, and serve as period-costumed tour guides is another • Design and conduct Downtown Historic way to engage the community in both creating Tours off-season. and participating in the event. Any of these • Add additional downtown, off-season events ideas would benefi t from partners in the arts for families. and education communities. Musicians could perform. Actors could reenact life at the historic Th e following are long-term (24 months or house museums. Schoolchildren’s projects more) action items: could be displayed during the events. • Increase curriculum offerings for the lifelong Events and educational programming require learning program; consider job placement a huge commitment of time, a sizable infusion follow-on program. of funds, and lots of volunteer involvement. Specifi c resources for these types of programs • Offer repeat events that are popular; create can include the chamber of commerce events new events that fit the season and downtown. committee, downtown management staff , nonprofi t arts organizations, and philanthropies with intersecting interests. Funding sources could include dedicated revenue from BIDs, lodging taxes, and other public sector sources or sponsorship funds, collateral products, and staff .

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 23 Question 3

What are the barriers to coming to downtown panel’s recommendations are made in the and how do we get around them? Other absence of important data. Th e panel, however, than the airport, the delivery systems for believes that with concerted community people, cars, goods, and fuel all originate action, these transportation issues can be in the downtown district. Are there ways effectively addressed. to capitalize on that infl ux to enhance the downtown area? Are there ways to manage Recognizing and Understanding the the seasonal peak capacity issues—traffi c, parking, and pedestrian fl ow—to mitigate Barriers to Travel Downtown the impacts of those delivery systems on the “Automobiles have taken over Nantucket,” environment and the downtown infrastructure a resident told the panel. Unmanaged parking and economy? During the last 12 months, a results in competition for limited parking transportation plan and downtown parking that in turn creates traffi c congestion and garage have been debated in town, a down- frustrates customers and residents. Employees town bus stop is being tested, and Zipcars and business owners take curbside parking have been considered by a nonprofi t. What spots fi rst thing in the morning, leaving other ideas can Nantucket explore to creatively visitors and customers to hunt for the few solve transportation issues and concerns in an remaining spaces. Th is situation creates environmentally sensitive way? unnecessary extra circulation and confl icts Th e island’s physical transportation capacity with pedestrians and cyclists. Congestion is is essentially fixed. During summer, it is compounded by vehicles dropping off and strained to its limits. In this historic island picking up ferry passengers at the docks. Ferry setting, expanding that physical capacity is traffi c coming to the island is then hampered unreasonable and inappropriate. Accordingly, in moving through town and to other parts of the island faces the stark choice of either the island, even though relatively few cars and limiting the number of people and vehicles trucks embark or disembark. downtown or achieving more effi cient traffi c Access to downtown for people walking or movements. One resident told the panel, “Th e riding bikes is variously unsafe and uncertain. island has outgrown its infrastructure.” Th ey have simply too little space to pass without Currently, signifi cant barriers prevent travel impeding vehicle fl ow and each other because downtown from other parts of the island, such of lack of adequate sidewalk width and, in some as real and perceived traffi c congestion, too places, no sidewalk at all. Similarly, despite little parking, pedestrian/vehicle confl icts, good provision of bike paths elsewhere on the bicycle/vehicle confl icts, and surges caused by island, no dedicated routes exist for cyclists ferry arrivals and departures. around or out of downtown. Limits on transit service make public transit less appealing for Although traffi c circulation has been studied, some residents and visitors. largely in the context of ferry operations, data about parking demand are insuffi cient Th e entire downtown has very poor accessi- for both downtown employees and visitors. bility for people with disabilities because of Consequently, analyzing the eff ectiveness of excessively uneven and frequently narrow potential solutions is diffi cult at present. Th e sidewalks and inadequate ramping. Down-

24 An Advisory Services Panel Report town does not comply with either the spirit Hourly counts of vehicles parking should be A corner in the town pro- or the letter of Americans with Disabilities done during the summer season, the shoulder vides a tableau of island Act requirements. season, and the dead of winter. Th ese counts forms, including cobble- will establish the range of demand. During the stones, brick pavers, Th ese signifi cant barriers frustrate islanders and peak season, counts across the day from 7 a.m. picket fences, old street limit downtown’s economic potential. However, to 10 p.m. would be best to capture the full range trees, traditional homes the panel sees ways that many of these barriers of activity. When counting, noting the length of converted for commercial could be overcome through strong management time each vehicle is parked is extremely useful. A use, and the ever-present that achieves greater effi ciencies. portion of the license plate number of the vehicle parking issues. Because occupying a given space during each observation the panel visited during October, the summer Overcoming the Barriers period should be noted, which allows the turn- parking craze was not in over rate to be determined. Th ese recommendations are listed in order of full effect; nonetheless, priority and should not be taken in isolation. Th e survey should determine the number of the issue of downtown Th ey are interdependent and in many ways rely employees working downtown by time of parking was evident. on one another. day and, if possible, survey them to learn their commuting patterns (e.g., how they get to Gather Data to Provide Baseline work, by what route, what time of day, and, if Information for Decisions driving, where they park). Identifying employee parking demand is an essential element of Good data about the number of people down- understanding parking patterns. town and their travel habits are imperative. Th e panel recommends a collaborative eff ort Th e study should identify and evaluate speci- by the town, chamber of commerce, and fi c measures to alleviate parking problems, other downtown organizations to achieve a including options to manage employee parking, comprehensive inventory of legal on-street and to provide remote parking, and to charge for off -street parking spaces throughout downtown parking. Th e study could suggest an overall and in neighborhoods aff ected by downtown assessment of transit market opportunities parking. Both public and private spaces should for access to downtown and to other island be inventoried. Map this information block by destinations to determine what appropriate block. Legal spaces should be numbered to assist types of service would be (and then to consider in the analysis of parking use. how to fund them).

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 25 Additional parking analysis could include sur- employee vehicle removed from downtown veying customers to learn about their patterns parking, up to six customer vehicles could be (e.g., where they park, how many persons in accommodated during the daily business hours. the vehicle, when they arrive, how long they For instance, relocating 50 employee vehicles stay downtown). Selected observations could would enable approximately 300 additional be done to determine how many vehicles customer vehicles to park downtown each downtown at any one time are simply hunting day, which in turn would result in more than for parking and how long they take to fi nd an 600 additional shoppers and visitors. Th is open space. Findings from those observations substantial increase in customer accessibility could suggest the degree of benefi t available in should assist the bottom line of local business. terms of reduced congestion, time saved, and Reducing the need to hunt for parking minimizes lowered energy consumption were parking to circulating traffi c and improves traffi c fl ow. work better. Employees must be given realistic and conven- Although the most recent study of downtown ient parking alternatives. Such options may and ferry traffi c off ered some interesting sug- include satellite parking lots within walking gestions to improve operations, broadening the distance or accessible by dedicated and frequent scope to create a peak-season transportation shuttles. Th e recently expanded elementary management strategy could be helpful. Such a school lot in Mid-island would be an ideal study could address the degree to which ferry location during the summer season. traffi c increases congestion (and thereby indicate Review Spaces for Taxis how much improvement would occur were and Local Businesses the ferry landing located outside downtown); could evaluate other seasonal management Th e panel recommends reviewing the current actions, such as selective turn restrictions or spaces allocated for taxis and local businesses. limited street closures (for segments of Main One option may be to charge for parking, at Street, for example); and could compare benefi ts least during peak season. Paid parking could from parking management and transit service increase turnover and generate revenue to changes. In short, a comprehensive assessment support satellite parking shuttles and other of the causes of congestion, a clear defi nition of initiatives. Paid parking can be instituted with the transportation problems, and an evaluation little or no physical hardware. Payment tech- of coordinated actions to tackle the problems niques such as pay stations that can be affi xed would provide a higher level of information for to a building wall or even a prepaid disk placed the town to consider than it has enjoyed so far. on a dashboard off er compatibility with a historic downtown. Much good work has been done, and that work should be used as the foundation for follow-up Th e panel estimates that parking revenue studies. Some additional technical analysis could exceed $300,000 just for the summer is essential, especially concerning parking peak season, based on parking statistics given and transit. More important, however, the to the panel. Revenues could be used to fund transportation issues need to be articulated in alternative transportation programs. Vigorous the context of the island’s seasonal patterns, enforcement is still necessary to keep the its economy, and its future so that the purpose system working properly but should result in behind specifi c actions and details can be fewer parking citations. readily understood and debated. Improve Transit Service Develop an Employee Parking Management Program Th e panel recommends exploring more frequent peak-season transit service and, potentially, An eff ective employee parking management year-round transit service. Th e panel heard a program will free spaces for shoppers. For every great deal of island support for this concept.

26 An Advisory Services Panel Report Short term, the Nantucket Regional Transit Connect Downtown to the Inner-Island The ferry terminal, where Authority (Th e Shuttle) should consider re- Bike Paths thousands of visitors structuring routes to minimize transfers and disembark during the make most effi cient use of existing vehicles. Th e proposed Washington Street bike path ex- summer season, is asso- Options for using newer, accessible, smaller tension should be pursued. It is an important ciated with an influx of vehicles that are quieter, cleaner, and more safety issue that should be ranked highly among downtown traffic creating energy effi cient should be examined. Nantucket’s the various bicycle network priorities. Similar problems for islanders, public transit ideally could be all electric. actions should be taken to improve pedestrian seasonal residents, and connections to downtown, especially from visitors alike. Manage Ferry Pick-up/Drop-off Operations Mid-island. Downtown quayside walks should Centralizing ferry passenger pick-up/drop-off be widened along the waterfront and to the activities at a specifi c location could reduce ferries. Th e panel recommends relaying the downtown congestion and improve the arrival most damaged and uneven surfaces throughout experience. Th e town lot could serve this downtown immediately to address basic safety function during peak season if supported by and accessibility. Cobbles and sidewalks should frequent shuttles. be maintained, not replaced.

One option could be to modify police control, Consider Creative Choices for Truck Traffic allowing the 60 or fewer vehicles arriving Creative, long-term solutions for congestion on the ferry to proceed in convoy without from truck traffi c leaving the ferry will help interruption over four or fi ve minutes. Th is expedited, prioritized fl ow should reduce the resolve this issue. Th e panel encourages the duration of ferry traffi c congestion. Currently, stakeholders to implement measures to soften police provide manual traffi c control over the curves on Orange and Washington streets. Addi- Fourth of July holiday; this service could be tionally, truck services could be transitioned extended across the summer, especially for to use an island-appropriate size of truck that the noon boat. could more easily navigate streets and cause less damage. Th is option may face legislative hurdles Implement the March 2008 Ferry Access and concerns about operating cost. Th e terminus Study Recommendations of the Steamship Authority’s ferry could be Th e panel endorses the recommendations of the relocated so that vehicles do not have to pass March 2008 Ferry Access Study and encourages through downtown and the narrowest streets. their implementation. Th is would include Th is change was previously considered and reversing traffi c fl ow on Oak Street. should be kept open as a future possibility.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 27 Encourage Car Sharing should be examined ﬁ rst in light of the varying needs year-round. A garage represents an Car sharing should be explored as an option inelastic solution to an elastic problem and is for seasonal visitors and year-round residents. not an appropriate option for the island. Car sharing would reduce the total number of vehicles needing to park in and near the In summary, all transportation solutions for downtown core. Encouraging all seasonal downtown need to be considered in light of the residents to car share could reduce the number markets they serve. Th is would be especially of vehicles left parked on street through the true for an expensive item like a parking garage. winter. Island-appropriate rental cars could Operating transportation services is like any also be stipulated to maintain a mix of vehicles other business: you need to know who your better suited to local conditions. customers are, what they need, and how best to deliver those services. Be Wary of Building a Parking Garage Downtown Adopt Environmentally Sensitive Options

A parking garage has been suggested as a Given the island’s growing sustainability acti- possible solution to downtown parking vity, short distances, and low traffi c speeds, problems. Even if a garage would help address the panel recommends considering investing the problem, it would be a disproportionate in electric buses. Th ese would be the cleanest, solution to a problem that lasts only two or quietest transportation option available and three months a year. Garages are extremely allow Nantucket to consider locally generated, expensive to construct and also very expensive renewable power sources. Electric buses are to operate, especially if underused, because the generally smaller and therefore more suited for fi xed operating costs do not vary with demand. use in a historic district. Nantucket should also A parking structure would likely need to be consider the use of smaller, more effi cient taxis, built above grade because of the high water given the prevalence of taxis as a transportation table, so it would become one of the largest mode on the island. Improving bicycle and buildings on the island. Wrapping a garage with pedestrian facilities will support and encourage other uses would simply make the proposed existing eff orts and should minimize future building even larger. energy consumption.

Just as with traﬃ c signals, a garage can be a piece of urban hardware inappropriate to the historic setting. Th e panel believes strongly that other less intrusive and more ﬂ exible solutions

28 An Advisory Services Panel Report Question 4

Can you help us identify big ideas or potential plan includes both events that gather the projects and opportunities that can be targeted community and programs that help promote over the next ten years to strengthen downtown’s goods and services throughout the year. economic, social, and environmental future? And help us understand the pros and cons. Marketing the district. Whether people visit downtown or not, the manager needs to Big Idea 1: Invest in Marketplace communicate the downtown’s virtues and “personality” to residents, visitors, and Management downtown employees.

“Why invest in a community that won’t Managing systems. Some downtown manage- invest in itself?” a resident asked the panel. ment organizations take on the responsibility As mentioned previously, downtowns are of managing systems such as parking, main- ecosystems composed of a mix of uses, archi- tenance, or visitor services. tecture, circulation, and people. Downtowns have their own personality and demands. Monitoring and tracking the details. Th e “facts and fi gures” of downtown are truly limitless. Downtowns around the country have come Th e manager’s offi ce needs to be the repository to understand that they need to be managed. of information that explains the district and its Th ey need to be marketed and promoted with businesses, properties, open spaces, parking special events and other eff orts that attract spaces, special features, and programs. specifi c consumer groups. Th eir business mix Funding Options needs to be relevant to the target consumers and operated with the highest standards. Th ey As in shopping centers, marketplace manage- need to be well maintained, accessible, and safe. ment requires fi nancial and operational support. Hire a Marketplace Manager Many organizational models are available. Th e most common include Th e panel has recommended many programs, initiatives, and ideas for the community’s Business Improvement Districts. Also known consideration. To accomplish even a few of as special improvement districts or community them and to achieve lasting success, Nantucket improvement districts, BIDs are usually formed needs a downtown marketplace manager. by a self-directed property tax assessment. Th ey provide funding, staff , board leadership, and a Th e marketplace manager is, at a minimum, one plan of work to manage downtown. professional with support staff who focuses attention on improving and maintaining the Voluntary downtown organizations. Many economic health and vitality of downtown on districts are managed by a nonprofi t organization behalf of residents, visitors, businesses, and supported by voluntary contributions of all the property owners. Th e manager’s activities often downtown stakeholders, including businesses, include the following: property owners, cultural institutions, and local government. Voluntary support is inherently Creating and producing events. Not every more diffi cult to raise and maintain, but it is event in downtown is intended to “ring the often the way that a community gets started cash register.” A good downtown management with marketplace management.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 29 The protected Nantucket Downtown development authorities. In • Create the leadership board and begin to heathlands provide habi- many states, local communities are able to identify the vision, mission, and goals and tat for a wide variety create special taxing districts or tax increment objectives for the management group. of plants and animals. fi nancing districts that direct the revenue • Approximately 60 per- Select a funding mechanism and begin the specifi cally to downtown-related activities. cent of Nantucket, a process of securing support. Board representation and project limitations are 50-square-mile island, • Create job descriptions and begin the search is protected by private often written into the state enabling legislation process for a marketplace manager. conservation groups, the or the local bylaw creating the downtown town of Nantucket, and development authority. Midterm (12 to 24 months) action items include the Nantucket Islands the following: Land Bank Commission. Direct town funding. Some cities and towns The land bank is one of include marketplace management in the • Complete the process of securing funding. the nation’s leading mod- municipal budget and hire and direct the • Secure office space in the downtown district, els for land preservation management staff from town hall. preferably in a second-story location. programs based on a real Downtown Nantucket is blessed with an estate transfer tax. • Launch the marketplace office. extraordinary building stock; a truly unique, historic waterfront environment; and an image • Work the work plan. that is not only well-established, but known Long-term (24 months or more) action items worldwide. Th ese assets form a foundation include the following: for marketplace management that few other downtowns possess and many would envy. • Continue to work the plan. Most downtowns have created marketplace • Annually review and update the work plan. management organizations with far fewer downtown assets and very little funding. Big Idea 2: Evolve the Land Bank Timing “Nantucket needs to move from open-space Short-term (six to 12 months) action items preservation to community preservation,” a include the following: resident told the panel. Th e Nantucket Islands Land Bank is a land conservation program • Investigate models of downtown manage- created to acquire, hold, and manage impor- ment organizations and staffing profiles. tant open spaces and landscapes on the island.

30 An Advisory Services Panel Report By every account, the land bank has been the challenges facing Nantucket have changed Folgers Marsh, located phenomenally successful. Th anks to the dramatically since 1983. By evolving the pro- near the Nantucket combined eﬀ orts of the Nantucket Conservation gram to support community preservation, Shipwreck & Lifesaving Foundation, the Nantucket Land Council, the Nantucket may create a new national model. Museum, typifies the Sconset Trust, and other local, state, and national Changing the transfer tax will undoubtedly natural beauty extant on conservation organizations, over 60 percent require both local and state legislation, but no most of the island. of the island is now in public or nonproﬁ t other program is likely to generate as much ownership and only 8.8 percent of land is still revenue to help solve critical local problems. open to development.

Given this extraordinary level of success, the Big Idea 3: The Nantucket Institute panel believes that now is the time to consider Nantucket needs to come together as a com- broadening the mission of the land bank from munity to accomplish two important things. open-space preservation to community preser- First, it should capitalize on Nantucket’s vation. Although the open-space preservation leadership in historic preservation, con- agenda is not complete, it is reaching a point servation, and tourism. Second, it should of diminishing returns. Other pressing issues are now threatening the character and vitality organize community discourse around issues of the island. Th e panel encourages Nantucket of present and future need, including energy to seriously consider either enhancing the real independence, economic diversity, and estate transfer tax or expanding the focus of community sustainability. the current income stream from open-space Given the island’s wealth of ideas, experience, preservation to community preservation. Sup- and talent, the panel recommends that Nan- ported activities could include construction of tucket create the “Nantucket Institute.” workforce housing, creation of civic spaces, Nantucket has a rich historical connection downtown revitalization, waterfront access to literature, intellectual discourse, and great improvements, and other community activities, oratory. Downtown could be an ideal location including those for children. to host a series of community discussions and Th e Nantucket Islands Land Bank is a national think tanks on issues of community and global model that responded to an acute community interest. With the proper logistical and ﬁ nancial need when it was conceptualized and founded. support, the institute could undertake a series Communities throughout the nation now use of weekend-long or longer seminars, workshops, development to pay for preservation. However, study groups, tours, and hands-on programming.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 31 Program Topics • Conferences with off-island and island experts discussing the issues; Institute-sponsored programs should explore issues with relevance to Nantucket and other • Public forums to flesh out the issues communities. Topics should intersect with and opportunities as they play out for technological innovation, which could be a islanders today; signifi cant component of the design of the • events. For instance, a weeklong program on Hands-on workshops to acquaint students, historic preservation could include looking at families, and even college students in the new preservation technologies in use or needed techniques to address each issue; to move the discipline forward. Th e following • Community gatherings with thematic or list off ers some other potential topics. social focus; Historic preservation. How can “living mu- • Reading groups in advance of the weeklong seums” like Nantucket better preserve, inter- program, such as “Island Reads”; pret, and promote themselves in the face of the demands of modern, in this case island, life? • Films, exhibits, and performances that explore the theme; Sustainability. What technologies and options are required to maintain diversity and protect • Speeches and debates, including school the long-term viability of communities, not student participation; and just ecologically, but also socially, culturally, and economically? • Web and print products that are promoted both on and off island to help build the repu- Conservation. Nantucket is in the forefront of tation of the institute and create demand for land conservation. What is on the horizon for a future programs. community that has already conserved the land it can, has embedded values of recycling and Goals for the Institute composting into the local culture, and recognizes Th ink small in a big way! Th e institute idea the fragility of the environment in which it fi nds does not have to be fully formed to be tested. itself? And how can the “Nantucket lessons” help Interested leaders could take any one of these other communities around the country and the topics, or others, and brainstorm about the globe fi nd their own solutions? variety of issues, activities, off -island par- Aquacultural and agricultural stewardship. ticipants, and interested local stakeholder Sustainability involves the protection and groups to begin with just one one-weekend enhancement of the food supply. What does or fi ve-day institute. With the lessons learned Nantucket already know—and what does it need from one program, others can emerge. Th rough- to know—to be a better supplier of local needs out, the institute’s goals should be to and to help sustain and enhance two important • Reprogram downtown for more vitality in the economic alternatives to tourism? off-season; Types of Programs • Engage islanders in thinking and interacting Each edition of the Nantucket Institute should about Nantucket’s future; and be convened downtown—in the Atheneum; at • the Whaling Museum and other historic house Position Nantucket as the center of thought museums; in coff ee shops, storefronts, and on these and other issues for the region, the restaurants; on the wharves, in the streets, and nation, and perhaps the world. in the future, at Dreamland and new downtown Timing gathering places. With private, nonprofi t, and public sector partnerships, any of these Short-term (six to 12 months) action items “conversations” could include include the following:

32 An Advisory Services Panel Report • Identify top institute topics, and outline government-subsidized housing, and initiatives elements, speakers, activities, outcomes, to recycle housing on town land as aﬀ ordable and communications. rentals. Despite current government eﬀ orts, more aggressive programs are needed to • Secure commitments from speakers, venues, address immediate and future housing needs. sponsors, and the like. Housing issues should be addressed with greater • Test the first Nantucket Institute–type immediacy. More coordinated action by the program in fall 2009. town government and the voting community is the key. • Publish findings in winter 2010. Housing Issues Midterm (12 to 24 months) action items include During interviews with the panel, islanders the following: expressed concern about many housing issues, • Flesh out additional institute topics. including the following key concerns:

• Conduct one institute annually. • Lack of suitable sites for affordable and workforce housing developments; • Publish findings 90 days after each event. • Intense pressures and little hope of home- Th e following are long-term (24 months or ownership for young families and essential more) action items: professionals who must work multiple jobs just to afford rent; • Expand the institute’s influence and reach. • The need to move many times in one year • Consider creating a permanent, physical, because of seasonal rent rates; and downtown home for the institute. • The growing stream of people forced to leave Big Idea 4: Prioritize Workforce the island because they are unable to afford Housing living there; the subsequent drain on skills, talent, and personal contributions to the “In four years I’ve rented ten places—I Nantucket community; and the high cost of constantly have to move my family around with replacing lost essential skills and talents. no hope of owning our own home,” an islander A concerned resident told the panel, “It’s explained to the panel. Nantucket islanders are damaging our economy as well as our com- well aware of the intense pressure to provide munity. We hire and train people in services workforce housing. Th e existing housing stock but then lose them off -island as soon as they is not adequate to meet a large and growing can leave because there’s no way they can demand. Economic stability depends on the aff ord to stay.” A key success factor for vibrant island’s ability to develop viable short- and downtowns worldwide is a year-round com- long-term solutions for both the seasonal and munity of residents actively engaged with their year-round workforce. As the ReMain briefi ng surroundings and with one another. book identifi ed, “Th e lack of aff ordable housing for middle- and low-income residents as well Housing Opportunities as seasonal workers is arguably the single most critical issue facing Nantucket.” Downtown Nantucket off ers many opportunities to create attainable housing for year- Th e Nantucket Housing Authority and the round residents. Creating new housing Nantucket Housing Offi ce have both imple- downtown could help remedy one resident’s mented programs that address some immediate complaint that, “In winter we are left with a housing issues, including aff ordable housing dark island, but I love to see the lights on—it’s covenants through zoning amendments, magical.” Housing development can help create

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 33 that magic. Th e panel encourages Nantucket to take the following steps to help resolve the housing crisis:

Invest in new housing. The panel recommends significant investment in and support for several new multifamily, income-diverse developments prioritized for year-round islanders. Despite universal praise for the Abram’s Quarry development from its residents and other islanders, all express considerable consternation that development completion took more than seven years. With the lessons learned from this project, the housing authority should be able to accelerate and proactively support future projects.

Proactively use downtown housing. In the short term, the panel recommends creating a program to convert the underused upper ﬂ oors of existing structures into residential space. In the longer term, the panel recommends including housing in the new waterfront neighborhood. Including housing in the neighborhood will increase downtown’s year-round population and consequently reenergize its wintertime economy and vitality.

Seek out best practices. Many mountain communities responded to land value and scar- city issues similar to Nantucket’s with multi- faceted, aggressive housing programs that address short-term rentals and long-term owner-occupied units. Nantucket can learn from best practices pioneered by places such as Aspen/Pitkin County, Colorado; Jackson Hole/ Teton County, Wyoming; and Breckenridge/ Summit County, Colorado. The examination of urban form in the town of Nantucket Accelerate existing plans for the Community is an exercise in geometry. In these views from the Housing Bank Act. Nantucket’s proposal town, downtown, and street levels, the street, parcel, and for a Community Housing Bank Act impressed building elements establish the structure and identity the panel. Th e proposed 1 percent seller-paid of the town as a compact modified grid that is formal fee on real estate transactions over $2 million near the harbor and more organic and unrefined at the will provide signiﬁ cant revenue to acquire, fringe. The source of the panel’s recommendations for construct, maintain, and support aﬀ ordable establishing a new neighborhood near the harbor housing. However, concern exists about is based on the more formal grid pattern. Proposed the several years’ delay in getting enabling block size, building mass, and street dimensions legislation passed. A priority for all housing are consistent with protecting the historic architecture bodies should be swift cooperation and and landscape of Nantucket Island.

34 An Advisory Services Panel Report concerted action to deliver this critical Design Principles program. Th e waterfront neighborhood should streng- Coordinate employer-owned housing. Better then the connection between downtown and cooperation among employers, particularly the waterfront, respect the building size of those with varying seasonal patterns, could blocks that form downtown’s historic fabric, help create shared solutions to provide acknowledge the seafaring and industrial his- seasonal housing. tory of the site, use sustainable development practices, and consolidate landownership to Gather data to empower good decisions. Data create greater development potential. collection will help ensure that key decisions are made on the basis of accurate information. Th e panel believes that residents who choose Data should be gathered around themes that to live in this neighborhood will experience a include housing, transit, and parking. Housing fundamental change in behavior and will reduce data should include the number of units and their car use. Th e panel did not design the units their location, condition, and ownership. in this neighborhood as typical Nantucket seasonal units. Th is new neighborhood will be Big Idea 5: A New Waterfront a diﬀ erent sort of residential area, and not all units will have dedicated oﬀ -street parking. Neighborhood As noted previously, a substantially improved public transit/bus system and shuttle between Th e panel recommends that a new waterfront remote parking and downtown will be required. neighborhood be considered for the area currently occupied by the National Grid site, the Grand Union supermarket, and the adjacent parking area. Th e panel envisions a traditional neighborhood that respects the town’s historical and functional fabric and provides workforce and rental housing and new civic space. Th e neighborhood’s civic space can serve as the “locus” for the Nantucket Institute and other educational opportunities.

Th is neighborhood’s 200 or more units should include a mix of rental and for-sale units. Th ese could be either for year-round or seasonal workers, students, or visitors to the institute. Th e panel does not think this site is appropriate for standard seasonal rental units.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 35

The panel considered

E A

three options for the lay- S Y

out of the new waterfront T

neighborhood. The final E version suggested by T the panel incorporates NA a smaller town green adjacent to Main Street. WHARF ST RTH ST The new neighborhood OLD NO T STRAIGHT WHARF OL REE incorporates many of the ST DOCK W IDGE STILL CA MBR existing design compo- CA M

nents that are emblematic CO of Nantucket, including UN SA on-street parking, a com- DO EA pact nonrectilinear grid, MAIN STREET NEW WH CA and other architectural SO SOUTH WHARF OA features consistent with OLD SO

ET A 19th-century design. A SALEM STRE IN L E CO key component of the S T R NO design is to establish E E M upper-level housing in T

a variety of rental and C A

N condominium formats. D L E The panel suggested a

T conceptual building pro- R E E AL WHARF gram with 200 or more T dwelling units. COMMERCI

W STREET ASH IN G T U ON COMMERCIAL N

I S

O T R N E

E S T

T T E E TR S FIN COF

Conceptual Building Program: A New Waterfront Neighborhood

Existing Proposed Consolidated Site 4.3 acres Civic Park 0.5 acre Parking 130 spaces Income-Diverse Housing 200+ units Grocery 8,000 square feet Civic Space 5,000 square feet Retail 1,500 square feet Retail and Restaurant 18,000 square feet Industrial and Fuel Storage 1.5 acres Grocery 12,000 square feet Community Center 12,000 square feet Parking 141 spaces

36 An Advisory Services Panel Report A bird’s-eye perspective of the proposed new waterfront neighborhood for Nantucket.

Perspectives of the new waterfront neighborhood detailing mixed-use buildings, traditional architecture, and the vital but restrained town square.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 37 Question 5

Is there a role for philanthropy in enhancing As convener, a philanthropic entity can serve or creating an economically, socially, and as the best agency to gather the needed parties environmentally sustainable downtown? What because it has no perceived economic agenda are possible public/private partnerships and or partisan interest. In similar fashion, an opportunities for collaborations to strengthen independent, philanthropic “keeper of the list” the future of downtown Nantucket? can monitor agreed actions and bring failures to appropriate public attention. Philanthropic “Th ere’s a catch-22; the island benefi ts from entities can also provide modest capital to start the great philanthropy of some visitors, which various programs that require funding to get off is hugely generous and well intentioned but the ground and achieve self-suffi ciency. inevitably changes the dynamic on the island. We risk becoming dependent on it. What would Public/Private Partnerships we do if they [the philanthropists] left?” Th e panel cautions the community against depending Th e sponsor asked the panel to comment on the on private generosity to address matters of broad applicability of public/private partnerships as community interest and responsibility. Factors a means of implementing downtown programs as diverse as the state of the general economy, and opportunities. Partnerships between changing social priorities, or donor views can private sector entities and public agencies reduce or eliminate philanthropic generosity. are a proven way to implement complex In such situations, the community’s fi nancial undertakings and leverage public assets and dependency might contravene common desire. capital. Redevelopment of publicly owned Nonetheless, philanthropy plays an important lands and buildings is perhaps one of the most role in advancing the panel’s suggestions and common and proven uses of this relationship programs. Private charitable sources can “seed” structure. Th e panel encourages forming programs and eff orts. Th e community can use public/private partnerships to address a task private foundations to bring key parties together as varied and complicated as any: redevelop- to dialogue and monitor the progress of adopted ment of the harbor district. Many existing programs. A philanthropic entity can serve as models of such relationships exist throughout both the convener and the “keeper of the action the United States, and these can be identifi ed list” for any particular topic or program. as specifi c projects and needs arise and used as models for implementation.

38 An Advisory Services Panel Report Conclusion

n Moby Dick, Melville writes “Nantucket! Th e success of this vision will require bold Take out your map and look at it. See what moves and dedicated leadership. Th e public a real corner of the world it occupies.” In- and private sectors of Nantucket must work I deed, the first impression of the town is one together to execute important action plans to of a quaint and charming village surrounded by achieve the ideals envisioned for the island. a beautiful natural landscape that is unparalleled Bold does not mean foolish, nor does it mean on the East Coast. Great strides in the national achieving unconditional consensus for each historic preservation and downtown revitaliza- initiative or individual development proposal. tion movements have their roots in the work be- Community leaders must listen to a diverse set gun on Nantucket more than 50 years ago. But of stakeholders and formulate actions that are in as the panel realized, beneath this exterior, the the community’s best interest. Routine moves downtown is troubled. Although the backdrop are also important. Th e day-to-day nuts and is enticing to visitors, the islanders and seasonal bolts of eﬀ ective, responsive collaboration of residents think that more and more downtown municipal management with the private sector has a certain “museum” feel. will make the vision coalesce.

Th e ULI panel suggests that, as in other museums, the collection and exhibits must change to survive. Th e loss of daily activity and human interaction in downtown must be stemmed. Th e panel’s suggestions—the institute, the new neighborhood, downtown management and housing—are an attempt to reintroduce life there. Th e panel also suggests forging a new relationship with the rest of the island that is connective, integrated, and complementary.

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 39 About the Panel

James DeFrancia development economics, real estate, and tourism planning. Projects typically involve fi nancial Panel Chair feasibility analysis, economic impact assessment, Aspen, Colorado redevelopment strategies, business valuation, or market research. Th e company’s resort clients DeFrancia is president of Lowe Enterprises include ski area operators, development interests, Community Development, which provides federal agencies, and local governments. Many development management and advisory recent projects have focused on resort community services on planned communities throughout development issues and commercial revitalization the United States and abroad. DeFrancia is eff orts, including those in Aspen, Telluride, and engaged in residential, commercial, and resort Steamboat Springs, Colorado; Mammoth Lakes, development. He has been involved in real estate California; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Lake Tahoe, development for more than 30 years; prior to Nevada; and McCall, Idaho. that, he served as an offi cer in the U.S. Navy. By way of example, Frick’s current projects A Life Trustee of the Urban Land Institute, include an evaluation of heritage tourism DeFrancia has participated in or chaired initiatives, a revenue enhancement analysis more than 20 Advisory Service Panels helping for Colorado state parks, a feasibility eval- communities and organizations address stra- uation for a new ski resort in British Columbia, tegic issues of land use, development, and a funding analysis for an Aspen-area trans- revitalization. He is a past national director portation authority, and a real estate valuation of the National Association of Home Builders, for a redevelopment site in Vail, Colorado. a former Virginia representative to the Southern Growth Policies Board, and a former member Frick’s views on the future of tourism, recrea- of the board of the Metropolitan Washington tion, and resorts have been quoted in Forbes Airports Authority. He has been a guest lec- magazine, the New York Times, the Journal of turer or panelist for the Bank Lending Institute; the Federal Reserve, SportingNews, USA Today, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy; the Grad- and the Wall Street Journal. He is a frequent uate School of Design, Harvard University; speaker and author on resort development George Mason University; and George Wash- trends and implications. Frick is on the Research ington University. Advisory Board of the Colorado Tourism DeFrancia is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Aca- Organization and is a trustee of the Colorado demy, with postgraduate studies in business Legal Aid Foundation. He has a master’s of and fi nance at the University of Michigan. urban and regional planning from the University of Colorado and bachelor’s degree in political Ford C. Frick science from Colorado College.

Denver, Colorado Betsy Jackson

Frick is a managing director of BBC Research and Ann Arbor, Michigan Consulting, a Denver-based market research and economic consulting fi rm. He directs Jackson is president of Th e Urban Agenda, an the fi rm’s practice in resort and community urban development consulting fi rm located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was president

40 An Advisory Services Panel Report of the International Downtown Association mortgage broker; holds the American Institute (IDA) in Washington, D.C., for four years. IDA of Certifi ed Planners designation; has earned is a nonprofi t professional organization that awards for preservation, industrial, and champions vital and livable urban centers. redevelopment projects; and earned a BA, Before joining IDA in 1997, Jackson was executive University of Texas, and a master of planning, director of the Society for Environmental University of Virginia. Graphic Design. His community and industry involvements She has worked in the fi eld of downtown include adjunct professor of business, Nova revitalization and management for 24 years, Southeastern University MBA Real Estate fi rst as executive director of Jackson Main Program; full member ULI, ULI Florida/ Street, in Jackson, Michigan, and then for Caribbean District Council Executive Com- nine years as program associate and program mittee; ULI Inner City Council; co–vice chair, manager for the National Trust for Historic 2008 ULI Fall Meeting; ULI Advisory Services Preservation’s Main Street Center. panelist; Greater Miami Urban League; and founder of New Urban Development LLC, a Jackson has a master’s degree in urban planning not-for-profi t aff ordable housing company. and a bachelor’s degree in journalism, both from the University of Michigan. Edward McMahon

Michael Maxwell Washington, D.C.

Miami Shores, Florida McMahon holds the Charles Fraser Chair Nationally recognized for achievements as a on Sustainable Development at the Urban developer and workout specialist, Maxwell has Land Institute in Washington, D.C., where spent over 30 years acquiring and developing he is nationally known as an inspiring and nearly $1 billion in real estate assets, primarily thought-provoking speaker and leading in Florida and the Caribbean. authority on topics related to sustainable development, land conservation, urban He is managing partner of Maxwell + Partners, design, and historic preservation. LLC, Miami. Th e fi rm specializes in urban infi ll development and is noted for its in- He is an attorney, community planner, lec- novative project solutions creating new turer, author, and expert on the topics of market opportunities and products. Th e team sustainable development, land conservation, has delivered more than 2 million square growth management, urban design, and feet of mixed-use, offi ce, retail, warehouse/ historic preservation. Before joining ULI in distribution, resort hotel, residential, and 2004, McMahon spent 14 years as vice presi- specialty products. Th e fi rm provides consulting dent and director of land use planning for in market creation for urban redevelopment. Th e Conservation Fund in Arlington, Virginia. As advisers, the fi rm’s participation in work- He is also the cofounder and former president outs, restructures, asset management, con- of Scenic America, a national nonprofi t organi- struction completion, and disposition exceeds zation devoted to protecting America’s scenic $300 million. landscapes. He has organized successful eff orts to acquire and protect urban parkland, wilderness As a developer and adviser, Maxwell is known areas, and other conservation properties. for visioning niche markets, sensitive place making, green/sustainable strategies, Th e author of 15 books and over 150 articles, and exceptional architecture that create McMahon’s latest books are Land Conservation high-value-added commercial and residen- Finance and Better Models for Commercial tial products. A trained architect and urban Development. He also writes a regular column planner, he is a licensed real estate and in Planning Commissioners Journal. Over the

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 41 past 15 years, McMahon has drafted numerous Ross Tilghman local land use plans and ordinances. Seattle, Washington McMahon has an MA in urban studies from the University of Alabama and a JD from Tilghman heads the Tilghman Group, which Georgetown University Law School, where he provides transportation planning services. He taught law and public policy from 1976 to 1985. brings 24 years of urban planning experience. He provides transportation-related revenue Alexandra Notay projections, market studies, planning, and development strategies to government, not- London, United Kingdom for-profi t, and private sector clients facing real Notay is the research director for ULI Europe, estate development challenges. His projects a global not-for-profi t education and research typically involve downtown revitalization, institute that focuses on issues of land use, academic and institutional campus planning, real estate, and urban development. ULI historic district redevelopment, mixed-use Europe’s mission is to provide leadership in projects, special event access, and parking. the responsible use of land and in creating and His recent work includes master plans detailing sustaining thriving communities worldwide. transportation requirements for Th e Evergreen Notay leads on all policy and practice initiatives State College, Olympia, Washington; Gallisteo in Europe. Basin Preserve, New Mexico; and St. Mary’s She holds regular pan-European policy forums College of Maryland, as well as for downtowns on critical issues such as aff ordable housing, in Evansville, Indiana; Natchez, Mississippi; capital markets, planning, and sustainability St. Louis, Missouri; Green Bay, Wisconsin; and and also supports ULI’s growing regional Parker, Colorado. Additionally, he has provided initiatives in the Middle East and India. Her parking studies for numerous municipalities recent publications include Value Capture and conducted transit market studies to identify Finance: Global Practices and Implications for ridership potential for new services in Denver the UK; Social Infrastructure and Sustainable and Los Angeles. Tilghman has also specialized Urban Development: A European Review; and in transportation planning for state capital Bridging the City Investment Gap in Europe. campuses, working with Washington, Iowa, Before joining ULI in 2007, Notay was a civil and Minnesota to improve their access and servant in the Department for Communities parking programs. and Local Government (CLG) and before that, Tilghman served three years as director of a the Offi ce of the Deputy Prime Minister. As downtown business improvement district business manager for CLG’s Regional, Urban in Illinois. He oversaw maintenance, facade and Economic Policy Directorate, she led the improvements, parking, and upper-story business planning and strategic support for redevelopment eff orts in concert with Main key policy streams including UK urban policy, regional development agencies, and ERDF/ Street redevelopment principles. State Aid funding negotiations with the He frequently participates in national resource European Union. panels assisting communities with development Notay holds a BA in international relations questions, including ULI’s Advisory Service (School of African and Asian Studies) from Panels, the Mayor’s Institute on City Design, the University of Sussex and is a registered AIA R/UDAT, and the Ohio Design Assistance Practitioner of PRINCE2 Project Management. Team. Tilghman received an AB, magna cum She is a keen linguist, having studied Arabic, laude, in history, from Washington University French, Japanese, and Spanish, and since 2006 in St. Louis and an MA in geography from the has been a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. University of Washington, Seattle.

42 An Advisory Services Panel Report Gregory A. Weimerskirch coalition includes representation from 27 cities and counties with an aim to develop a regionally Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania preferred transportation plan with locally accepted solutions. Place making—a particular passion of Weimerskirch’s—is at the forefront of his work As Vail’s town manager, Zemler oversees a as a principal of Urban Design Associates (UDA). budget of $42 million and approximately 200 He joined UDA in 1991, successfully forging full-time employees, including the community a bicoastal career that also includes award- information offi cer, fi re chief, police chief, winning work as an art director for Lucas Film, community development director, public works Ltd., and the motion picture and television and transportation director, fi nance director, industries. His interdisciplinary approach and information systems director, and the human experience in art direction enrich UDA’s projects, resources director. especially those of a place-making nature. Before his appointment at the Boulder Chamber As an architect and urban designer, in 1997, Zemler served as acting city manager Weimerskirch is particularly adept at taking for the city of Boulder during a transition traditional architecture and making it relevant period in which he helped the city council to both the context and objectives of a client work through a challenging budget period project while also advancing the strategies, resulting in cuts of $1.5 million. Zemler served design concepts, and techniques to suit a 21st- as deputy city manager for Boulder for fi ve century reality. years and was executive director of the Boulder Urban Renewal Authority from 1995 to 1997, Weimerskirch has contributed his design skills to where he facilitated attempts to redevelop a diverse array of high-profi le projects, including an aging shopping mall and orchestrated Celebration, Florida; Norfolk, Virginia; and development of an urban renewal plan in which Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. His work in fi lm tax increment fi nancing was used for a hotel includes art direction for Star Wars: Episodes project. Previously, he held other positions II and III and the Ellen DeGeneres Show. He with the city of Boulder and was an adjunct recently designed the anchor set for NBC Sports professor at the University of Colorado, College coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics in of Environmental Design. Beijing, China. Stan Zemler

Vail, Colorado

Zemler signed on to become Vail’s town manager in October 2003 and is best known for his strong leadership skills as a consensus builder. He brings 20 years of local leadership experience, having served as the president and chief executive oﬃ cer of the Boulder Chamber of Commerce before arriving in Vail. Zemler’s current focus is to help guide Vail’s expansive redevelopment, which includes public and private investments of more than $1 billion over the next four years. He also has been instrumental in organizing a regional transportation coalition to address congestion and other eﬀ ects along Interstate-70. Th e

Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 13–17, 2008 43

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