Nantucket, MA

In 2021, we moved to Nantucket, where I worked as a Project Manager for Matt MacEachern, Emeritus, Ltd. As project manager, I was the primary point of contact for clients, contractors, structural and civil engineers, and surveyors, I was personally responsible for all drawings and details from conceptual design through construction documents, including preliminary structural framing and foundation plans and details. It was also my responsibility to conduct building code and zoning code analysis, and organize permitting documentation, provide design options, feasibility studies, site visits, existing conditions drawings and interpret design rules in compliance with the Historic District Commission (HDC), planning board, zoning board, board of health, sewer department and other regulatory committees.

Building on Nantucket poses many challenges with adverse soil conditions, immanent erosion of the coastline, which adds complexity to lot size and ground cover rights, and the Historic District Commission, which regulates and carefully scrutinizes and deliberates everything that is built on the island. Nantucket’s character exists because of the HDC and they play a vital role in preserving the history and integrity of the island’s built landscape. Understanding the process of the HDC is my biggest advice before starting any project on the island.

I wouldn’t call myself a “Nantucket person,” exactly. I appreciate the island for what it is—a beautifully remote island in the Atlantic, wrapped in fog and ocean, where the beaches are wide enough to land a plane and the rhythm of life is defined by tide, traffic, and the ferry schedule. It’s a world unto itself, and while it may not be for everyone, I understand the appeal.

In the summer, the island swells with visitors. It becomes a place of pilgrimage. The quiet gives way to crowds, and the remote calm takes on a new kind of energy. It’s chaotic and charming all at once.

Some favorites: Something Natural curry chicken salad sandwich, Millie’s for sunset tacos, Pi Pizzeria for a low-key evening, Ventuno and Club Car for something more polished, 167 Raw and Bar Yoshi. For beaches, Cisco and Surfside were my go-tos.

I loved my time working with Matt and learned a great deal from him and the Emeritus Team. Below are names and images of the projects that I worked on.