The municipal housing office reported to the Select Board on Oct. 22 that the Nantucket Affordable Housing Trust has launched a year‑round deed‑restriction pilot and that several housing initiatives are advancing.

The pilot was released Sept. 17 as a request for proposals to administer incentives that pay homeowners in exchange for restricting properties for year‑round occupancy. Proposals are due by Nov. 14 at 2 p.m.; the department expects to review applications and aims to award contracts by Dec. 15. Eligibility and program details posted on the town website indicate the pilot will permit income‑qualified households up to 240% of area median income (AMI) — the housing office cited that threshold and estimated it roughly equals $390,000 for a family of four — and may also provide down‑payment assistance to eligible buyers.

Deputy housing director Dylan Machampel and Housing Director Chrissy (Christy) Ferentelda also updated the board on recent and ongoing work: Habitat for Humanity’s Wait Drive project is constructing six units (four single‑family homes and a duplex) and is on schedule and under budget; the lease‑to‑locals program, administered by Housing Nantucket with Placemakes Inc., has preserved 37 previously underused properties as year‑round rentals and has entered its third year of incentive payments; and the Affordable Housing Trust released an RFP for an administrator for year three of lease‑to‑locals and received two competitive proposals now under review.

Staff described advocacy in Boston for a municipal transfer fee to raise local housing funds. Housing staff and local advocates testified before several legislative committees in late summer and autumn: the joint committee on municipalities and regional government (July 29), the joint committee on revenue (Sept. 9) — where the housing office said 12 people testified, including local officials and community advocates — and a recent joint committee on housing hearing focused on seasonal communities, where 11 local people testified. The housing office reported ongoing letter drives and outreach in support of the state‑level bills and the home‑rule petition that would give Nantucket authority to impose a local transfer fee.

Other items covered included the year‑round deed‑restriction pilot procurement timeline (Nov. 14 deadline), Housing Nantucket property awards and lottery results for the Habitat project, and a student project from Worcester Polytechnic Institute exploring adaptive reuse opportunities for second‑story downtown space. Housing staff said additional community engagement will continue over the winter as programs move to implementation.

Board members praised the breadth of work and urged continued community outreach as the pilot and other initiatives move forward.