11-07-2025
Greedy Nantucket liberals refuse to ban Airbnbs despite essential workers being priced off billionaire island
Nantucket, famous for its luxury homes and affluent summer residents, is quietly facing a humanitarian crisis - seasonal wealth has overtaken the housing market, leaving year-round essential workers with nowhere to live.
Every summer, seasonal residents arrive on yachts and private jets, taking over an astonishing 65 percent of the island's housing - only to leave much of it empty once they return to their lives elsewhere as the weather cools.
As a result, Nantucket's full-time workforce - police officers, teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters and landscapers - are struggling to both find and afford a place to live among the elites, according to a report by The New York Times.
' Massachusetts as a whole, the country as a whole, is facing a housing crisis. There is no question about it,' Ed Augustus, the state's secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, told the outlet.
'But the way it manifests itself is unique on the island.'
Now, town leaders are pushing for change, but the well-heeled summer crowd stand in the way - choosing renting out their lavish homes for profit over converting them into year-round housing for those who keep the island running.
They argue that short-term rentals of 31 days or less help them afford their mortgages while also benefiting Nantucket's economy.
'It is a fundamental property ownership right to rent your home responsibly, and it's reckless not to safeguard that right for future generations,' Penny Dey, a real estate broker and a year-round resident for 49 years, said at a May town meeting, according to the NYT.
Every summer, seasonal residents arrive on yachts and private jets, taking over an astonishing 65 percent of the island's housing - only to leave much of it empty once they return to their lives elsewhere as the weather cools
Dey emphasized that Nantucket's economy thrives on tourism, and with no big hotels on the island, vacationers rely heavily on seasonal rentals for their stay.
'Short-term rentals have been blamed for everything on Nantucket except erosion,' she added.
Year after year, the charming island lures in big spenders, who stroll its cobblestone streets, browse upscale boutiques and dine on freshly caught seafood at pristine restaurants.
With the cost of living soaring - and the median home price now at $2.5 million -between 1,200 and 1,500 year-round residents are left searching for a place to live amid a severe shortage of affordable housing, according to the NYT.
Many essential workers who commute by ferry have been forced into overcrowded or inadequate housing - living in vans, shipping containers, or even on office couches - with some facing homelessness.
The year-round population ranges from about 14,000 to 20,500 - but in summer, it swells to as many as 100,000.
'Nantucket has 10 years of less before the entire island is owned by island conservation entities or seasonal homeowners,' Brian Sullivan, principal broker at Fisher Real Estate and 28-year resident, told the NYT.
The crisis has even reached six-figure-earning families on the island, who are battling to afford even the basics.
Marjani Williams, a 47-year-old full-time employee for the island's Public Works Department, moved to the island from Mississippi in 2023 seeking 'a better living,' as reported by the NYT.
For the past few years, she's earned $67,000 a year collecting trash, maintaining immaculate lawns and cleaning up the roads - a big improvement from the $7.25 an hour she made back in her Southern home state.
But even with the higher salary, Williams couldn't afford a basic quality of life on the island and, ultimately, became homeless.
'I had nowhere to go,' Williams told the outlet. 'So I got all of my stuff, put it in my vehicle, and went to the beach.'
While sleeping in her car on the beach, a police officer told her it was prohibited - so she moved to another beach, where, to her shock, she discovered a coworker living there too.
The two decided the Public Works Department was their best bet for a place to rest, and she ended up spending her nights on a loveseat in a storage unit - just a few hundred feet from the town dump.
Full-time workers on the island call it the 'Nantucket Shuffle' - the exhausting cycle of moving month to month from one temporary housing solution to the next.
Jody Kasper, 50, the island's police chief, earns over $200,000 a year - yet she's already lived in three different rental units in under two years, simply because stable housing is nearly impossible to find, the NYT reported.
'The newest 20 police officers, myself included, don't own a home here on the island, and the probability of them ever acquiring a home is almost zero,' she told the outlet.
Michael Cranson, 53, the island's fire chief, said about 10 percent of his department is forced to live off-island because they can't afford to live in the very community they serve, according to the NYT.
With just 41 firefighters on staff, the department often falls short - forcing them to call in backup from Cape Cod towns, most of which must arrive by ferry, a trip that can take hours.
To combat the crisis, one solution has been the 'Lease to Locals' program, aimed at creating housing that lower-income workers can actually afford.
The program offers stipends to seasonal homeowners who agree to convert their short-term rentals into year-round homes - but it faces resistance from the summer millionaires.
'The most frustrating phrase that I hear a lot is, 'I'm not opposed to affordable housing, but,'' Brooke Mohr, a member of Nantucket's Select Board, told the NYT.
'Generally, the but is not here near me. Not there. Not more in this location,' she explained.
According to Mohr, another reason for the opposition is that the coastal one-percenters prefer to maintain the appearance of a perfect, comfortable lifestyle - and don't feel they need a stipend to do so.
To combat the crisis, one solution has been the 'Lease to Locals' program, which offers stipends to seasonal homeowners who agree to convert their short-term rentals into year-round homes
'Having your friends know that you are struggling can add a layer of stress on top of an already-challenging personal situation,' she added.
Another proposed solution - curbing short-term rentals - has also sparked lengthy legal battles and town votes.
Since 1969, a state law has required that at least 10 percent of Nantucket's year-round housing be affordable for residents earning 80 percent or less of the area's median income, according to the NYT.
Yet, despite the law, only 405 affordable units have been built - while a staggering 213 more remain unfinished, leaving a critical shortage unresolved.
Despite residents approving $90 million for affordable housing since 2019, many other crucial efforts have been quickly stalled or blocked.
One tossed solution was a transfer tax on luxury homes to fund affordable housing, alongside a plan to build 156 condos - 39 of which would be reserved for lower-income families.
However, residents raised concerns about increased traffic, fire risks and potential environmental damage.
Eillen Taveras, 46, moved to Nantucket in 2006 and wears many hats: she's a Spanish translator for the public schools, an interpreter at the hospital, co-owns a cleaning business, serves as a justice of the peace and holds a real estate license, according to the NYT.
'Living here on a single salary would be very difficult,' she told the outlet.
In 2021, she purchased a four-bedroom home for $880,515 through Nantucket's Covenant Program, which helps provide stable housing for year-round residents with lower incomes.
'The housing authorities on Nantucket have been doing a great job and good things are happening,' Taveras said.
