Jason Graziadei • Oct 07, 2024
Dji fly 20241007 125506 0011 1728245077309 photo Photo by Peter Sutters
A partially completed waterfront spec house built on Pocomo Road in
2023 and sold last November for $19.2 million may soon be demolished to
make way for a redesigned mansion.
Perched above Nantucket Harbor on the western side of Pocomo Point, the
property at 88 Pocomo Road had been vacant up until very recently. It
now features a 5,600-square-foot mansion and guesthouse that were under
construction when the property was sold in November 2023. The project
was far enough along in the construction process to be considered
weather-tight.
But the new owner - 88 Pocomo Trust - had other ideas for the property.
Through its agents, the trust submitted alternative plans for the
waterfront compound, and last month, it requested permission from the
Historic District Commission (HDC) to demolish the new structure. That
request will be heard by the HDC on Tuesday.
The owners of the blind trust are not disclosed on public documents but
have been represented at previous hearings by architect Matthew
MacEachern, of the island-based firm Emeritus.
"It's rough framed, there's no interior finish whatsoever, and I'd say
90 percent of the windows are in," MacEachern said of the spec house
during a hearing before the HDC in July. "For background, this house
was purchased mid-construction. The new owner was trying to work with
the existing structure, but there was going to be so much work done to
it that it's basically a redesign. We are going to try to utilize all
the windows, but it's basically a rough frame structure. I'm sure this
is not the first time this has happened."
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Architect Graham Goldsmith, who owns the abutting property on Pocomo
Road, objected to the demolition earlier this year. Goldsmith told the
HDC that he had already endured two years of construction of the spec
house, and now he was looking at another two years of construction
following the demolition.
"It seems like it's kind of a waste," Goldsmith told the HDC in July
when he referenced some of the other structures on Pocomo Road that
were being torn down, including the [1]34-year-old mansion at 72 Pocomo
Road that was previously owned by Yankee Candle founder Michael J.
Kittredge.
"How many more buildings are we going to tear down in this
neighborhood? It just goes on and on and on," Goldsmith said. "You've
got a perfectly good house there. It seems over the top to continue and
kind of a waste. If it's not part of your purview, I just think it's
out of control, the amount of stuff getting ripped down and rebuilt. We
may have to deal with this a different way."
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Historic District Commission member Ray Pohl told Goldsmith that while
he may sympathize with his objection to the demolition, the HDC is
strictly focused on the exterior architecture and emphasized that the
building was obviously not of any historical value.
"I feel your pain, but the construction process isn't really part of
our review process," Pohl said. "As a citizen, I agree with you. But
we're here to talk about the architecture."
During the HDC hearings over the summer, when the new plans for the
redesigned mansion were being considered, MacEachern was at odds with
the commission over whether a demolition permit should be required to
tear down the partially completed mansion. HDC member Stephen Welch was
the first to raise the issue and pointed out that everything, including
the foundation, was going to be removed. MacEachern emphasized that the
structure was under construction and did not have a certificate of
occupancy.
"It seems disappointing to get to this point and raise that issue,"
MacEachern said. "This is not a completed structure. It's basically
open studs. This is a work in progress. For a demolition, you need to
pull a permit for a structure that has a CO (certificate of occupancy),
and it's not even close. It's a redesign."
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Pohl indicated that the question should go to town counsel, and at some
point since the hearing in July, it appears there was a determination
that 88 Pocomo Trust would be required to submit for a demolition
permit.
If allowed by the HDC, the structures that would torn down are a
six-bedroom home and two-bedroom guesthouse that were previously being
marketed as a "stunning waterfront compound where luxury living meets
coastal charm brought to you by Emeritus Design and Planning, Kristy
Kay Design, B Harris and Company Builders, Miroslava Ahern Landscape
Design."
It was slated to include a two-bay garage, pool, and a
pickleball/sports court that were supposed to be completed during the
summer of 2024.
"Every room of this home has been meticulously designed with exquisite
details, ensuring a sophisticated experience," according to [2]the
listing by J Pepper Frazier Real Estate.
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The vacant property was sold for $4 million in 2021 by Gary and Dao
Engle, who own the neighboring property at 90 Pocomo Road (the former
Proctor & Gamble mansion). The new owner was 88 Pocomo LLC, a limited
liability company registered to Jennifer Askew, of Scituate, Mass. The
LLC started construction at the property in 2022 and 2023 before
selling the 1.43-acre lot to 88 Pocomo Trust in November 2023 for $19.2
million.
Screen Shot 2024 10 06 at 10 52 57 PM A rendering of the mansion that
would replace the existing compound.
References
1.
https://nantucketcurrent.com/real-estate/former-yankee-candle-mansion-in-pocomo-proposed-for-demolition-to-make-way-for-new-mansion
2.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwC3t8Rucbu/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
