Oak Bluffs town administrator Robert Whritenour presented selectmen with the final draft of the Oak Bluffs Streetscape master plan from Horsley Witten consultants at their regular meeting on Tuesday night. The report contains detailed plans that focus on making Circuit Avenue more pedestrian-friendly, doing an extensive overhaul of the North Bluff/Harbor area, making both ferry terminals more welcoming, improving signage, and making extensive improvements to Circuit Avenue Extension, including renaming it Harbor Way.
The voluminous 135-page report details recommendations and cost estimates for the revitalization projects in the downtown area, which have evolved with extensive public input since last summer.
It was commissioned by the Oak Bluffs Downtown Streetscape Committee (OBDSC) and is available to the public at the committee’s website, obdowntown.com, and will be a key component in obtaining state funding for the design phase of the downtown overhaul.
Mr. Whritenour gave kudos to the OBDSC for its exhaustive outreach efforts over the past year. “This committee set a new standard in terms of citizen outreach,” he said. “This is the most detailed survey the town has ever done.”
He cited the many meetings with business owners, numerous focus groups, public hearings and wide-ranging use of social media. “It’s very encouraging that most of the streetscape members want to continue working on the committee,” OBDSC chairman Brian Packish said.
“I’ve been getting quite a few calls from people who are excited about this, wondering when the next step is going to happen, and they want to participate.”
Mr. Packish said concurrent with presenting the new plan to the public, the OBDSC will put out an Request for Proposals (RFP) for the design phase of the project.
Selectmen voted unanimously, 4 – 0, to endorse the allocation of $100,000 of Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) program income for the design phase of the downtown rebuild.
Selectman Kathy Burton could not attend due to work obligations.
Affordable house
In other business, Marie Doubleday, chairman of the Oak Bluffs Affordable Housing Committee (OBAHC), informed selectmen Tuesday night that after a long search, the committee had selected a town-owned lot on Towanticut Avenue for the construction of an affordable, single-family home.
“We’re looking at the smaller lots to get going, because something is better than nothing,” she said. “Eventually we’d like to do a two-family [home], but [selectman] Kathy Burton suggested we just get started so we can develop a template.”
Ms. Doubleday said that as the Oak Bluffs member of the Community Preservation Committee (CPC), she intended to apply for $250,000 of CPC funding for title clearance, percolation tests, and the construction of the house. Until percolation tests are done, the number of bedrooms in the house cannot be determined.
“We don’t know how much the project is going to cost, and we don’t want to deplete the $260,000 that is already in the Oak Bluffs Affordable Housing Trust,” OBAHC member Peter Bradford said. “Once we put the $250,000, into the trust, we’ll have enough to build a single-family house and still have money left over for future needs.”
Selectmen voted unanimously to endorse the application.
In other business, Oak Bluffs building inspector Mark Barbadoro requested selectmen approve the closing of a section of sidewalk on Lake Avenue alongside the Island Theater for 10 business days so roofing work can be completed on the long-vacant building. With selectmen’s approval, Mr. Barbadoro said, the work would commence by Friday at the latest. Selectman Gail Barmakian said that given the history of construction delays at the theater, a strict deadline should be in place. Mr. Barbarodo said Brian Hall, co-owner of the building and project supervisor, had requested 10 business days, and he was confident, given the pace of previous roofing work, that it could be done, weather permitting. Selectmen unanimously voted, 4 – 0, to allow the sidewalk closing for 10 business days with the opportunity to extend the deadline due to foul weather, at the discretion of Mr. Barbadoro. If the work isn’t completed by the next selectmen’s meeting, Mr. Hall will have to go before the selectmen.
Mr. Barbadoro also informed selectmen that he was still receiving noise complaints from property owners in close proximity to the the Barn, Bowl and Bistro on Uncas Avenue. Mr. Barbadoro said the owner, Sam Dunn, has added additional soundproofing since the establishment opened in late May.
“It is definitely quieter than it was,” he said. Mr. Barbadoro said Mr. Dunn had again hired an acoustic consultant to measure the sound emanating from the bowling alley. According to the consultant, the sound levels were well within Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) guidelines and the Oak Bluffs zoning bylaw. The sound levels had already met the requirement of the Development of Regional Impact (DRI) set by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission before the additional work was done.
Mr. Barbadoro said the aggrieved residents may take their case to the Zoning Board of Appeals or go back to the MVC. “As far as I’m concerned, [Mr. Dunn] has done more than what was required,” he said, adding that the DRI requirements for sound mitigation were not well written.
Mr. Barbadoro also told selectmen that the second floor of the Barn, Bowl and Bistro, which will have an event room and two affordable housing apartments, should be completed next week.
