As the debate over a proposal by a newly formed nonprofit to use synthetic turf to cover the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School track infield continues to simmer, opponents have mounted a vociferous campaign to send the project to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) for review as a development of regional impact (DRI). Supporters of turf say they welcome review by the Island’s all-powerful regional permitting body.
Putting the specifics of the turf proposal aside, few Islanders who have any experience or knowledge of past MVC proceedings would voluntarily march merrily into the MVC hearing process. MVC supplicants may say they welcome commission review, but they really don’t; and those who push to send a project to the commission may say they think it will improve it; but most of the time they really hope to bleed a project to death or bring it to its knees.
Even the term DRI is not quite what it seems. Projects that have no conceivable regional impact have been classified as DRIs and sent to the commission for review. We are happy to report that under the clear-eyed guidance of new MVC executive director Adam Turner, the commissioners appear to be curbing their tendency to meddle in the smallest details and defer to local review.
Philippe Jordi, executive director of the Island Housing Trust, reported to The Times that on Monday night, the MVC land-use planning committee voted to recommend to the full commission that there was no need to hold public hearings for the Kuehn’s Way proposal, in light of the fact that the proposal to construct 20 rental units on 4.5 acres off State Road in Tisbury is a downward adjustment of the previously approved and never built Bridge Commons’ DRI. It remains to be seen if the full commission agrees.
In 1975, one year after state lawmakers created the MVC, the DRI checklist was two pages long. The current checklist encompasses 18 pages.
As we report this week, every two years the MVC reviews and revises the checklist under which local town boards must refer a project as a DRI.
On Thursday, July 21, at 7 pm, the commission will hold a public hearing on the first biennial review of the checklist under Mr. Turner, who spent months meeting with Island officials and businesspeople to seek input.
The busy middle of July may not be the time to expect a good turnout. However, we urge members of town boards, the Chamber of Commerce, tradespeople, professional people, businesspeople, and concerned residents to attend and make their voices heard — or wait another two years to influence the process.
As part of his listening tour prior to taking on the checklist, Mr. Turner said he found nothing in the checklist that would account for complaints that the MVC review process is costly and lengthy. The truth is that the checklist is only a tool. Ultimately, it is the commissioners and not Mr. Turner who determine how expeditiously the MVC conducts its important business.
In a Letter to the Editor that appears on this page, the thoughtful chairman of the MVC, Jim Vercruysse of Aquinnah, speaks eloquently about the beauty of the Island, the importance of volunteers, and the powerful role of the MVC. And he calls on Islanders to step up and run for a seat, or seek an appointment.
“My vision is a Martha’s Vineyard Commission that mirrors this amazing community — 17 commissioners who are truly representative of our Island population. Only with the breadth of diversity that reflects the fabric of this Island will the MVC be strong enough to deal with the challenges which face us, whether they be affordable housing or water quality or climate change or traffic tie-ups or sustainable growth,” he said.
That diversity is now lacking, unless one thinks of the Vineyard as a retirement community. At 37, Josh Goldstein is the youngest member of the MVC, and the only member working full-time in the Island hospitality industry, one of the pillars, along with the building trades, of our economy. It is a safe guess to say that the rest of the commissioners have at least two decades on him. Three have a background in the building trades. Eight are retirees.
Nine commissioners are elected by Vineyard voters in elections held every two years. Six are appointed on an annual basis by the selectmen of each town. The Dukes County Commission appoints one MVC member on an annual basis. The governor, or a member of the governor’s cabinet, appoints five commissioners, but only one of those may vote.
This page agrees with Mr. Vercruysse’s call for new people to step up and run, or seek appointment to the MVC. The Island boards of selectmen, the appointing authorities in each town, must also reach out beyond the usual suspects, many of whom already wear multiple hats, for appointees with balanced viewpoints.
The nine elected MVC members are chosen in an at-large, Island-wide vote. Residents of one town may vote for candidates from other towns, but at least one commissioner, and no more than two, must be elected from each town.
Candidates for one of the nine open seats have until 5 pm on Tuesday, August 2, to file nomination papers with 10 signatures from registered voters with local boards of registrars to appear on the November ballot. Fresh faces are welcome.