Oak Bluffs planning board chairman Ewell Hopkins gave town selectmen a briefing on the implications of a site plan application for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (MVCS).
Hopkins said the planning board has received the first — of what he expects to be several — applications from nonprofits and other organizations that border Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road for expansion and development. Hopkins referred to the area, which sits between Barnes and County Road, as the southern tier.
Hopkins said the southern tier was “very critical” to the planning board. “We’ve tried to do as much as we can to get out in front of instead of being affected by change and growth in that area,” he said.
Hopkins said he was “troubled” that the MVCS master plan application requested to have an affordable housing clause waived. Nonprofits such as MVCS feel that they provide the community with important services, so they should not be subject to any mitigation fees or required to build affordable housing units.
In a conversation with The Times, Hopkins said the area is so critical because of its tremendous opportunity for development and change. “The whole corridor is going unchecked in terms of interest of the town and the townspeople,” he said. He added that Oak Bluffs and its residents bear an imbalanced burden from the nonprofit organizations such as MVCS and the YMCA, as well as the high school.
A recent application for the Preserve at the Woodlands in the area agreed to a $700,000 commitment toward affordable housing creation, development, and planning.
“From a planning board perspective, that’s a nonstarter,” Hopkins said of the requested waiver. “I’ve heard the select board say, ‘We are no longer in the position where we can continue to fund Island initiatives with no sign of revenue coming in to the town.’”
Hopkins added that for nonprofits looking to expand, there has to be a revenue model in place. He is concerned that when plans are referred to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC), there is not a clear understanding of the position of the town. Hopkins said that he is waiting on input from legal counsel before referring the MVCS plan to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
“The nonprofits and other organizations within Dukes County do not understand the situation that I believe exists within the town of Oak Bluffs,” Hopkins said. “We can no longer afford to afford their expansion at the expense of our town if we can’t find some kind of alternative — payments in lieu of taxes, agreements to put in place — not just in this region, but across the board.”
Selectman Brian Packish echoed Hopkin’s words, and said MVCS is a “tremendous asset” to the community, but he was “disturbed” when he heard they wanted to waive the affordable housing clause because they provide services to the town. He said MVCS serves the entire Island, but they cost the people of Oak Bluffs more than people in other towns.
Packish said he hopes the MVC will either put a dollar amount and not waive the contribution or have the planning board continue vetting the conversation. He said the selectmen are in agreement that they can no longer support the regional nonprofits without some form of contribution to the community, such as affordable housing.
Selectmen agreed to schedule a workshop meeting and method for contributions with the planning board Nov. 9 at 3 pm.
In other business, Samantha Look from the Vineyard Conservation Society (VCS) asked selectmen to approve a water refill station in town as part of their water bottle refill station project. The project places refill stations in all Island elementary and high schools, the Boys and Girls Club, the Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Hall, and the Ice Arena. VCS said the refill stations have been a huge success this past summer by providing clean chilled water to children and teachers. VCS estimates the stations have saved thousands of single-use plastic water bottles from the waste stream each month.
VCS is now asking each town to consider installing a refill station in a public location sometime over the next year. For Oak Bluffs, Look suggested a refill station in Post Office Square.
Selectmen approved a combination refill station at the Post Office Square location that would feature a water bottle refill and regular water fountain.
Selectmen voted to continue a public hearing on a petition from Eversource Energy to install two joint owned poles on School Street. After review of the plan, selectmen suggested the hearing continue because the map submitted with the application did not make the project clear. The hearing will continue on Nov. 27.