Large Edgartown subdivision heads to MVC next month

The planned subdivision is one of the largest in recent years for the regional planning commission.

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A large 34-lot subdivision will go for review before the Martha's Vineyard Commission Feb. 7.

A large 54-acre, 34-lot, subdivision off Meetinghouse Way in Edgartown will go before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) next month for a public hearing.

The property is located at 139 Meetinghouse Way, and abuts Division Road (Henry’s Path).

The developers of the subdivision are Douglas K. Anderson and Richard G. Matthews, both with listed addresses in Salt Lake City, Utah. Anderson and Matthews purchased the property in June 2017 for $6.6 million.

The proposed plan splits the partially wooded property into three clusters, with lot sizes ranging from one to 2.77 acres, and an average size of 1.42 acres. Thirty-five percent of the property will be developed, leaving 65 percent as open space. Houses are limited to seven bedrooms in 6,300 square feet of living space, but it remains to be seen if there is a limit for gross square footage, and if the MVC wants to create one. No free-standing guesthouses will be on the lots, but living space above a garage is allowed. An asphalt roadway will run through the subdivision, connecting entrances at Meshacket Road and Meetinghouse Way.

Thirteen acres of the property will be deed-restricted through a conservation and management permit for a rare Imperial moth species habitat along the southern and eastern edges of the property.

Issues arose concerning the project’s affordable housing contribution. The MVC’s affordable housing policy requires either 20 percent of the assessed value of a property or 10 percent of the buildable lots in the subdivision go toward meeting the needs of low- and moderate-income residents’ housing needs.

The assessed value of the property is $2.4 million, which would give the Edgartown affordable housing committee (AHC) $490,000 paid in installments.

The AHC, however, submitted a letter to the developers indicating they would prefer 10 percent of the buildable lots, as opposed to the monetary contribution.

This comes on the heels of changes to the MVC’s affordable housing policy.

At the commission’s Dec. 6 meeting, commissioner Fred Hancock introduced a change to the MVC’s affordable housing policy, which would base affordable housing contributions on the appraised instead of the assessed value of a property, significantly increasing monetary contributions.

The commission will review the project at its Feb. 7 meeting.

1 COMMENT

  1. I hope many come to the public hearings to help scale down this project. 34 giant 6 plus bedroom homes with guest houses is almost 400 bedrooms. That is an enormous impact to this area.

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