To the Editor:
The Housing Bank is being sold on the basis of the Island’s need for affordable dwellings. Yet the word “affordable” is absent from the very wordy warrant before town meetings.
When I raised this at West Tisbury, I was told that “affordable” creates restrictions that can exclude teachers, nurses, and others priced out of this market. So I suggested inserting broader language, such as “low- and middle-income” housing, to ensure that the bank won’t subsidize million-dollar homes. This, too, was deemed unacceptable by Housing Bank advocates, who further dismissed issues raised by the finance committee and others as “details” that could be dealt with down the road.
I hope they don’t follow this blueprint in building homes: a poorly crafted design, hastily hammered together, and marketed as something other than what it is.
Tony Horwitz
West Tisbury
