To the Editor:
My question is: How do we protect the rural nature of the town of West Tisbury? What stewardship is in place to discourage housing developments to be surgically inserted into otherwise bucolic surroundings?
The density of the proposed affordable housing project intended for development on the Child Farm property on Upper Lambert’s Cove Road in West Tisbury is an example of a project that has, due to loopholes in an otherwise fiercely protected area, gone forward with little regard for the nature of the surrounding land. It is unfortunate that the current philosophy relating to the deficit of affordable housing is “the sacrifice of the few for the greater good.” What is truly being sacrificed are the unique characteristics and resulting lifestyles that have drawn so many to settle here. The opportunistic placement of affordable housing projects is contributing to the slow leak that will ultimately alter the character of the Island in ways that can never be reversed. Clearly, affordable housing is vital to maintaining the heartbeat of Island life. However, the resulting impact to the character these developments have on the neighborhoods they occupy is, in my opinion, insensitive and invasive. The right idea; the wrong place. There has got to be a solution that will better serve the vision, hopes, and dreams of us all.
I hope I speak on behalf of those negatively impacted by such development. There has got to be a better path going forward for the “greater good” of this precious Island we call home.
Cathy Weiss
West Tisbury