A heated argument over a planned multi-use building at 112 Dukes County Ave. broke out during the Thursday evening Oak Bluffs planning board meeting.
The Dukes County Ave. property belongs to Abigail and Ryan Dillon. The Dillons received approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to replace the historic house on the property in November. Oak Bluffs planning board chair Ewell Hopkins said, “The deliberations may take two sessions.”
Through DC Studios, which is the Dillons’ company, the couple plans to construct a two-story, multi-use building. The first floor would be for business purposes, while the second would be residential. Abigail Dillon said they had gone through “the proper channels,” and the back-and-forth process made them “feel like Ping-Pong balls.” She also pointed to abutter Candace Nichols being in opposition of her family’s plan from the start.
“I know that you’re going to take public comment from the public,” Abigail Dillon said. “I know what you’ll hear from Candace Nichols, who has been an opposer of us since the beginning. Even before she’s seen our plans, and I know she’s going to say she’s the only direct abutter of the property … I just want to defend ourselves. I know every time we have these meetings … I just want to give the background knowledge. I don’t want you to dismiss her comments, but I just want you to know that we have done everything reasonably possible to accommodate her.” Dillon said the other neighbors were in favor of the project.
Chuck Sullivan, an architect from William Sullivan representing the Dillons, shared a presentation detailing the future property. He explained that the new building and accessories would be a total of 1,758 square feet, compared with the total size of the old building and its other structures, which was 1,399 square feet. Sullivan also explained what is currently happening, such as getting rid of the old shed.
Robert Moriarty, the Dillons’ lawyer, said it was important to note all of the steps the Dillons had to go through to get a building permit, and asked the board to go through with the application.
During the public comment session, Hopkins divided the discussion into those who supported the project and those who opposed it. After nobody spoke in support, Nichols voiced her opposition.
Nichols gave her own presentation to the board. Her house, 110 Dukes County Ave., is next to 112 Dukes County Ave. Nichols also said she is under contract to purchase 6 Arch Ave., and is the only abutter to the Dillons.
Nichols said the original building was 948 square feet, smaller than the 1,248-square-foot foundation Sullivan exhibited. She said the new property would be around an 800-square-foot increase.
“That’s not true,” Sullivan interjected, but Hopkins intervened by saying there would be time for comments later on.
Nichols’ presentation focused primarily on what she believed would be appropriate for the neighborhood, such as the height of the building or the parking planned on Arch Ave. for the new building. She showed maps of the area, and drawings of the proposed building.
“I love the neighborhood. I think it’s very, very historic, and should be preserved,” Nichols said. “I was extremely disturbed when I saw the building come down, and then the footprint go in.”
Attendee Fran Eddings also spoke up in opposition to the project because of the precedent it would set. She has a personal connection to the old building, since her grandparents used to own it.
“I’m not mad that you want to buy,” Eddings said to the Dillons. She said she is upset that the new structure won’t be in keeping with the neighborhood. “I have to say I don’t think it is in character of the neighborhood I grew up in,” she said. “If you come to Martha’s Vineyard, and you love what we have here, why are we always trying to change it?”
Sullivan and Moriarty both said Nichols was attempting to spread “misinformation” about the project and misrepresent it. “All of it is damning … to her good faith and credibility,” Moriarty said. “You shouldn’t pay attention to a word of it.”
The board decided to have a site visit to the property and continue this topic at a future date.
