On Thursday, following a brief deliberation, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission approved the proposed Red Arrow Community Housing, a project brought to the commission by South Mountain Co.’s John Abrams.
The project, submitted to the commission as a modification proposal, aims to construct six structures on a 3.17-acre lot, through subdivision of an existing 29-acre lot in West Tisbury owned by Island Co-Housing.
The project, originally approved by the commission in 1998, has undergone various minor modifications over the years, and has thus far finalized the construction of 53 units out of its 66-unit approval.
The project calls for two 797-square-foot, two-bedroom houses, which will be designated for workforce housing with a 140 percent area median income (AMI) restriction; and one 797-square-foot two-bedroom house will be available for rent, with 80 percent AMI restriction. An additional 1,296-square-foot, four-bedroom year-round house with “a garage/studio with a detached bedroom” — with an option to increase the house to five bedrooms — will be sold to a West Tisbury family.
The site will consist of shared storage and a solar parking structure equipped with electric vehicle–charging stations. Through the transaction, Island Housing Trust will ultimately become owners of the property, and the buildings will be groundleased.
Following a 11-1 vote to approve the project, commissioner Doug Sederholm addressed Abrams. “Thanks for building more housing, John,” he said.
MVC rubber stamps any of South Mountain projects it’s laughable
The end of the article even points out the relationship between Douglas Sederholm and John Abrams. you never hear comments like that from Doug on any other projects. South Mountain is a for-profit capitalistic company but hides behind the cloud of doing good. If South Mountain had proposed the project in Edgartown that was denied and is still in litigation it would’ve been approved. The mistake the developer made was not using the favorite child of the commission. After all one of the longtime commissioners is a long time employee of South Mountain. They are laughing all the way to the bank.
More positive developments on the affordable housing front, and a new tax on Vineyard homeowners administered by a new housing bureaucracy wasn’t required to accomplish it. The housing bank bill is unnecessary and will have a devastating impact on our natural environment. Keep Our Island Green
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