The Vineyard Montessori School’s expansion plans will be moving forward.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) unanimously approved the school’s plans to expand, after a final review held on Thursday, March 7.
Montessori officials came before the commission early last month with a proposal to construct a third building on its main campus at 286 Main St. in Vineyard Haven. Plans would allow the school to increase the number of students and staff at the location.
School officials say they have seen an increase in demand for their services, with more families looking to enroll their students, especially for toddler and preschool classes. The proposed project will also allow the school to end its lease on a satellite campus at 15A Church St. and consolidate the school into one campus.
The proposal has been met by pushback from abutters concerned about how the neighborhood would be impacted, leading the school to amend its plans. The revisions include lowering the height of the building’s roof ridge, and adding a gable roof to the lobby entrance. Still, those plans were criticized by an abutter for having submitted documents so close to a meeting.
The MVC had its own conditions as well, including efforts to cut down on the impact of traffic in the neighborhood.
Earlier this month, the project also received a 7-0 recommendation for approval from the MVC’s Land Use Planning Committee (LUPC).
The commission on Thursday reviewed a number of considerations on whether the project would have a negative, beneficial, or neutral impact on the Island. Members weighed the benefit for Island families with the detrimental impact on the neighborhood, ultimately casting their vote to approve the project.
The Montessori School will still need to submit a final plan for landscaping and drainage to the commission.
As a primary abutter I am dismayed that the MVC failed to adequately address the neighbors’ concerns re noise, traffic at drop off and pick up times, and the dramatic unwelcome change to a formerly quiet neighborhood.
For all the folks denying such a dramatic unwelcome change, kindly avail yourself of an invitation to spend time to observe and listen to the negative effects on us taxpaying homeowners whose lives will have been disrupted, and our home values decreased by this three building and sudden overwhelming population increase. The school needs to be located far removed from the current cheek by jowl location to our homes, NOT on two major streets, Tashmoo and Main St.
I’m pretty sure all the island schools have neighbors near by and are located on busy streets. The previous tenant of the Montessori school was a restaurant so I’m thinking they were probably a bit more noisy , especially in the evening when a school wouldn’t be. How much has your property value decreased? Would the value be higher if it was still a restaurant next door? Doubtful. Twenty two additional little kids learning and playing in your neighborhood are a “negative effect” ? I’m honestly sad for you and not because of the school.
Tisbury school is also in a residential zone! People are all for affordable housing, childcare, medical needs being met, entertainment on this island.. as long as it’s not in their back yard! This island is only so big, everywhere is someone’s backyard.
Thank you Vineyard Montessori for doing what needs to be done to keep island parents in the workforce!
The restaurant you mentioned, the Tashmoo Inn, was only open in the summer, back when the population on the Island was much smaller, summer and year round. So I really don’t see a correlation.
I agree; this really is not the right spot for a school that wishes to expand.
It was one thing when it started small and ad hoc.
A ctually, the school barely fits into the neighborhood as is.
The planned expanded facility is too large for the neighborhood, period.
Now it is time for the School to think about selling its valuable in-town property and finding a less congested area in which it can operate unconstrained by the character of the neighborhood—as the administrators and teachers clearly wish to do.
It WILL change the character of the neighborhood on both sides of the street. It seems like no one has considered the village character of Main Street itself.
Thank you MVC for seeing the need for this. Thank you Vineyard Montessori for stepping up to help the working class on this island!
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