Martha’s Vineyard towns will need to change their zoning bylaws if they want to meet the ever-present housing demands of the Island.
That’s a key takeaway from a new report from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, compiled and completed by Hingham-based real estate consulting firm Barrett Planning Group in October.
The Vineyard has struggled against a housing crisis for years. Last year, the commission’s housing needs assessment showed that an increase in high-wage earners and short-term rentals have been displacing Vineyard residents, and the Island is short by around 3,000 of the affordable housing units it needs.
“Your communities … have too many markets competing for the same inadequate supply,” Judi Barrett, owner and managing director of Barrett Planning Group, said.
During a Wednesday evening presentation on the new findings, which was an updated version of the Island zoning analysis released in 2014, Barrett highlighted general trends reflected in most Vineyard towns’ zoning bylaws constraining housing development.
Barrett said the existing bylaws give preference to single-family homes on large lots — something she called an inefficient use of land that can actually fragment open space rather than protect wildlife.
“Most of the zoning bylaws … really either outright discourage or simply forbid a variety of housing options,” Barrett said.
Some of these include a lack of straightforward options to utilize small lots.
Certain types of housing, like multifamily dwellings, require special permits and Barrett said Vineyard officials depended on this regulatory tool. She said the reliance on special permits for projects could discourage developers from pursuing new affordable housing projects that may face financial risks and burdensome conditions. And, the process could empower abutters with “NIMBY” sentiments — not in my backyard — which limits housing options.
“You’ve got to balance how important it is to have the control to say ‘no’ versus getting the housing we need,” she said. “I think that’s a balancing test every board and commission in Massachusetts, not just on the Vineyard, need to be thinking about.”
The state has tried to make it easier to bypass some of this NIMBYism by allowing homeowners to build accessory dwelling units, also called ADUs, on their properties by right starting in February. That was part of Gov. Maura Heale’s Affordable Homes Act that passed last year. Most Island towns have been requiring special permits for this type of dwellings.
There are also some Island populations that town bylaws have effectively neglected.
Barrett said there was a lack of provisions in town bylaws regarding employee housing; if it is mentioned in zoning, it is usually referred to only as small-scale operations. According to Barrett, this provisional absence can lead to worker housing to encroach on housing supplies that could go to other year-round residents. She also said dormitory-style housing, rather than single-family homes, could be a better option to help house more workers and businesses.
In Tisbury, a proposed workforce housing project on 97 Spring Street had sparked controversy and legal fights over its permitting process.
The towns’ bylaws also don’t address a need for housing options like emergency shelters or transitional housing, which Barrett was surprised by considering the Island’s concerns over homelessness. While the local nonprofit Harbor Homes does provide services for homeless people on the Vineyard, they have been struggling to find a permanent shelter location. And, the report notes there’s around 150 Islanders experiencing homelessness “on any given day.”
“One can make a case that those things, for the most part, are already protected under state law,” Barrett said. “But if you actually want to provide for something and make it clear to the organizations that provide that type of housing, it’s good to have it in your zoning.”
And, Barrett underscored that having “greater consistency” in zoning bylaw languages from town to town, like sharing definitions, can be beneficial.
“That’s not to say everyone has to have the same districts, have to have the same standards,” she said.
How should the Vineyard towns go about tackling their housing issues? Efforts have been underway on the Vineyard, like building affordable housing neighborhoods and working to understand the true number of short-term rentals, which are often seen as taking away from the year-round housing supply. Housing advocates have also been pushing for a transfer fee to pass at the state legislature for real estate transactions over $1 million.
And while some people may want to find solutions without building more houses, Barrett said “that’s not going to happen.” She said to actually address the housing crisis, Martha’s Vineyard will need to grow its housing supply, conduct housing preservation, enact year-round housing restrictions, and pursue more “group-living arrangements” (e.g. congregate or dormitory housing).
“You need all of this because you’re kind of a unique environment,” Barrett said.
A starting point would be reworking the towns’ zoning bylaws. Barrett recommended all of the towns will need to update their ADU bylaws to align with the state, clarifying differences between ADUs and guesthouses where needed and consider making it easier to build affordable multi-family homes. Some towns were told to update their definitions to more closely align with those of other towns, like defining affordable communities and attainable housing. Each town also received a series of suggestions more specific to their bylaws. The report recommends, for instance, that Oak Bluffs clarify where and how manufactured housing, also known as a mobile home, is allowed.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission also created a set of model bylaws Island towns can use for guidance.
The presentation concluded with a question and answer session, where Islanders asked about various housing concerns not touched in the main presentation, like transient housing, seniors trying to downsize homes, and how to tackle a lack of infrastructure like sewer connections.
Laura Silber, Martha’s Vineyard Commission housing planner, said the presentation will also be posted on the Martha’s Vineyard Commission YouTube channel playlist titled “Housing Advocacy.”
