From allowing duplexes and multifamily buildings to keeping young families on the Vineyard, Islanders have begun to weigh in on how to lift the community out of a housing crisis and build plans for moving forward.
The first and second rounds of community meetings aimed at gathering public feedback on each town’s housing production plans have been completed after nearly two months of roundtables on Zoom and in person, with the third round coming in June. The housing production plan (HPP) is an initiative by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and Hingham-based Barrett Planning Group, and follows the similar statewide plans that Gov. Maura Healey released in February 2025.
In the first round of HPP meetings, many towns had similar issues arise. A major concern surrounded the Island’s “missing middle,” those who are moderate earners and not able to receive subsidies for housing, but are unable to afford a home here; there were calls for improved zoning regulations, and an extensive discussion on housing supply and the lack thereof.
There was also a feeling of frustration — even defeat — among some meeting attendees who felt the municipal and community efforts for housing had not added up to the demand. Young families, skilled workers, and low- to middle-income residents are being pushed off the Island, many said, citing locals who have had to move in the past few years due to their inability to find a rental or buy a home.
“We’ve struggled,” Jim Feiner, a real estate broker, said in the Chilmark HPP meeting. “There are a lot of obstacles, and very few things that actually work well.”
In order to apply for housing grants, reach supply goals as outlined in Chapter 40B of the Massachusetts commonwealth regional planning law, and correctly determine needs on the Island, the planning boards for each town have undertaken these HPPs in an effort to assess the changing housing landscape both across the state and on the Vineyard.
The HPPs for each town are filtered through the lens of Chapter 40B, a Massachusetts law that states a certain amount of housing stock in each town must be considered affordable, and available to low- to middle-income earners. This stock is measured using the Subsidized Housing Inventory, or SHI, which measures current affordable units and notes whether those units reach the required 10 percent of affordable stock needed in each town. The ultimate goal of the HPPs is to align the plans with Chapter 40B and reach the 10 percent SHI.
Across the towns, attendees also pushed for the possibility of passing a transfer tax, after it failed to pass muster with state lawmakers last year. Much like the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank, it would add a small tax on the sale of homes over $1 million, which would then be put into a fund to address building costs, rent stipends for lower-income families, and other housing needs.
The new Island-wide zoning bylaw that allows accessory dwelling units (ADUs) by right for homeowners was discussed in most of the HPP meetings as a possible solution to some housing concerns, with West Tisbury wondering how the possible ADUs could be regulated to be affordable.
West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs were the only towns to discuss unhoused community members in depth, and elevate the lack of housing for them as one of the main issues. While some other towns brought up this population, the focus was turned to those who can afford housing but have no opportunity. Harbor Homes, a local nonprofit running the Island’s only shelter for unhoused people, is still looking for a winter or year-round location in order to house the estimated 150 locals who are completely without accommodation on the Island.
The concern about what type of buildings would be built to add affordable units was also front and center, with every town concerned about keeping within environmental and aesthetic limits.
And regionalization of the resources regarding housing and addressing these concerns was a big talking point. Community members pointed to the use of limited resources on a breadth of planning while locals are still suffering. A regional approach to housing concerns would address some shortages, and redefine goals to be more holistic for locals, some said.
“We need to look at this as a region,” the Dukes County Commission’s West Tisbury member, Doug Ruskin, said at his town’s meeting. “Doing six housing production plans for a region that’s a hundred square miles is a huge imposition on limited resources on the Island.”
Last round of community meetings
Tisbury: Monday, June 2nd, at 6 pm
Oak Bluffs: Wednesday, June 4th, at 6 pm
Edgartown: Thursday, June 16th, at 7 pm
West Tisbury: Monday, June 17th, at 5 pm
Chilmark: Wednesday, June 18th, at 5 pm
Aquinnah’s meeting time is not posted yet. All are Zoom-accessible, with links in each town site.
