Aquinnah is looking to shape and possibly develop its town center, and are looking to residents to help craft its future.
On Thursday, some 30 Aquinnah residents chimed in virtually and in person at town hall for a public workshop, part of an ongoing project to help develop the town’s center, which could include building housing or adding more commercial space. The “Town Center” initiative stems from a $95,000 Massachusetts Rural Development Grant awarded in late 2024 to help Aquinnah explore ways to create a connected, year-round community hub. It’s being led by Rhode Island–based Libra Planning, which has been providing mapping, analysis, and community outreach.
On Thursday, the second meeting aimed at gathering feedback, Libra presented three conceptual layouts: a natural village, a Main Street corridor, and rural clusters. Libra included diagrams comparing building density in Aquinnah to each of the Island towns, highlighting residents’ preference for low-density town centers similar to West Tisbury or Chilmark.
The natural village concept, which received the strongest support through an informal survey, envisions a pedestrian-oriented, village-like layout centered around the existing Town Center. This approach focuses on clustering housing, small businesses, and community spaces within walking distance of one another, encouraging social connection among the community. The design would preserve surrounding land, have paths connecting town buildings like the library and Town Hall, and include shared public spaces.
The rural clusters option was the second favorite. Featuring scattered pockets of housing and businesses set back from the main road, the layout is designed to blend into the landscape, limiting environmental and visual impacts.
The Main Street corridor, which was a widespread least favorite, proposes linear development along State Road, emphasizing walkability, small-scale commercial use, and housing lining the road. Proposing sidewalks and bikelanes, this proposal would accommodate more commercial activity.
A draft bylaw is expected to go before town meeting after the holidays, with a final proposal anticipated by 2026.
Officials plan to continue refining the project through additional outreach and community discussions. Next steps include refining zoning language, clarifying definitions of affordable housing, and addressing concerns from roughly a quarter of survey respondents who opposed new development.
The early stages of the project included an online survey launched that drew 59 anonymous responses. Feedback revealed a broad range of opinions: Some residents favored no new development, while others envisioned a more active, village-like center. But most respondents supported a modest increase in density to allow for amenities such as a coffee shop, community spaces, and affordable housing.
Many respondents emphasized preserving Aquinnah’s rural character and natural landscape, with comments like “Aquinnah is principally rural … the Town Center should reflect this nature and not emulate the down-Island towns,” as one noted. Several residents said the town already has a center, with the library, fire station, and Town Hall, and cautioned against overdevelopment.
“A developed town center for Aquinnah is not feasible,” one noted.“The remote location on the Island, which is only populous during the summer season, presents issues like no other town on-Island. The prospect of creating a more abundant commercial and residential area comes from the need for essential services, which this town lacks and cannot seem to be able to fix. The fact there is a restaurant in one of the most spectacular locations on-Island that has sat empty for three years speaks for itself.”
Others supported modest, community-focused growth that includes year-round amenities and small businesses. A recurring idea was a walkable village with a coffee shop, small grocery, and housing above storefronts. One respondent wrote, “A place where year-round Aquinnah residents can see each other, families can gather, have coffee, buy basic groceries; it should focus on building community in our town.”
Several residents suggested incorporating Wampanoag heritage and sustainability, calling for design that honors Aquinnah’s history and natural beauty, with modest, low-impact buildings and a central green for gatherings.
Some were more straightforward: “Keep it rural and quiet!” one response read, “Who is going to pay for this? Taxes are already very high!”
While some favored higher density to allow for affordable housing and light commercial use, others opposed changing zoning altogether. There was broad consensus around maintaining a quiet, small-scale environment, and ensuring any future development serves the needs of year-round residents rather than tourists.