Editor’s note: The following was written to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
Dear Members of the Commission,
I am writing as a proud resident of Oak Bluffs — and as someone who believes we have an absolute duty to protect the character, beauty, and integrity of this island we all love. The proposed three-story hotel under Ocean View Rebuild DRI 750 threatens to undo what generations have built: a neighborhood defined by human scale, open views, and a sense of place that cannot be rebuilt once it is lost.
I do not live on the street in question, but I know the area well. It is part of a cherished historic district — a place where the architecture, landscape, and rhythm of life speak of continuity, community, and care. To drop a structure of this height and mass into that setting would not be progress; it would be an act of erasure.
This proposal is not simply about one building. It is about the precedent it sets — that commercial ambition can override the soul of Oak Bluffs. We must ask ourselves: Do we want to look out and see the ocean, or the back of a hotel? Do we measure value in views preserved or profits gained?
I urge the Martha’s Vineyard Commission to reject this proposal — soundly. A three-story hotel of this scale does not belong in a residential neighborhood — especially one so steeped in history and spirit. The people of Oak Bluffs deserve growth that respects our past, honors our neighborhoods, and preserves the views that make this town unlike any other.
To approve this project would be to trade a piece of our shared heritage for something that can be found anywhere. To deny it would affirm that Martha’s Vineyard still knows who it is — and what it stands for.
Please, protect the integrity of this Island and the legacy of Oak Bluffs. Once the view is gone, so too is the magic that has long defined us.
Jane C. Edmonds
Oak Bluffs
People need to stop commercializing the island for profits and instead preserve the natural history and culture that attracted people to visit and live on the island in the first place!!! The Copeland District is one that needs to be preserved and protected. It has given Oak Bluffs the character and charm that people love and enjoy and deserve.
Thank-you Jane hits the nail right on the head.
Jim Reidy
14 Chapman Ave
I agree. It always amazed me that people who come here for the charm want to commercialize it so much. Where will it stop!
We absolutely agree with every word of Jane Edmond’s letter. Islanders unite and stop this invasion!
I wonder if someone has a picture of the original Ocean View? Maybe Chris Baer? My fam called the one we went to for dinner, the No View.
Comments are closed.