Latest News
Katama Meadows decision pushed to September
The deliberation on the 54-acre subdivision proposed in Edgartown called Katama Meadows went over time again Thursday, and further discussion was pushed until September 10. Islanders who are anxiously awaiting some certainty regarding Katama Meadows will have to wait a bit longer. It remains unclear whether the meeting in September will include a decision on the 52-lot proposal by Utah developers Richard Matthews and Douglas Anderson, which includes market-rate parcels with 4,000-square-foot homes and attainable lots for moderate-income Islanders. At the meeting on Thursday, August 6 in the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) meeting room, one question kept coming up through…
Shelter for indigenous women unanimously approved by MVC
Updated August 7. A proposed shelter for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, called Aquinnah Headwaters, was unanimously approved by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) on Thursday night with minimal conditions. According to data from Kinship Heals, the organization proposing the shelter, 85 percent of indigenous women have experienced violence; 56 percent have experienced…
Housing bank fails to pass in state legislature
Updated August 7. As housing prices soar and more Islanders find it difficult to secure stable accommodation than ever, the legislation to create a funding source for initiatives like rent assistance and adapting existing housing into affordable units has failed to pass at the state level. Legislation for the local option to institute a real-estate…
Debate heats up on Katama Meadows
Updated August 5. It remains unclear whether a final decision may be made on August 6 on the controversial and evolving Katama Meadows project, but if last week’s meeting is any guide to where this is going, the Island community and the Martha’s Vineyard Commission can expect more debate. There’s a lot at stake, and…
Housing Developments
Progress made on affordable duplexes in West Tisbury
At a construction site in West Tisbury, a cluster of duplexes is almost completed in a project by the nonprofit Island Housing Trust (IHT). Shared front porches are still empty, the grass has yet to be planted, construction dust still hangs in the air, and the four buildings still await…
Hospital solar array to help cut Islanders’ energy bills
A solar project on the roofs of Martha’s Vineyard Hospital’s (MVH) workforce housing project promises to deliver hundreds of thousands of dollars in electricity bill assistance for low-income Islanders over the next few decades. The 138-kilowatt rooftop solar array, installed by West Tisbury-based South Mountain Company, is the first in…
MVC fights to keep power over Chapter 40B reviews
With its authority to review housing developments in flux, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission (MVC) is attempting to reverse the ruling that reduced its power in court. In Dukes County Superior Court, the MVC and the Edgartown zoning board of appeals jointly filed a challenge against the Massachusetts Housing Appeals Committee…
Founding executive of Island Housing Trust to retire
The founding executive of the largest affordable housing developer on the Vineyard announced his retirement this weekend after two decades of leadership. In a press release, the nonprofit Island Housing Trust (IHT) announced that Philippe Jordi, the chief executive officer (CEO) who founded the company, will be stepping down by…
Ribbon cut on major affordable housing project
The ribbon was officially cut last week on the largest affordable housing project the Island community’s seen in two decades. It took more than ten years to complete. Around 50 attendees gathered on a rainy Thursday afternoon this month for the ceremony at the Edgartown site, as housing advocates praised…
Editor’s pick: Housing coverage
Once-elegant hotel now symbol of struggle
Housing threatens vital summer economy
Accessory dwelling units: An intergenerational tool for housing challenges
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Contact housing and education reporter Sarah Shaw Dawson
Series: Summer economy
Once-elegant hotel now symbol of struggle
In the 1860s, ornate resort hotels were constructed in downtown Oak Bluffs to accommodate an influx of summer visitors. The Vineyard was a budding attraction: Early sightseers promenaded in billowing gowns and sharp suits while attending religious camp meetings, and took in the beauty of the Island as a potential vacation hot spot. One of…
Housing threatens vital summer economy
The seasonal ebb and flow of Island life moves like the tides, a motion that is necessary to keep the local community afloat. But these days, the summer economy and the need for affordable housing feel more like an unpredictable crosscurrent that threatens the sustainability of the Island. Twenty thousand year-round Islanders live and work…
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