Queen Anne’s Lace shimmers, a caesura between green fields And blue summer skies. I hope everyone will forgive me for my attempt at haiku at the start of this week’s column. My second line has one syllable too many, but I can’t decide what to take out. I love the word and intention of “caesura.” […]
Affordable housing in Oak Bluffs took a big step forward Tuesday night after the town select board approved the Southern Tier Housing request for proposals (RFP). The project aims to build 60 mixed-income affordable housing units through a phased approach on an eight-acre parcel of land off Edgartown–Vineyard Haven Road. All of the units will […]
A Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank program that uses goats to clear invasive plants continues to thrive on the Island. However, the animals need a safe place to give birth to continue the program in the future. At a recent meeting, the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank unanimously approved a proposal made by goatherd Zachary Jesse to […]
The Martha s Vineyard Times
We’ve been impressed by the careful and thoughtful approach of this coalition.
The effort is focused on state legislation that would allow for housing banks to be created and use a transfer fee, similar to the one that funds the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank. The coalition is working with communities such as Nantucket, with similar goals.
We like the transfer fee approach because it doesn’t create a battle over tax revenue. We also like that the housing bank is working with the Land Bank to limit the amount of administrative overhead to the housing bank.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Coalition steering committee member Doug Ruskin, shown here at a 2018 hospital forum, outlined what a Housing Bank on the Island could look like. Gabrielle Mannino
In its first public listening session, members of the Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank gave a presentation on their “first draft parameters” to more than 140 attendees via Zoom, and fielded wide-ranging questions from the public.
The listening session featured members of the coalition as well as speakers from various Island organizations.
“We need a comprehensive regional solution with long-range planning and funding appropriate to the scale of the problem,” coalition steering committee co-chair Julie Fay said.