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.
West Tisbury voters convened under the Tabernacle in Oak Bluffs for the third time since the start of the pandemic and handily surpassed a 30 person quorum for 2021 annual town meeting. Town clerk Tara Whiting-Wells said the count topped off at 217 registered voters. By far the most time consuming and contentious item on […]
At a listening session held last week by the Coalition to Create a Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, there were close to 150 people listening in during the height of the Zoom session. Last spring, when a rumor circulated that the Tisbury select board was going to eliminate tennis courts on Center Street, more than 80 […]
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.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Housing Bank Coalition to hold listening sessions
The Coalition to Create the Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank is holding two community listening sessions via Zoom next week.
The coalition will give a presentation on its work, research, and ideas and give the public the opportunity to ask questions.
The sessions will be on Monday, May 3, and Wednesday, May 5, at 7 pm both evenings. The Zoom link for the sessions can be found at bit.ly/ccmvhbzoom on the days of the events.
The Coalition got a recent boost of support from the Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank when the Land Bank agreed to provide administrative duties for fee collection should a housing bank be approved by Island towns and the state legislature.