To the Editor: On behalf of all the members of the Friends of Oak Bluffs, we are sorry for the passing of Priscilla Sylvia, and more importantly, we will miss her many contributions. She devoted her life to public service: 35 years as an elementary school teacher at the Oak Bluffs School, many years as […]
The warmer days in March are a great time for exploring Island trails and spotting early signs of spring. You can discover more than 70 properties with trail systems maintained by the M.V. Land Bank, many of which lead to sandy beaches, tumbling streams, or water views. To prepare for your adventure, check mvlandbank.com for […]
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Coalition seeks to create housing bank
In 2005, one of our local papers ran a story: “The housing bank initiative has cleared its first major regional hurdle, now that all six towns have thrown their support behind the idea, which aims to create a bank of money for affordable housing using a transfer fee on most real estate transactions. The Martha’s Vineyard Land Bank is the model …”
Despite overwhelming support from voters in all six towns and the Vineyard real estate community, the effort failed in the state legislature due to lobbying by the Massachusetts Association of Realtors, which opposed the concept of transfer fees. At the time, the M.V. median home sale price was approximately $500,000.
The Martha s Vineyard Times
Will Land Bank allow access to Lambertâs Cove?
To the Editor:
Congratulations to the M.V. Land Bank on its recent purchases in Tisbury on Tashmoo Neck and in West Tisbury on James Pond. Together with acquisition of the Red Gate Farm property in Aquinnah, the public will be able to enjoy even more of our beautiful coastline. The James Pond property abuts Lambert’s Cove Beach, a West Tisbury town park. The town currently denies public walk-on access to Lambert’s Cove Beach.
Will the town finally allow the public on the beach from the James Pond Property once it opens in 2022? And if the town will allow walk-on access from James Pond, why wouldn’t they allow walk-on access from the current bus stop by the Lambertâs Cove Beach parking lot? And if it’s a good idea to do both of those things in 2022, then it’s a good idea to allow the public to walk on the beach in 2021. If the town won’t allow the public to walk on the bea