CURRENT PLANNING PROJECTS

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PLANS (EO418)

In what is probably the most significant comprehensive planning effort on the Vineyard since the Island's towns conducted community visioning activities around 1997, all six towns have asked the Martha's Vineyard Commission to act as their consultant to assist them to create Community Development Plans. The Commission is working with town steering committees to evaluate the suitability of "available" land - that is land that is neither developed nor officially preserved - for three different functions: 1) open space and natural resource protection, 2) housing, and 3) economic development. Island-wide, virtually all of the 29% of "available" land is zoned for housing. If built out according to existing zoning, this would accommodate 7,032 additional houses, resulting in a 45% increase in year-round population (from 15,000 to 21,500 people).

Central to determining the suitability of the land is the digital mapping of the many natural and manmade features that contribute to making appropriate for conservation or development. These maps are useful in several ways. They help people better visualize and understand existing patterns by being able to quickly compare different characteristic, like vacant town-owned land and existing affordable housing. The GIS mapping also allow consideration of "what ifs." "How many properties with dwellings lie within the 100-year flood plain?" "Where are the existing parcels that have guest houses?" This capability also allows the towns to assess the potential impacts of various options for the future, such as continuing with present policies and trends, or implementing alternative policies to change these trends.

The Community Development Plans are to be completed by June 30, 2004

UPDATE OF ZONING BOUNDARIES

Grant funding from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MASSGIS) is enabling the Commission to update the zoning GIS boundary file and the DCPC boundary file for each town by June 30, 2004.

STORM DRAIN MAPPING

Together with the Towns of Tisbury and Oak Bluffs, in 2003 the Commission used our Global Positioning System to map the locations of the many storm drains in the downtown parts of these two towns. This map can be used to estimate the volume of runoff that flows through the system during a rainfall. We also sampled the flow at the outlets of storm drains into Oak Bluffs Harbor, Tisbury Harbor, Lagoon Pond and at the public beach on Seaview Avenue in Oak Bluffs. The samples will be analyzed at the laboratory so we can determine the relative impact of the different sources. The project will conclude with the preparation of a preliminary engineering design for one problem area in each town. The locations of drains and stormwater outlets are shown in the Tisbury Storm Water (StormMapTisbury 716K) and OB Storm Water (StormMapOakBluffs 703K) . This mapping is funded by the MA Department of Environmental Protection.

DATA COLLECTION PROGRAM

The MVC is helping the Island community renew its data planning bases by carrying out several surveys about Island residents, visitors and businesses. Surveys include ferry, air and bus passengers and Island businesses. Surveying involved the cooperation of the Center for Economic Development at UMass Amherst, the Louis Berger Group, the Steamship Authority and MassHighway, as well as the participation of the Chamber of Commerce, the MV Airport and the Vineyard Transit Authority. (See SurveyResults [document not yet available online] .)