A plan by a group of off-Island real estate developers for 34 market-rate homes on 54 wooded acres off Meetinghouse Way in Edgartown is set for review by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission early next year.

The plan, which cleared a pre-public hearing review before the MVC last month, is the largest subdivision in years to be reviewed by the commission. The developers are a limited liability company called Meeting House Way LLC. Principals are Douglas K. Anderson and Richard G. Matthews, both with addresses in Salt Lake City, Utah. Mr. Anderson has a background in general contracting and development, including for big box retail and golf and ski resorts, according to a Bloomberg profile that appears online.

Mr. Matthews was formerly associated with Upcal Construction and the Ragged Mountain ski resort, both located in Nevada.

Land records show they bought the property in June 2017 for $6.6 million.

The seller was Jan. W. Whiting, a Weymouth attorney acting as a special master for the probate court. The property was assessed at $2.4 million at the time of the sale.

The land is partially wooded and lies between Meetinghouse Way and Meshacket Road, not far from the Island Grove subdivision and also near Wilson’s landing at Turkeyland Cove on the Edgartown Great Pond. The property is bordered on two sides by protected ancient ways: Swimming Place Path and Pease’s Point Way. About 17 acres of the land cannot be developed because it is designated as priority habitat for the rare imperial moth under the state Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.

Cluster plan is largest subdivision in years to come before MVC.

Cluster plan is largest subdivision in years to come before MVC.

The definitive (form C) plan was filed with the Edgartown planning board in May and referred to the commission as a development of regional impact (DRI).

Called Meeting House Place, the plan as currently drawn calls for three clusters, each containing between 10 and 13 buildable lots. Cluster A is nestled into the northwest corner of the development off Meshacket Road, with Clusters B and C flanking it on its southern and eastern sides. The plan calls for two entrances, one off Meshacket Road and the other off Meetinghouse Way.

Lots vary in size from one to 2.68 acres, with development envelopes that range from a fifth of an acre to a little over a half-acre, leaving about 65 per cent of the original 54 acres as open space. The average lot size is 1.55 acres. Minimum zoning in the area is half-acre lots.

Homes will be limited to a maximum of seven bedrooms and 6,300 square feet of living space, not including stairwells, porches and below-grade basements, according to the plan. No guest houses will be allowed, but guest rooms above garages will be permitted and not included in the 6,300-square-foot living space maximum.

During a pre-public hearing review on Nov. 19, members of the commission’s land use planning subcommittee expressed concern about the development’s proposed affordable housing contribution. A commission policy requires residential real estate developments to contribute either 20 per cent of the assessed value of the property or 10 per cent of the proposed lots toward affordable housing.

Meeting House Place developers are proposing to give money rather than lots. Calculated on 20 per cent of the property’s assessed $2.4 million value at the time of the sale, the contribution would total $490,000.

“For a 34-lot development, 490K seems like a pretty cheesy contribution,” said commissioner Fred Hancock at the meeting. “If we are looking at the benefits and detriments of a project, we have 34 market-rate lots, and the affordable housing is getting the fuzzy end of the lollipop there.”

Civil engineer Douglas Hoehn and Island attorney Sean Murphy, who represent the developers, replied that they did not write the commission’s rules.

“We didn’t choose an assessed value,” Mr. Murphy said. “The appraised value might be quite different than the assessed value.”

MVC affordable housing director Christine Flynn said she has asked the applicant to consider providing the lots rather than money.

“It is going to come up [at the public hearing],” Mr. Hancock said. “As somebody voting on this . . . I would have a hard time approving this with this kind of contribution.”

The developers plan to connect the project to town water and sewer, although the infrastructure is not yet in place. According to the project’s Environmental Notification Form, the subdivision will connect with a public water and sewer main 60 feet north of the parcel beneath Meshacket Road.

Commissioners also expressed concern about increasing the load on Edgartown’s overburdened water and sewage treatment systems.

“We have low-flow everything,” said

MVC water and resource manager Sheri Caseau.

Mr. Murphy promised that the developers would have a statement from the town water department before the public hearing planned for Jan. 24.

Meanwhile, the development group has also bought more land bordering the property proposed for subdivision. In February 2018 Boston Equity RE and MV Estates Inc. purchased land along Meetinghouse Way. Boston Equity bought an 8.46 acre-lot from ADEC Meeting House Way LLC for $1.28 million, while MV Estates Inc. bought a smaller plot for $114,000.

Both entities list Douglas K. Anderson and Richard G. Matthews as principals. As a result, there are currently six lots totaling 62.82 acres owned by the same group of developers. A seventh lot just west of the other properties totaling 17.26 acres is owned by ADEC Meeting House Way LLC, but has been granted an easement for water, sewer and electric utility access to the other lots.

Meeting House Way, once a two-mile long dirt road, was repaved and widened last winter. Mike Mauro, the commission’s transportation program manager, said at the pre-public hearing review that the development would not cause a significant increase in traffic on the road.

The DRI review is expected to test the muscle of the regional planning commission, which has unique powers to review development but has seen few large subdivision plans since the 1980s and 1990s, when such plans were commonplace.

“Before my time,” said DRI coordinator Paul Foley. “We haven’t had any subdivisions of this size since I started here, which was 15 years ago.”