Seaview avenue in the rain on a December day.
Tim Johnson

Oak Bluffs Is Third Town to Delay Action on Housing Bank Article

Echoing the concerns of Edgartown and West Tisbury, the Oak Bluffs select board delayed action this week on a draft annual town meeting article to create a Martha’s Vineyard housing bank.

Echoing the concerns of two other Island towns, the Oak Bluffs select board delayed action this week on a draft annual town meeting article to create a Martha’s Vineyard housing bank.

At their meeting Tuesday, select board members shared concerns brought by Edgartown and West Tisbury in recent weeks following a review of the article by town counsel Ron Rappaport, who is also counsel for Oak Bluffs.

Mr. Rappaport’s review of the article, first requested by the Edgartown select board, has raised a number of questions about the housing bank proposal, including clarity of language and key differences between the draft housing bank plan and the land bank legislation, which it was modeled after.

The coalition to create a housing bank has been circulating the draft article in all the Island towns. Select boards in Chilmark and Aquinnah readily agreed to put the article on their annual town meeting warrants last month.

But Oak Bluffs board members took a different tack this week.

“I know a lot of questions have been raised, and I just want to know, did we make any progress on those questions?” select board member Jason Balboni asked members of the coalition who attended the online meeting Tuesday.

Coalition steering committee member John Abrams acknowledged the issues raised by Mr. Rappaport, and said the draft housing bank article is a work in progress.

“Our process is to work around all the select boards . . . hear the concerns,” Mr. Abrams said. “It’s really about whatever you see in the warrant article that grabs your attention.”

In addition to the questions raised by town counsel, board members brought up a few of their own concerns. Emma Green-Beach wondered whether priorities framed in the draft article, including that affordable housing projects address climate change and be located near existing services, should be compulsory.

“I wish that somehow, it sounded a little stronger,” Ms. Green-Beach said. “Not just priorities, but how are we going to apply these things to everything we do?”

Despite the concerns, Mr. Abrams and other coalition members asked the select board to place the draft article on the annual town meeting warrant.

But board members were not so eager to place the article on the warrant before more work has been done on it. They did agree to endorse the ideals of the housing bank and said the final decision should rest with voters.

But they said more clarity is needed.

“We need to bring a proposal to the voters that’s super, super clear,” select board member Brian Packish said. “I think you’ve done a great job, I just think there’s more work to be done.”

The Tisbury select board will take up the draft housing bank article at a meeting set for this afternoon.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/15/2021 - 13:57

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George MV

The housing bank is a terrible idea. You will have a new buyer in town that has $20+ million per year to spend. That would drive prices up even more and forever blockade the starter market for everyone that makes less than $200k per year. Is the housing bank allowed to borrow? If so, the housing price will go up even further on the bottom half of the market. Forever.

Has any real economist (that is not an affordable housing advocate) advised the selectmen on these and other potential unintended consequences?

Once in, the housing bank will never be out. Better to get it right or not do it at all.

Theoretically, between the housing and land banks this entire island could be owned by the two entities sometime in the future because they will always have income until all the real estate is gone. It will be gone because they own it.

What to do about the housing problem? For one thing you could change zoning to allow accessory apartments where they are currently not allowed. Restrict those accessory apartments built under a new zoning bylaw to a certain size and year-round rentals only. Over time, allow for select persons to be able to restrict the number of new permits if needed.

And/or rezone where it makes sense for denser living.

A housing bank with virtually unlimited money can only be a problem in the future, beware of unintended consequences.

Ed

The Housing Bank will not be buying land. They will be funding public and private affordable housing projects and offering financial assistance to qualified buyers.

George MV

Ok, housing bank maybe not directly purchasing but, even indirectly, a $20 million per year infusion into the marketplace will drive prices up. The amount of land won’t change, just the amount of money. Unless we change zoning or go full on socialist more money for a fixed commodity means higher prices.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/15/2021 - 16:19

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here we go again mvy and off island

We are being asked for another unnecessary 'tax'. It would be appropriate that any coalition members pushing for this housing bank recuse themselves from building any projects funded by this tax.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 12/15/2021 - 21:07

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Mark Edgartown

Will never understand why the housing bank thinks its fair to tax peoples’ retirement nest eggs.

Islander Mvy

Because your nest egg requires maintenance people, grocery store workers, nurses, doctors and teachers to teach all those professional’s children to be able to live here.

Without affordable housing, you’re experience on the island could be changed if people can’t live here and then you’ll be forced to become dependent on off-island companies.

Now tell me, would you prefer an islander who understands what it’s like to live here tending to your home who you would be very likely to run into at the grocery store or on an outing with your children (meaning that the island’s craftspeople understand reputation is everything) or someone from Bourne who doesn’t know east chop from west chop?

uh oh mvy

Same story I've been hearing for years. Whats your problem with off-island companies? They actually fill the void here since Island businesses are so busy an unreliable. Its not like I visit stop and shop to socialize so your point is moot.

Molly West Tisbury

Uh oh, the problem with off-island companies is that they are off- island. After the job is done, getting them back for repairs or maintenance can be difficult. Also, Islander already explained the benefit of hiring a fellow islander, somebody you'll run into at Reliable or the post office, somebody who might volunteer for Hospice MV or the fire department, somebody whose dollars get spent here rather than elsewhere. It's always preferable to hire local!

Mark Edgartown

Does everyone that works in New York or Boston live there? No. There is this concept of commuting and a 35-45 minute ferry is much better than a two hour commute into the city.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/16/2021 - 06:38

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Bob Edgartown

Keep up the good work! Why should anything be given away! If you want a nice home, work for it!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/16/2021 - 12:39

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Ken Rusczyk Oak Bluffs

A fee is another word for tax.
Change the Land Bank's legislation and divide the present tax to 1 percent each for the Land Bank and Housing Bank, both will do very well.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 12/16/2021 - 19:48

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Marie

A tax is a tax. They are not noble.

One day residents may decide that they want a beach tax. Or a vacation tax because they need to get away in the winter. Once you get the template going there’s no saying where it may lead.

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