The Edgartown planning board referred a controversial subdivision plan to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission in a unanimous vote Tuesday. 

Katama Meadows, a reconfigured plan for the former Meeting House Way project along the road of the same name, proposes to develop 54 acres of land for 36 low-income rentals, 12 duplex units and 26 single-family lots, hitting several of the triggers that require review by the Islandwide planning commission. 

Before sending the subdivision plan to the commission, the planning board and residents peppered the developers with questions about the plan, while also raising concerns about the potential for additional nitrogen into the nearby Edgartown Great Pond. 

Emily Reddington, the executive director of the Great Pond Foundation, asked about the number of total bedrooms for the subdivision, to which project engineer Doug Hoehn said was not yet decided yet, and could fluctuate depending on the types of homes in the single-family lots.

“We know that 70 per cent of the nitrogen impairment is coming from two coves in Edgartown Great Pond,” she said. “That’s Meshacket Cove and Slough Cove and we also know where the tipping point is for this pond.” 

The Meeting House Way subdivision was originally proposed in 2018, and was later pulled by the developers, Douglas Anderson and Richard Matthews. 

A second redesign of the project was rejected by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. That denial was appealed by the developers in the Dukes County Superior Court but the decision was upheld by a judge in 2023. 

The developers then appealed that decision to the state Appeals Court, where the case still sits. Rob Moriarty, an attorney for Katama Meadows, told the planning board Tuesday that the project and the commission are working on a settlement, but the project would still have to go through the full commission review process. 

The 36 low-income units would be developed by Affirmative Investments, the same builder behind the nearby Meshacket Commons affordable housing project. They are planned to be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments for people whose incomes are between 30 per cent and 80 per cent of the area median income. 

The 12 duplex buildings would be part of six buildings, all reserved for year-round residents. The home lots would be market rate; about 25 acres of the property would be set aside for open space. 

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission will take the project up in the coming year, after the new members are sworn in.