A committee is preparing for a new phase in the mission to protect and in some cases restore the rural character of Island roads. Planners from McCormick Taylor, a consulting and engineering firm, and Lardner/Klein Landscape Architects, will help develop a manual.

A re-routed roadway running partly across a wetland, a new location for the parking lot and removal of an oceanfront stone revetment are among the draft recommendations. A public hearing is set for Dec. 18.

A proposed zoning bylaw that would prohibit dilapidated buildings in downtown Oak Bluffs has earned the disapproval of the town planning board, despite concern about the state of some buildings.

The Edgartown homeowners whose plans sparked public outcry have scaled back their design. The architect for Tom and Mary Folliard told two town commissions that his clients have decided to build a one-car garage.

Discouraged by a stalled quest for federal funding, the town of Oak Bluffs is now looking for other ways to dredge the sand-filled channel beneath the Little Bridge at Sengekontacket Pond. The inlet has now closed and the window to dredge it is also closing, with April the deadline for work to be done.

With demand for affordable homesites running high and an upcoming lottery for four lots at Nab’s Corner a few days away, the Chilmark selectmen this week denied two appeals from applicants who did not meet the guidelines.