Government
A Chilmark zoning bylaw regulating house size is now official after the town received approval from the state attorney general’s office this week.
Kelli Gunagan, assistant attorney general and bylaw coordinator, informed the town in a July 9 letter that the state approved the zoning amendments passed at the annual town meeting in April.
“Based upon our review of the text of [the bylaw], the relevant case law, and all the materials submitted to our office, we conclude that Section 6.11 is not clearly inconsistent with [Massachusetts general law],” Ms.
Tisbury selectmen will move their regularly scheduled meetings to the Tisbury Senior Center for the remainder of the summer. Meetings will be held at the senior center, where there is air conditioning, until mid-September. The time of the meetings remains the same, 5:30 p.m.
Plans to double the size of the Vineyard Haven Stop & Shop, which would include the reconfiguration of a town parking lot, the elimination of a town comfort station and the relocation of a historic house, will come before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday.
Edgartown selectmen had sharp words for representatives from NStar Monday about the installation of taller utility poles on the Island.
The new utility poles, which are being installed on Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road and Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, average about 10 feet taller than the previous poles. An NStar representative told the Gazette that about 260 new poles are being installed, 180 on public roadways. Most of the poles are replacing existing poles, though some are new.
The clash between Island aesthetics and improved utilities has come to a head on the Vineyard over the last several weeks as new, larger utility poles started popping up on Vineyard roads.
Residents and town officials have criticized the new poles as unsightly and out of keeping with the Vineyard’s character, referring the project for review by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. NStar, the utility company installing the poles, said this week that the poles are necessary to improve electric service and meet demand.
A superior court case revolving around an old Linden tree on Main street Edgartown was dismissed Tuesday. But after the dust had settled, both sides in the case agreed to go to work on the issue that reaches beyond a legal dispute over tree roots — the need to restore the decrepit building known as the Yellow House which sits in the center of the village.