With a green light from both the Martha’s Vineyard Commission and the Chilmark planning board, the Middle Line Road affordable housing project has moved two steps closer to breaking ground.

Middle Line, which has been in the works since 2004, will be the first town-sponsored affordable housing project in Chilmark, with six rental units and six resident homesites.

At its meeting last Thursday night the commission voted 8-2 to approve the project, which was under review as a development of regional impact (DRI).

The gradual two-year decline of residential home sales now resembles a bobsled run: it’s picking up speed but has some interesting twists and turns

The West Tisbury assessors have made public their first round of real estate abatements, applying reductions in valuations from 10 to 60 per cent on seven of 57 properties in the Tisbury Great Pond and Seven Gates Farm neighborhoods, the areas in town hit hardest by revaluations.

Abatement applications are taxpayer requests for lower valuations, thus lower tax bills. They challenge real estate values assigned after revaluation occurs.

Backlash to Vision Appraisal Technology’s 2008 real estate revaluation in West Tisbury continued this week, drawing sympathetic comments from public officials, including selectmen.

The drumbeat of criticism, largely provided by resident Joan Ames in recent weeks, drew comments from town finance committee chairman Richard Knabel and a promise by selectman chairman Glenn Hearn to reach out to town assessors to discuss the process.

Miller Becomes Specialist

Elaine T. Miller of Sandpiper Realty Inc. in Edgartown has earned the seniors real estate specialist designation, which focuses on educating realtors to serve real estate buyers and sellers who are aged 55 and older.

Real Estate Designation

Robin O’Donnell and Nora Jardin of Island Real Estate in Vineyard Haven have been awarded the accredited buyer representation designation by the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council Inc. of the National Association of Realtors.

To receive the designation, the two were required to successfully complete a comprehensive course in buyer representation and an elective course focusing on a buyer representation specialty, as well as submitting documents verifying their professional experience.