Under scrutiny by at least two Island towns over rising expenses and a skyrocketing legal budget, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission is defending its role.

A draft bylaw, unveiled earlier this month, aims to shield Tisbury’s housing stock from corporations like Pacaso and Ember, which market one-eighth ownership shares of vacation homes in popular destinations from Napa to Nantucket.

Polly Hill Arboretum, in collaboration with the state's Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), is taking the next step in creating sustainable, on-site housing for permanent staffers and interns.

The commission vote was unanimous to deny a request to reduce the number of workforce housing units in the downtown building. The critical need for worker housing was cited.

A recent benchmark housing needs assessment conducted by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission paints an increasingly dire picture of the Island’s housing crisis.