Peaked Hill Pastures Proposals Committee Meeting
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
8AM
Members Present:
Jim Malkin (Chairperson), Ann Wallace, Jane Slater, Clark Goff, Leonard Jason, Peter Cook
Members Not Present: Ursula Goodenough
Members of the Public:
Staff: Jennifer Christy, Chuck Hodgkinson
Chairperson Malkin opened the meeting at 8AM.
Chairperson Malkin summarized the discussion of meeting on June 27th. He reiterated the plan to have a resolution/recommendation ready for the Annual Town Meeting in April of 2019.
Discussion began about the task set at the June 27th meeting for each member to list possible uses of the lots available for development by the Town at the site.
Mr. Malkin suggested that, after a list of possible uses is created, that list could then be shared with the public at an early September 2018 open meeting, He suggested that the public could then offer other ideas or opinions on the provided lists before more steps are taken to pursue one or another.
Mr. Cook inquired whether the committee would want to contact a consultant or planner to give input before the committee puts the ideas for possible uses before the public. He thought that a planner may be able to provide ideas that incorporate all of the ideas that are sensitive to the community’s interests.
Ms. Slater stated that, with an interest in keeping costs low, contracting with a planner should come after the public has had a chance to give input.
Mr. Jason agreed and stated that the MV Commission would be a good resource for planning purposes. He agreed that it would be best to wait to contract with a planner, though, until the process has developed ideas more.
Mr. Goff also agreed that more information from the committee and the public should be gathered before a planner is contracted. He emphasized that he is in favor of obtaining professional input, but he would like the most information possible available for the planner before that process is started. He noted that a certain amount of consensus on the idea for the site would be beneficial.
Mr. Malkin agreed that there is a place for the contributions of a planner, but that it should come later in the process.
Mr. Cook stated his list of ideas for the site and noted that his ideas are shared with consideration of what is best for the Town:
Affordable Housing is a great need and there is a mandate to do something about this great need. He looked to the future, 10, 20 or 30 years ahead, and noted that there are going to be other needs of the Town and a number of things that are going to arise. He noted there are existing templates in Town for housing and stated it may be a good idea if the Town were to create a campus community that anticipates several different uses for residents, such as multi-housing, tiny houses, and an infrastructure center to help, particularly, with senior housing support. He reiterated that it would be desirable to create a ‘community center’ that has some infrastructure that supports senior housing, rental housing, and family multi-housing. He noted also that a plan that is
developed over stages would be a good idea. He also noted that there are 4-5 projects that the Town has worked on in the past and the analysis of those past projects would be a good idea.
Ann Wallace stated her list of ideas:
Ms. Wallace noted her ideas for the site included affordable housing. She stated that she wants the Town to retain ownership of the site. Ms. Wallace noted innovative and flexible site planning, with density of structures in one area and open space in another, is important with a mix of ownership and rental units. Ms. Wallace noted it would be best to phase in the development of the area rather than to implement a plan for the entire site at once. She noted finally that it would be important to utilize the MV Commission and their staff.
Clark Goff stated his list of ideas:
Mr. Goff noted that the site could be utilized by a new Community Center or a community building of some sort. He also noted that first responders could be located at the site. He noted there may be future school needs and parking needs. Mr. Goff suggested the site could be utilized for summer worker housing and for senior housing. He suggested a possible use for the site could be a camping site for summer workers and noted the need to retain the ballfield and provide possible toilets and water to support that recreational use. He noted the recreational use may be expanded to provide tennis courts and Town pool. Mr. Goff also stated that pasture land could be a use for the site. Mr. Goff noted the cemetery’s possible needs
for expansion and also the possibility of a community garden.
Leonard Jason Jr. stated his list of ideas:
Mr. Jason stated that he wants to keep the ballfield. He thinks the community center should be at Peaked Hill so that the current community center could be become the new fire station. He further stated that the Town Hall should be located at the Peaked Hill site as well and the existing Town Hall should be converted into housing. He stated that he thinks a council on aging is needed and that regionalization is dying and that the Town is getting older and this type of facility will be needed in Town. Housing is badly needed, he stated, and Mr. Jason continued to state there is staff at the Town Hall that are currently residing in the Town but in the future the Town will need housing for Town staff that may not live in town such as a Fire
Chief, Town Administrator, Police Chief, teachers, police officers and firemen. He stated it would be important, in the future, for Town staff and officers to be Town residents. He feels a need for a nursing facility and he said an island entity could build a facility at the Peaked Hill site. Mr. Jason noted the future possible needs of the cemetery may need to be met at Peaked Hill. Mr. Jason noted he is not thinking that affordable housing is a primary problem and he said that zoning could be changed to address housing needs, further noting that, currently by special permit one can end up with 3 dwellings on a lot, and he stated that this seems to be no different an outcome as the outcome of establishing one acre zoning. He noted that the flexible siting bylaw could be utilized more to provide more affordable lots and the density would not appear as dense. Mr. Jason noted that the town facilities and highway dept. is in need of space.
Very brief discussion occurred about the current use of space behind the transfer station.
Jane Slater stated her list of ideas:
Ms. Slater read a quote from a book she is reading about the Hebrides Island–“we think place is about space, but in fact it is really about time.” She tried to look ahead 50-75 years and stated the beaches are eroding and climate change is occurring and that the beach area is going to change. The recreation that happens in the center of the island will be the draw in the future. She noted a need for a new Town Hall annex or another Town Hall, a new and different location for the Community Center. Ms. Slater noted the need for an information center and also suggested the Police and Fire Stations will also need to be located in different places. She allowed that the needs of the Town may be different in the future due to less cars or other kinds of
vehicles. Ms. Slater suggested a portable or prefab building may be constructed at Peaked Hill to contain Town Hall and Town facility documents and equipment. Ms. Slater noted that a trauma center and an EMT facility will be needed in the future. She did not think that the cemetery needs are a priority due to possible changing ways of dealing with the dead in the future. She noted the possible need for a public heliport. Ms. Slater reasoned that the air will be used more for transportation and drones will become more important and cars will likely be limited in the future. Ms. Slater suggested that an expanded recreation area with walking and dog paths and a people friendly environment would be welcome. Ms. Slater placed affordable housing low on her list, but she thought workers could be housed in the vacated in-town Town Hall buildings if new Town buildings are constructed at a new site.
Jim Malkin stated his list of ideas:
Mr. Malkin suggested doing nothing with the site for now. He reasoned that the future may have needs that are not apparent yet. He also thought 4 acres of the 16 could be used for a clustered zoning of small individual housing for affordable or senior or Town worker housing. Mr. Malkin suggested a small community of clustered housing that could be adaptable to the needs that become apparent in the future. Mr. Malkin further suggested that the public works dept. needs space to store equipment and supplies. Mr. Malkin further suggested that his idea would be to leave the rest of the area alone so that it may be available for the uses that become apparent in the future. He noted that his other ideas have already been mentioned.
Mr. Malkin noted that there were no Chilmark residents on the affordable housing list when he and his wife built a house available for affordable housing and the DCRHA, when he inquired, stated that people do not want to live far away from jobs and services. He thought that it would be important to look at whether there really is demand for affordable housing in Chilmark and stated that clustered housing could be utilized in any way that the Town needs for it to be utilized.
Mr. Goff stated he thought the development of rentals at the site would contribute to the flexibility of the use.
Mr. Malkin noted the options for next steps are to further refine the list and/or publish a notice that announces that the committee has developed a list and the committee would like public input about other ideas or about the stated ideas.
Mr. Cook stated that it may be beneficial for each of the members to each take one of the ideas and create a presentation that lists the pros and cons before the committee goes before the public.
Mr. Hodgkinson stated his support for Mr. Cook’s idea.
Mr. Goff stated that he went to look at the recent West Tisbury affordable housing/clustered rental project, on 3 + acres, and stated that rentals may be developed in a way that does not look unsightly. He suggested that the committee look at what a one acre lot looks like and what clustered housing may look like so that the committee would be personally familiar with the actual land and built environment that may be suggested for the Peaked Hill site. He urged more education of the committee on what the housing and clustered housing actual feels like on a site.
Mr. Jason agreed that more research by the committee needs to be done, stated his support of Mr. Cook’s idea, and stated that he is in no rush to develop the land.
Mr. Malkin asked Ms. Christy to pull together the list of ideas just stated by the members and send it to the members so that they may make a preliminary draft of the pros and cons of each idea and then the committee would begin to review these pros and cons at the next meeting.
Mr. Cook stated there are competing priorities and briefly described what those are from the above stated lists. He suggested that a committee member could develop the pros and cons of one of the ideas and then provide that to the other members for comment. He further noted that when the public is invited in it would be necessary for the members to have analyzed the pros and cons of each idea carefully.
Mr. Goff stated he is in no rush on the development of ideas either, but there is a pressure from the need for a fire station.
Ms. Wallace clarified that her definition of affordable housing, for this site, includes workforce housing and senior housing.
Mr. Malkin stated there are competing issues that people feel strongly about for the use of Peaked Hill Pastures. Brief discussion occurred about the current facility needs of the Town concerning the construction of the Fire Station and its location.
Mr. Malkin stated that a letter should be sent to Mr. Jeffrey Herman of the Town Affairs Council inviting him to attend a Peaked Hill Pastures meeting to discuss the future uses of the Community Center. Mr. Goff showed the committee members sketches of the proposed new fire station.
Ms. Christy was asked to write a letter to Jeffrey Herman to meet with the Peaked Hill Pastures Proposals Committee to discuss the future of the Community Center as it impacts their use and programs and Mr. Malkin asked that the other two Selectmen should be copied on this letter. It was clarified that the invitation is to be made to Jeffrey Herman and/or other designated Town Affairs Committee member(s).
The next meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, July 25th, 2018 at 8AM.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45AM.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Jennifer Christy
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