Peaked Hill Pastures Proposals Committee Meeting
Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018
8AM
Members Present:
Jim Malkin (Chairperson), Ann Wallace, Jane Slater, Clark Goff, Peter Cook, Ursula Goodenough, Leonard Jason
Members Not Present:
Members of the Public:
Staff: Jennifer Christy
Chairperson Malkin opened the meeting at 8AM.
Minutes from previous meetings were reviewed:
June 27, 2018: The minutes were approved as written.
July 11, 2018: The minutes were approved with one change.
July 27, 2018: The minutes were approved as written.
Sept. 5, 2018: The minutes were approved as written.
Ms. Wallace presented the work that she, Mr. Cook and Mr. Goff completed regarding a chart of the current Chilmark housing opportunies, ownership and rental. She distributed a chart of draft Current Chilmark Housing Opportunities dated Sept. 19, 2018. Chilmark has created 46 housing opportunities overall with 10 rental housing opportunities. The chart does not include the North Tabor Farm or Tea Lane Farm housing or the rental assistance opportunities that are funded each year or the opportunities that may be or have been afforded to Chilmarkers through island-wide (outside of Chilmark) housing options.
Discussion occurred regarding the information in the chart that supports various types of housing opportunities and information which reflects characteristics of types of housing opportunities.
Ms. Wallace stated she did not create a plus or minus assessment of the information and hopes that this could be done at the meeting.
Mr. Cook stated that the working group look at the information gathered and considered the needs of the Town and noted that workforce housing is and will be the most pressing need for the Town in terms of housing. He further stated that rental housing would be important to have due to the need for workforce members to be able to settle quickly.
Mr. Cook further noted that the responsibilities of the Town for rental properties is a topic that should be assessed and found whether there are ways to improve how the Town manages rental housing. He stated that the Town may be willing to entertain plans for more rental housing if there is work by the Town to streamline and improve the management of rentals.
Mr. Goff noted that a member of Town approached him with concern about placing affordable housing at the Peaked Hill site and he related that he explained that tenants of this housing could be primarily workforce members. This explanation, he stated, seemed to be more palatable to the town member.
Discussion occurred regarding the recent steps taken by the MV Commission and the Airport Commission to address the housing needs of staff.
Mr. Malkin inquired whether there are avenues to address the housing issue that were not assessed by the working group. Ms. Wallace stated her view that zoning bylaw changes could address the housing issue. Brief discussion occurred regarding the usefulness of a 40B type of development such as those at Sepiessa and by the firehouse in West Tisbury. Mr. Jason advocated looking at the 40B possibility and exploring available methods for developing housing before creating new methods through changes to zoning.
Mr. Cook noted that a key factor in determining the impact of a housing project will be a full assessment of the investment upfront that may face the Town as part of any housing project.
Brief discussion occurred regarding the prospects of the Fischer property in the center of Town.
Mr. Malkin summarized that the committee appears to have concluded that at least a portion of the Peaked Hill Pastures site should be for affordable workforce housing and asked the committee if they should return to the Planning Board to share this conclusion. Mr. Jason asked whether a conclusion should also be shared that a portion of the site should be used for recreational uses, specifically for a pool. Ms. Slater stated she would like one conclusion to be that a portion of the site should be left untouched and reserved by the Town for future use if needed. Mr. Malkin thought that the committee had proposed to use four acres of the site for housing and the rest reserved for other uses.
Mr. Cook noted there has not been an analysis of the site that shows the suitability of each potential lot at the site for housing. He suggested the Town may consider asking a planner to look at the site with the idea of developing the site over 25 years. He further stated the planner could help determine the suitability of the site for the various uses that the committee has identified as priorities. Mr. Cook added that the Town’s property on the other side of Tabor House Road could be included in the assessment performed by a planner so that a full picture of the suitability of the entire Town owned properties in the area could be assessed.
Ms. Slater stated that the approach to assess the suitability makes sense. She suggested that the objective of the committee is to make recommendations of appropriate uses for the site. Mr. Jason agreed that a report from the committee on the suggestions that have been developed is the objective.
Mr. Malkin suggested a minimal powerpoint presentation could be developed for a public meeting. Mr. Jason noted that there is an extensive file on the Peaked Hill Pastures site. Mr. Cook stated he would review this file. Mr. Malkin stated he would create a draft presentation that could be shown at a public meeting.
Brief discussion occurred regarding Chapter 40B housing options and how the Island Housing Trust is involved in the recent West Tisbury project.
Next Meeting:
The committee agreed to meet on Wednesday, September 26, 2018 at 8AM.
The meeting concluded at 8:40AM.
Minutes respectfully submitted by Jennifer Christy.
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