Town of Tisbury Master Plan              (DRAFT) August 5, 2004

Upper State Road

Suggested Planning Alternatives

June 30, 2004

Index for Upper State Road Suggested PlanningAlternatives:

Introduction
Land Use Plan
Connector between State Road and Edgartown Road
Establish a Transit Node at the Park and Ride lot
Shuttle Bus Route
Fire Department and Emergency Services
Designate a MotorVehicle Zone in a section of the former landfill
Local Street System
Neighborhood Street Systems - Development Alternatives
Housing Opportunities
Open Space Preservation and Recreation
Summary of Land Use Proposals

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Introduction

Figure 1  Study Area - State Road, Edgartown Road, Oak Bluffs Town Line

Several major issues -traffic congestion, transit options, municipal services, new housing development, open space preservation, economic growth – all converge on a small section of town bounded approximately by State Road, Edgartown Road, Cook Rd. and the Oak Bluffs Town Line.

Along this part of State Road we find many of our year-round commercial services – hardware store, supermarket, home furnishings, donut shop, family restaurants, doctors’ offices, garden shop, dry cleaners, video store, electronics shop, and others.  School and recreational facilities are nearby, and the area is served by a regular bus route.  

Adjacent to this corridor we have much more marginal uses - the former landfill, a new septic treatment plant, the town well, warehouses and light industry and a large amount of land that is either vacant or is used to store trucks, busses, used cars and abandoned automobiles.  Unlike more remote parts of town, this is not pristine land. It has been filled-in, dug-up and built-over extensively.  

This area was once the outskirts of town but the growth of businesses on State Road has brought these two different types of activities into conjunction with each other.  

The fact that these diverse conditions overlap – a local town center adjacent to a marginal, semi-industrial area – creates some interesting opportunities that we should explore:

·          Reducing traffic congestion and increasing public safety. 

·          Encouraging the use of mass transit.

·          Creating opportunities for new housing especially affordable housing.  

·          Adding to our open lands, not diminishing them.

·          Repairing and restoring those portions of our streets and landscape that have been disrupted by recent developments.

·          Improving the overall visual quality of the town.  

·          Finding ways for the town to grow while preserving its village character and protecting its open spaces.

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