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

 

Upper State Road Suggested Planning Alternatives

June 30, 2004

Open Space preservation and recreation

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Figure 13 Proposed walking and biking trail and open space network

There is a significant amount of undeveloped land in Tisbury that has been protected through a variety of conservation measures as well as town-owned land that has been purchased to protect our ground water aquifers.   However, much of this land is not open to the public. The public spaces, for their part are often hard find and even harder to get to.   And, of course, when it comes to beach access, the amount of public land is reduced to almost zero.   

We should resist the temptation to use these undeveloped areas for other purposes, no matter how urgent the need. Once you build on open land, it’s gone and you can never get it back.  

We need to find ways to both protect and expand our inventory of protected lands and also to create a coherent system of linked access ways. We should also find ways to join the open spaces and natural areas to the parks, walks and historic sites within the town so these varied experiences are seen as part of a continuum and not separate entities.      

The above drawings suggest one method of integrating the Sailor’s Burying Ground ancient way with town land, Land Bank property, the new athletic field, the cemetery, the school, the William Street historic district, downtown and the waterfront.

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