PREFACE

For the last year and a half, the Tisbury Planning Board has been working on a new master plan for the town.  We began the process with an extensive questionaire that was sent to all the town's year-round residents as well as many of our summer residents and we were pleased to get an overwhelming 42% responce.

 In addition, members of the community have, on their own initiative, produced very helpful reports, notes, and comments on town problems and we have worked hard to integrate them into the planning process.

 We have paid special attention to the recent series of planning studies done by the Martha's Vineyard Commission on Transportation, Housing, Environment, and Economic Development, which provide us with the regional context within which we can frame our own responses.

 Recently, we have focused our attention on the Upper State Road area where a number of critical issues - traffic, transportation, municipal services, housing, landscape, open space preservation, zoning regulation and others all seem to converge.

 It is important to keep in mind that we are still in the early stages of this process.   Other land use studies are under way for the downtown and waterfront area and there are more general issues of transportation, zoning, access, historic preservation and others that we want to address.  Nevertheless, we are hoping that by sharing the work as it unfolds, we can create a broad-based and inclusive forum that will allow everyone who is interested in these issues to participate.

Included below are a series of recommendations for the land uses in and around Upper State Road that we would like you to review.  We have presented these ideas to the property owners in the area, town officials, the Martha's Vineyard Commission, and others.  At this point, we would very much like to hear your ideas.  Please email your comments to   XXXXX@ci.tisbury.ma.us

 

Thank You

Tisbury Planning Board

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Upper State Road

Suggested Planning Alternatives

June 30, 2004

 

Index:

Introduction
Land Use Plan
Establish a Transit Node at the Park and Ride lot
Shuttle Bus Route
Fire Department and Emergency Services
Expand commercial development along High Point Road
Designate a Motor Vehicle Zone in a section of the former landfill.
Local Street System
Neighborhood Street Systems - Develpment Alternatives
Housing Opportunities
Open Space Preservation and RecreationSummary of Land Use Proposals

 


Introduction

        Upper State Road Planning Alternatives     

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.

 

Below are a series of suggestions for addressing these issues:

 

Figure 2   Aerial Photo - Upper State Road Business District

 

Land Use Plan

Figure 3 Proposed land uses for the Upper State Road Area

 

          Build a connecting road system linking State Road and Edgartown road.

          Create a transit center at the Park and Ride lot.

          Extend commercial development along High Point Lane.

          Relocate emergency services to the area.

          Create a motor vehicle storage area within the landfill.

          Expand residential development / Look for affordable housing possibilities.

          Restore the landscape

          Increase open spaces and preservation lands

          Expand recreational opportunities.

 


Connector between State Road and Edgartown Road 

One of the most pressing issues raised by the community has been the congestion along the Upper State Road corridor and a corresponding concern about the image of strip commercial development and urban sprawl that is associated with it. Both popular opinion and the MVC’s technical reports suggest we consider a connector road between State and Edgartown roads to alleviate the problem.  

 

Figure 4 Connector Road Options

 

Previous studies have considered three routes between the two roads:

 

1. Using Cook Road to Oak Hill.  This is the shortest route but, while it avoids the dangerous intersection at Look Street, it returns all of the traffic back into the State Road corridor. It also would disrupt the residential neighborhood in this area.

     

2. Using Sanborn Lane going past the town well, through the town landfill area and connecting to High Point Lane – approximately at the center of the business district.   This route is more effective and uses primarily town land, but unfortunately passes through a zone 1 water protection area so it is not a practical option. Moreover, vehicles attempting to by-pass the area are still mixed-in with vehicles going to the State Road businesses.

 

3. Use Carrolls’s Way going through the Oak Bluffs wedge to a connection with Holms Hole Road.

This option moves the traffic entirely beyond the State Road business district which helps people traveling up-island. However, much of the traffic on State Road is headed for the business district so those vehicles would have to double back to get to their destination.   Moreover, the route is problematic in that it would require the acquisition of a lot of private land both in Tisbury and in Oak Bluffs. Finally, it invites sprawling development into a significant habitat area by inserting a road into a currently undeveloped part of the town. 

 

 

The proposed alternative recommends a system of streets that begins with a connector near the Edgartown Bank, the NSTAR power lines and/or IFP property leading up past the MV Land Bank property to the town land. There it splits into three separate ways allowing drivers to sort themselves out according to their destination. The main branch travels past the Park and Ride lot to High Point Lane; those traveling up-island branch to the left around the landfill and on to Holmes Hole Road; and those going toward Pine Tree Road branch to the right and proceed past the DPW building to Evelyn Way.

 

Most of this corridor lies within town land and consequently avoids the issues of major acquisitions or of opening up undeveloped areas for new construction. 

 

Preliminary studies indicate that such a road would reduce the traffic on the State Road corridor by as much as 25%.

Establish a Transit Node at the Park and Ride lot.

Figure 5 Proposed Transit Node

 

The purpose of the park and ride lot is to deflect vehicles away from downtown and relieve the congestion at the ferry.  But today, the lot is very lightly used. The problem is that it is isolated on what is essentially a dead end street accessible only from State Road. 

 

However, if the new connector road between State and Edgartown Roads includes access to the lot, then it can be easily reached from all parts of the island without overburdening State Road. At that point it can become an important node in the island transportation network and an anchor to the upper State Road business district.  The MVC transportation studies have recommended that we create such a node, one that would include the following facilities:

 

Shuttle Bus Route

Figure 6 Proposed Shuttle bus route

 

The bus route between the Park and Ride lot and the ferry can be re-directed to accommodate a wider variety of users than just ferry riders. If the route followed Pine Tree and Spring Street to the ferry instead of State Road thru Five Corners, it would avoid a lot of congestion along the way. In the process, it would pass by the senior center, the school, several churches, the Hebrew Center, Town Hall, and Main Street, providing a good alternative to drivers and a valuable service to non-drivers.

     

Fire Department and Emergency Services

Figure 7 Possible location for new fire house

 

The current location of the fire department is especially impractical and unsafe. It is located in the heart of town, on our most heavily traveled street. It is adjacent to the post office and across from the hotel. In an emergency, it is very difficult to bring the volunteers in to get the trucks and then to bring the trucks out to the fire. Moreover, new trucks are required that cannot be accommodated in the old station so it is imperative that a new site be selected very soon.

 

The best sites for emergency services would be out of the congested downtown in a location that has good access to all parts of the town. Also, the site needs to be large enough to accommodate all the vehicles including the new ladder truck and ambulances as well. Because of the geography of Tisbury, the best locations seem to be in the Upper State Road area. Although there are traffic issues in this area as well, they are not as severe and there is more direct access from here to all parts of the town. 

 

Preliminary estimates suggest that 1 to 3 acres of land are needed to house the vehicles and related service spaces. The town has some property available near the water tower and there may be privately owned properties nearby that will serve.

 

The police department’s current location is even more constrained than the fire department and it would also benefit by relocating to a site out of the downtown area.

Expand Commercial Development along High Point Road  

With a connector to Edgartown Road, High Point Land can develop as an extension of the local commercial functions on State Road.    

Gs station 

Neighborhood convenience store

Professional offices

 

Designate a Motor Vehicle Zone in a section of the former landfill.

Figure 8 Proposed Vehicle Storage Area at the landfill

 

To free-up land near State Road, we need to provide an alternative site for the trucks, vans, and autos that are now stored in this area.  One possible location for these uses is the landfill. The landfill is capped and no buildings can be constructed on it for at least twenty years. However, we can park vehicles there. There are more than five acres of land within the landfill that the town can designate this area as an automotive storage zone and encourage owners of trucks, trailers and other large scale vehicles and equipment to locate there.

 

Much of this land is within our Zone II water protection area so care would have to be taken to insure that leaks from vehicles were not absorbed into the soil.

Local street system

 

Figure 9 Existing neighborhood streets off State Road

 

Today, the streets to the south of State Road form a partial grid of streets that are largely disconnected from each other. If they were linked to each other, vehicles and people could circulate within the area without exiting out on to State Road.

 

 

 

Figure 10 Proposed neighborhood street Grid

 

An extension of Eleanor Way (a street parallel to State Road) to and past High Point Lane, along with extensions of Kate’s Way and Mechanic’s Way to the DPW road, creates a grid of neighborhood streets that interconnect in a way that allows circulation throughout the neighborhood without exiting on to State Road. It also allows properties to be unfilled with mixed uses and higher density housing that take advantage of their proximity to transit, shops and services.

 

 

 


Figure 11   Possible sequence for development of a internal street system 

Housing Opportunities

Figure 12 Blue shaded areas indicate potential residential development sites.

 

More than seven acres of marginal and vacant land exists in the area bounded by State Road, Cook Road, the Landfill and the DPW access road. Most of the rest of this area is being used for relatively marginal uses such as warehousing and vehicle storage. 

 

With year-round commercial services within walking distance of this area as well as schools, transit, parks and recreation facilities, it is a very attractive location for new housing.

 

We are recommending that the zoning be revised to allow residential units to be built more compactly than is presently allowed (perhaps 10-12 units per acre instead of the usual 4).

 

Open Space preservation and recreation 

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.

Summary of Land Use Proposals

Figure 14 Upper State Road Proposed Land Uses