Town of Tisbury Master Plan
(DRAFT) August 5, 2004
FOREWARD
This is a new section of the Tisbury web site designed to keep you posted and involved in
the progress of the towns Master Plan. New materials are to be added periodically
and earlier drafts will be revised as more complete information comes in. It is a work in
progress and we would appreciate your thoughts about the current work and suggestions for
future improvements. Please read the material included below and send us your comments to
planning@ci.tisbury.ma.us
Thank You,
Tisbury Planning Board.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) Master Plan Overall Objectives
2) Upper State Road Suggested Planning
Alternatives
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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 questionnaire
that was sent to all the towns year-round residents as well as many of our summer
residents and we were pleased to get an overwhelming 42% response.
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
Marthas 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. A draft of that
work is included below.
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, energy 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.
Master Plan Overall Objectives
1. Natural Resources
Make protection and restoration of our natural environment our number one
priority.
Avoid sprawl and destruction of open spaces.
2. Cultural Resources
Maintain Tisburys New England town character by preserving its history
and emphasizing its pedestrian scale, mixed uses and easy access to its harbor, beaches,
neighborhoods, woods and natural areas.
3. Municipal Services
Protect the traditional, functional and symbolic heart of the town by
retaining non-emergency municipal functions in downtown Vineyard Haven.
Relocate fire and other emergency services to a site or sites out of the congested
downtown area
4. Circulation
Make access to and use of the waterfront an important part of the overall
circulation system.
Promote alternate means of transportation - pedestrian, bus, bike, and water transit with
a special emphasis on pedestrian movements.
Improve the road system by creating supplementary small-scale access ways to relieve
pressure on main roads. Avoid street widening.
Promote the connectivity of streets. Avoid dead-ends and restricted access neighborhoods.
5. Housing
Encourage more housing variety in all parts of the town especially smaller
houses and rental units.
Allow greater densities and more mixed uses in the business districts.
Look for affordable housing opportunities especially within the business districts.
Discourage any building in undeveloped areas.
6. Energy
Promote energy conservation and renewable technologies both for the benefit of
the environment and for the economic benefit to the town.
See that municipal buildings and operations apply the most recent energy standards and
technologies.
Use life-cycle cost calculations, not just initial cost, to estimate capital costs.
7. Economic development
Work toward a sustainable, year-round employment pattern.
Look at the demographic trend toward an older national population. Consider the impact of
an increasing number of retired and semi-retired persons relocating to the island.
Look at the economic impact of new technologies on the island both as an opportunity for
new kinds of businesses and a revision of existing
practices. For example, consider the changes to the tourist industry as a result of the
internet.
Include aquaculture and agriculture in the overall economic calculations.
Consider their contribution as attractions to visitors and the preservation of the overall
quality and character of the island.
8. Land Use
Using the above guidelines, develop a series of detailed plans beginning with
the towns main business areas:
Upper State Road and the Landfill area
Downtown and the Waterfront
Other plans to include:
Access and Open space
Historic preservation strategies
Neighborhood street systems
Renewable Energy Options
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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Figure 1 Study Area -
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.
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
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.
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
Land Use Plan
Figure 3 Proposed
land uses for the
Build a
connecting road system linking
Create a
transit center at the Park and Ride lot.
Extend
commercial development along
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.
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
Connector between State Road and EdgartownRoad
One of the most pressing issues raised by
the community has been the congestion along the
Figure 4 Connector
Road Options
Previous studies have considered three routes between the two roads:
***
Previous studies have considered three routes between the two roads:
3. Use Carrollss Way going through
the Oak Bluffs wedge to a connection with
***
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
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
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
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
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
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
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
Fire 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
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 departments 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.
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
Designate a Motor Vehicle Zone at 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.
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
Local Street System
Figure 9 Existing neighborhood streets off
Today, the streets to the south of
***
Proposed neighborhood street Grid
Figure 10 Proposed
neighborhood street Grid
An extension of
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
Neighborhood Street System - Development Alternatives
Figure 11
Possible sequence for development of a internal street system
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
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
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).
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
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, its 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
Sailors Burying Ground ancient way with town land, Land Bank property, the new
athletic field, the cemetery, the school, the
Town of Tisbury Master Plan (DRAFT) August 5, 2004
Summary of Land Use Proposals
Figure 14 Upper
State Road Proposed Land Uses
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