Frustration was the keynote Thursday night, when the Martha’s Vineyard Commission reopened its public hearing on the proposed Edgartown Gardens condominium complex for owners aged 55 and up.
Frustration was the keynote Thursday night, when the Martha’s Vineyard Commission reopened its public hearing on the proposed Edgartown Gardens condominium complex for owners aged 55 and up.
Expecting to review new plans from developer William Cumming with fewer apartments, more bedrooms and the addition of elevators to 10 three-story buildings, commissioners saw no updates to the 60-unit, 96-bedroom walk-up design they had considered in detail during the previous public hearing that opened in March and closed last month.
Mr. Cumming and his attorney Jason Talerman instead asked the commission to impose the elevators and layout changes, which they described in a Sept. 24 letter to the MVC, as conditions of approval for the existing plan.
“It’s a proposal. It’s your job to accept it or not. And if we don’t get an accepted deal, we end up back with the original application,” Mr. Cumming said at Thursday’s three-hour hearing.
“If we disagree with the remainder of your conditions because it cuts into our balance sheet in a way that makes it impossible for us to do the project, then we’ll appeal,” he added.
The applicants’ Sept. 24 letter and an accompanying slideshow outline their offer to jettison a shared pool, turn the complex’s planned community building into an apartment house and add three-bedroom condos to the mix of one- and two-bedroom units, for a total of 55 apartments with 105 bedrooms in 11 three-story buildings.
Mr. Cumming and Mr. Talerman also offered to increase the number of deed-restricted affordable condominiums from 12 to 13, and to give Islanders a head start on purchasing Edgartown Gardens units by marketing exclusively to locals for the first four months of the selling period.
The Sept. 24 letter goes on to outline other offers, including a three-month limit on rentals for the market-rate condos and increased monetary contributions for wastewater mitigation.
The lack of any revision to the plans on record for Edgartown Gardens sat poorly with commissioners and members of the public who testified Thursday.
“What we don’t have is a description of how this is all going to play out,” commissioner Kathy Newman said.
Melissa Vincent, who chairs the Edgartown affordable housing committee, had stronger words.
“Coming tonight — thinking that we’re testifying because these are the plans that the applicant is going with — only to hear that this is just a proposal and ‘we might not do this,’ is really difficult,” Ms. Vincent said.
“It’s hard for community members, it’s hard for town boards, for all of us to follow the bouncing ball of what’s actually happening here,” she said. “We’re getting a whole lot of mouth service, but we’re not getting anything definitive.”
Affordable housing committee vice chair Justin Kush also expressed disappointment.
“We spent two or three hours today preparing for this meeting, only to find out that this is not really definite, and so it’s very difficult for us to comment … and it’s just upsetting for us,” Mr. Kush said.
Neighbors of the roughly 3.4-acre property also testified Friday, uniformly opposing the development as too large, overly dense and a threat to traffic safety on Upper Main street and in the nearby Chase Road and Dark Woods neighborhoods.
In parallel with the MVC process, Mr. Cumming and Mr. Talerman also are pursuing a special permit from the Edgartown zoning board of appeals under state statute 40B, which permits developments with affordable housing to skirt certain local zoning requirements.
In July, the applicants filed a legal challenge with the state housing appeals committee, claiming the zoning board of appeals failed to hold a required public hearing on the project and should now grant the special permit by default.
A few weeks later, Mr. Cumming filed a complaint against the Martha’s Vineyard Commission in the state Land Court in September, seeking to challenge the commission’s jurisdiction over so-called 40B projects.
The MVC will continue to take written testimony on Edgartown Gardens through this Friday at 5 p.m.
Also Thursday, Jay Grossman announced he will step down from the commission for health reasons.
“It’s truly been an honor to serve with the commissioners as they take the task up and continue to take the task up to protect the Island for generations to come,” he said.
Chair Peter Wharton thanked Mr. Grossman for his service on the MVC, where he has represented Chilmark since 2021.
“Jay, it remains a singular honor to have served alongside you,” Mr. Wharton said.
Comments
These units will be priced,
EdThese units will be priced, according to the applicant, around the same as some small single family homes currently on the market. Add in taxes and condo monthly fees(tbd), and it reminds me of other island developments that have failed over the past 45 years due to factors including lack of desirability, low value for the cost, and poor timing in the real estate cycle. I’m pretty sure the island needs more working age residents. We are already short of medical care providers for our seniors. The number of workers arriving and departing on the boat every day should alarm the MVC.
Mr. Cumming just think of all
Susan Desmarais Oak BluffsMr. Cumming just think of all the money you could save in litigation fees if you respected the word No.
Does anyone else see the
James EdgartownDoes anyone else see the irony in one Edgartown homeowner getting fined for taking down about 20 trees while this developer wants to build 11 three-story buildings -- creating yet more suburban blight -- in the same town?
The 20 trees were in wetlands
JT OBThe 20 trees were in wetlands. That’s the difference.
First, thank you for your
FinallyFirst, thank you for your service Jay! This developer is a breath of fresh air. Finally someone challenging the arbitrary and capricious reviews of these boards. It’s refreshing to see someone stand up to the emotion driven decision making. Great project and I can’t wait to see it be built! Thank you Mr. Cummings!
Declare it a 40B, and be done
ken Rusczyk OBDeclare it a 40B, and be done with it.Squash the NIMBY.
a 55 and older housing
michael edgartowna 55 and older housing concept, should not have any stairs, or steps anywhere on the property....if they do, your EMT will be busy...
The current price tag to live
No way! A neighbor EdgartownThe current price tag to live in a PREFAB apartment building with NO amenities and NO assigned parking surrounded by 2 bars and asphalt is $1.9-$2.1 for a cramped 3 bedroom. Doomed to fail. When asked how the new changes of increasing the density by 9 bedrooms would impact the exterior, The Applicant stated he didn't know as he hadn't seen the updated drawings! So very far from "vote ready".
It worries me that folks
AnonymousIt worries me that folks/developers are deciding/choosing to NOT pay attention to the RED LIGHTS bottlenecked traffic jam signals that are being raised all over this project. 1- Safety is already an important issue facing this point of entrance/exit into and out of Edgartown, which is already toppled by Stop & Shop. 2- Parking is another issue, where it seems like it is also being overseen or disregarded by the developer. Park & Ride, The Post Office... Get ready to be inundated with parking from this development!!! That is, if the Local Authorities recuse themselves and chose to turn a blind eye to this atrocious high-rise development! Dark Woods will become crushed by this white elephant! 3- It feels like someone is trying to jam Manhattan into Cuttyhunk. 4- All the variances that this project is requiring to be broken should tell it all! It is a total disregard for the history of the Town of Edgartown. 5- Chase Rd is already a disaster with no sidewalks, it is amazing that nobody has not yet been seriously/fatally hurt on that street. 6- The heck with Rules, Regulations, Laws, By laws... It is all about money disguised behind a 40B lame excuse. 7- The developer could not be more vague in their presentation to the MVC. It is all about lame hints of promises with misleading grammatical use of: May, might, could, should... There is always a last minute change to the project, all presented to the Commission on the same day at aim bush style of havoc and disarray. I feel grateful and respectful for the folks at the MVC and the Zoning Board in Edgartown, because it is no easy task to tame a wild horse. I can only imagine the kind of pressure they are under! Enough has to mean something! Enough is enough, and it is more than enough!
October 21, 2025 - 10:37am
Let’s bring it to the voters
Robert Tom KatamaLet’s bring it to the voters of Edgartown, I guarantee it won’t pass! Fair enough?
it seems that you are
trip Barnes vineyad havenit seems that you are protecting letter writers who dont sign their names-so much for free speech-sad to see this happen at the Times- matter of fact these developers were born and raised in Edgartown- Donaroma started with a lawnmower and while he did much to beautify his town he became a selectman and listened to everyone talking about lack of housing and he decided to act-Cumming is another"townie"who thought a downtown site made lots of sense walk every where- Betsy Atwood Cumming ran Bonner Atwood Interiors at the mvAirport for years! the readers have many friends on ATWOOD CIRCLE a pleasant development=When people apply to the MVC they go through the "LUPC"where they are told what to expect and ask questions Often people-visitors get confused and do not see the big picture This is a good idea itis 2025 make it work we can do it right
The projects a great idea. It
Ron McKee veteran. Oak BluffThe projects a great idea. It's sad that bit by bit codes an rules are bogging it down. If you have a choice of living on the street or an elevator to make lawyers happy well keep the elevator an make som design changes. As a 70 yr old veteran I see these road blocks as Un needed. As a firefighter an a veteran I feel some ways around them much more important for those needing a home.
Traffic,traffic,traffic!
JimO EdgartownTraffic,traffic,traffic!
Nothing changes. If nothing
Ben I EdgNothing changes. If nothing changes. #housing
I have 25 years of experience
Debbie R KatamaI have 25 years of experience in financing commercial development including affordable housing. This project is ill conceived and in a terrible location. This traffic in this location is already a problem. The developer is trying to jam through a project by using 40B to get around current zoning laws. The only motive is developer profit as the value of the land increases with the increased density.
This project should be voted down. It does not benefit the community. Let the suit play out in court. As a small island with limited resources the town should challenge the 40B requirement.
this would look real good in
michael edgartownthis would look real good in chalmark, or west tisbury. but they claim the need for housing, and secretly ignore it....edgartown is ruined with this nonsense, just look at the disaster on meshacket rd. and they are trying for another one right next to that.
enough of this affordable housing hoax....
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