A hearing opened before the Martha's Vineyard Commission last week on Sam Dunn's plan to convert an old laundromat and gas station to 10-pin lanes with a bar and affordable apartments above. The commission has been inundated with letters and emails both for and against the project.
As a regional review begins for a proposed bowling alley in Oak Bluffs, public opinion is already running high on both sides of the project. Some are enthusiastic about the idea of a new recreation center suitable for families, but the development’s location at a crossroad of commercial and residential zoning is a primary concern for abutters.
The 13,000-square-foot development is planned for Uncas avenue on a parcel of four lots that formerly housed a laundromat and a gas station. Under the plan by Reid (Sam) Dunn, the existing structures, unused and in poor condition, would be demolished and replaced by a two-story building with an adjacent 32-space parking lot.
The property is commercially zoned but surrounded by residential homes on Uncas and Hiawatha avenues.
A petition with 500 signatures backing the plan was presented to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission by Mr. Dunn at the opening of a public hearing Thursday night. But factors such as noise levels, neighborhood character and traffic flow remain topics of discussion.
The commission is reviewing the plan as a development of regional impact (DRI).
As of last week, commission DRI coordinator Paul Foley said he had received 94 letters and emails on the project.
“I’ve been inundated the last couple of days,” Mr. Foley said during the hearing (opinion was running in favor of the project 60-34).
Mr. Dunn made his formal presentation for the bowling alley plan, which features 10 lanes, a 44-seat restaurant, and an 18-seat bar. The second story would have two affordable housing apartments, two golf simulator rooms and an event room.
Mr. Dunn said he and his partner Larkin Reeves envision a family bowling center.
“Bowling has a long history on the Vineyard, but it’s a history of failure, really,” Mr. Dunn said. The last Island bowling alley, which was located in Vineyard Haven, closed in 1980.
“Every enterprise during my 40 years here hasn’t really worked,” Mr. Dunn said. “And the reason, I think, is because there’s never been a complete entertainment experience to go with it.” Adding food and drink options, as well as the upstairs activities, would help the overall sustainability of the venture, he said.
The proposed bar was a source of concern for some.
“We’re not opposed to bowling on the Island; I’d love to go bowling on the Island,” said abutter Byron Barnett of Hiawatha avenue, who attended the meeting with his wife Kathleen. The Barnetts said the project would diminish the quiet atmosphere of the neighborhood.
“If we took a petition around town and said, 'Do you want a bar, do you approve of a bar on Uncas avenue?' We could get a lot of people to say no,” Mrs. Barnett said. “We’re not opposed to the bowling alley, we’re opposed to the bar.”
Don Lambert, who owns an office building at the head of Uncas avenue, shared the Barnetts’ concerns and said he was worried about the increase in traffic flow to the neighborhood.
“I mean, there’s only just so many parking places around,” he said.
Mr. Lambert said he would be more comfortable with the project if it were granted only a beer and wine and not a full alcohol license.
“I know you’re not going to be the ones issuing it, but a beer and wine license kind of calms things down to make it a bowling alley instead of a nightclub,” he said.
Abutters Alison Stewart and her sister Lisa Stewart Crisp traveled to the Vineyard from New York and Virginia, respectively, to attend the hearing.
“We were really blindsided that the parking lot is five feet from our back porch,” Ms. Stewart said. She said there were many unanswered questions about the project, such as how security in the parking lot would be handled.
“The devil’s in the details, and these are details we are all going to have to live with,” she said. Ms. Stewart also proposed an independent noise abatement study to address the matter of sound emanating from the building.
“The goal is that we can’t hear it at all,” Kathleen Barnett said.
Christine Todd, who lives on Penacook avenue, said she was in favor of the project.
“There are very few activities that families can do together that encompass every age group, from toddlers to senior citizens,” she said. “And not only does this do that, but it does it year round.” She added the location was a good one because it was within walking distance of town.
“In the wintertime, I don’t think parking will be a problem there,” observed commissioner Clarence A. (Trip) Barnes 3rd. But he said in the summertime it would be a different story.
“I think there are a number of issues that really need to be responded to,” commissioner Linda Sibley said.
The hearing will continue on Feb. 20.
Comments
Excited and in support of
Lynn vera Vermont and oak bluffsExcited and in support of bowling alley. Understand neighbor's concerns about alcohol and think the beer/wine only compromise a good one to pursue if possible.
I love the idea of a family
Donna Boles Oak BluffsI love the idea of a family entertainment center like bowling in Oak Bluffs especially with the status of the movie theaters there. I also understand the need to have the project not create an unbearable situation for those who live in the immediate vicinity. My wish is that a reasonable solution is found to mitigate the neighbors concerns while successfully creating an all year entertainment center for the town.
Instead of looking for
Ann MVInstead of looking for excuses why to NOT make this bowling alley happen, search deep and hard for reasons why we SHOULD make it happen. The world is passing MV by and the kids, teens and adults need to find something else to do besides smoking and "hanging out". Let's be honest MOST of us are all bored.
what's the problem, the
ed fedor torrington ct - oak bluffs mawhat's the problem, the vineyard can use something like this, will give families another thing to do and i would think the winter people would support the bowling alley, the reason for failure in the past was no food or drinking.
Anyplace that has more bar
David Harte 21 Uncas AveAnyplace that has more bar stools than bowling lanes is a bar, end of story !!!!
It seems to me this is not a
Matthew Sudarsky West TisburyIt seems to me this is not a good spot for a Bowling Alley.The Airport Buisness Park would be a much better location.10 lanes is way to small and will not meet the Islands needs.a Bowling Alley is long over due,and much needed for those long winters.We need a spot for the kids to hang out on the rainy days with nothing to do.Maybe some lanes with an arcade pizza and an indoor play space is just what this Island needs.Circuit ave Ob.is to crowded as it is put it where parking wont be an issue.That spot is a mess and needs cleaning up,but the preposed development is just going to create long term issues.
Thanks for spending Mr. Dunn
BillyB OBThanks for spending Mr. Dunn's money. Since he's bankrolling this, I suggest you let him try to build the bowling alley where he would like to. I'm at a loss why those who insist on building at the airport can't see that is a foolish idea when many teens don't have a car to get to the airport.
Gee Billy why so angry.It's
Matthew Sudarsky West TisburyGee Billy why so angry.It's called an opinion,and I was just expressing it.I don't care what Mr.Dunn does with his money.By the way all the non- driving Teenagers could always take The bus.
I don't see the issue. The
Scott EdgartownI don't see the issue. The property is zoned commercial. Abutters and neighbors knew this when they purchased their properties. You need to come up with a better reason for "no" than NIMBY, otherwise it's just a taking and you need to compensate the owner for impairing the value of his property by restricting its use. In other words, what are you willing to pay to keep it from being used as a commercial lot?
I agree with Linda Sibley “I
John Gault Oak BluffsI agree with Linda Sibley “I think there are a number of issues that really need to be responded to".
Maybe I missed it, but no one did a review on her taking a single occupancy on a very busy STATE ROAD building and making it a 3-4 occupancy building with more traffic and no MVC review. OH, one more item this is a COMMERCIAL area, when you move next to a COMMERCIAL property you should know that it will not be a quite area or low traffic.
You are right, you did miss
KB Vineyard HavenYou are right, you did miss it. Linda Sibley's project ( DRI 77-M3)
It is commercially zones and
Tina West TisburyIt is commercially zones and I do agree that if you buy in town you should expect business and all that it brings including cars, noise and people. At this point it would be nice to improve the current situation. Sam Dunn has done a nice job with his other projects on the island, I think we can assume he has put a lot of careful thought into this latest project. There is a tendency on the island to object to change even if its good change.
Bowling and Booze...Is this
Diane Oak BluffsBowling and Booze...Is this really for the kids? Isn't there a better place to put this?
Do you have a suggestion
BillyB OBDo you have a suggestion where it should be, or is your answer really code for NIMBY? Mr. Dunn is willing to put up $2.5 million to build this facility and revive a dead part of town. Kudos to his spirit to bring OB back from the commercial dead zone that Circuit has become.
This is not a "dead part of
Diane OBThis is not a "dead part of town". The vast majority of this area is residential.
People live here, vacation here, and care about the community. Building a 20 seat bar, restaurant, and 10 lane bowling alley will not revitalize Circuit Avenue.
Obviously you're not a golfer
Erndoggie Topside at The RitzObviously you're not a golfer.
I have followed from a
Peggy B, Oak Bluffs and Albany, NYI have followed from a distance the debate over the proposed bowling center/bar in Oak Bluffs, and I am a potential next-door neighbor. But this isn’t about me; this is about what’s good for OB and the Vineyard.
When I bought my condo on Hiawatha Avenue 10 years ago, the realtor told me the story of the vacant Laundromat: the vision the developer had for a green facility, the investment in technology, and the abandoned building when reality didn’t live up to the promise. He also told me of the vision the then-new owner had: in addition to the condos, he was going to build a number of single-family homes where the Laundromat stood. But, along came the 2005 financial crisis that culminated with the 2008 Wall St. collapse. The vision went down with the stock and the real-estate markets.
Now all hope is being pinned on a bowling alley, and the promise of good, clean family-centric entertainment. My concerns aside, I wanted to know the experience other resort communities had with bowling centers. Nantucket opened one in 1918 to help turn around a struggling casino. It failed. Two years ago, someone proposed another one. This is how it was reported out in the Nantucket Inquirer and Mirror:
(Jan. 26, 2012 ) What was the first question posed to a panel of town officials, business owners and civic leaders assembled Monday to discuss issues facing downtown Nantucket?
One man wanted to know if there was any interest in putting in a bowling alley.
After the laughter subsided, Nantucket Bookworks owner Wendy Hudson offered a healthy dose of reality about the cost of doing business downtown.
“It’s the rent,” she said. “The cost of square-footage downtown that is practically insurmountable. The only reason the book stores work is because ReMain and my family are helping that happen. You can’t make the math work. You wouldn’t believe how tight it is...A bowling alley would be great here. To see it downtown would shock me.”
We can’t ignore the reality of how difficult it is to operate a profitable business in a high-rent area. We also can’t ignore that bowling’s peak season is the fall and winter – the off-season for tourists on whom the proposed bowling center’s success will likely depend. A strategy given on one web site for bowling-alley operators for making bowling alleys profitable in the summer is to open lanes late and offer discounts. Late hours don’t mix with a residential community, and prices are understandably higher on island in the summer to make up for the slow off-season. Frankly, I don’t know too many families who come to MV in the summer to spend time bowling. If it’s not a beach day, it’s porch day or a day to explore the island’s small businesses.
I also wanted to know how bowling alleys are doing in the current economy. Buzzfeed (http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/40-abandoned-bowling-alleys-from-across-…) had on its site a list of 40 abandoned bowling alleys. Bowling centers are growing in urban areas, but smaller centers are on the decline. The culprit, according to one bowling web site, is the loss of discretionary income. There’s not a whole lot of discretionary income to spend by many of the islands year-round residents. Affordable housing would likely be their preference. I have not come across anything that convinces me a bowling alley is good for Martha’s Vineyard, let alone Oak Bluffs.
I understand hope and vision. I had both a decade ago when I purchased my condo in anticipation of spending a quiet retirement on island beginning in 2014.
Peggy B.
Oak Bluffs
Let me get this straight.
melanie oak bluffsLet me get this straight. People think that Circuit Avenue is run down, so they want to put a bar and bowling several blocks away on Uncas? Developer will destroy historic and cultural nature of Oak Bluffs...or is that the real purpose? Issue reminds me of Joni Mitchell's song, "Big Yellow Taxi" -
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
ps. Maybe supporters of this project might want to see if McDonald's will open a playland on Circuit Avenue. That, too, will be a recreational outlet for the kids.
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