Recent letters about Stop & Shop’s impressive proposal for Vineyard Haven attempt to make the case that somehow the months long review process by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission regarding the much-needed new Stop & Shop store planned for Vineyard Haven have been less than transparent.

Perhaps the negative letter writers have not been following this long running saga in the press or attending the numerous meeting that have been held. If they had been paying attention, they would know that Stop & Shop has been working diligently with the town and other local officials to make sure that they create the best project possible, while providing mitigation for traffic and parking — mitigation that is already desperately needed, with or without Stop & Shop.

Stop & Shop’s new design will provide 42 needed parking spaces beneath the building, not to mention the fact that Stop & Shop has agreed to fix and help maintain the town owned parking lot next door.

I urge anyone who has questions about the aesthetic value of the project to venture down to the store on Water Street and take a look at the artist renderings of the new design. Then go back outside and look at the current building. I think that any rational person would agree that the new design is vastly superior to the current situation. The design is excellent, the size appropriate and the benefits of this project to the community are noteworthy.

We can only hope that rational people will make the final decision on the Stop & Shop project.

Claudette Gosselin

Oak Bluffs