Zoning Board Considers Stillpoint

Thomas Humphrey Friday, June 9 2023 - 4:02pm

Stillpoint envisions using the existing barn on the seven acres of land off Stillpoint Meadows Road for classes, group discussions and other events.

Stillpoint, a proposed nonprofit education center in West Tisbury, went before the town’s zoning board of appeals this week, one of the last regulatory hurdles left for the project.

Founder Thomas Bena and assistant director Jake Davis Thursday asked the zoning board for a special permit to run events at the property. The nonprofit envisions using the existing barn on the 14 acres of land off Stillpoint Meadows Road for classes, group discussions and other events.

The zoning board meeting comes after the Martha’s Vineyard Commission approved a plan for the group to host up to 38,000 visitors each year, with strict limits on lighting and noise and a prohibition on weddings.

The zoning board didn’t make a decision Thursday and plans to revisit the project later this summer.

Board members grappled with the fact that there have been few proposals like Stillpoint in the past. The board asked questions about noise mitigation, parking and Stillpoint’s plan to rent the property for “off-mission” revenue-generating events. In its decision, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission allowed up to 20 per cent of the organization’s events to be off-mission.

“They’re all going to be quiet events,” said Mr. Davis in his presentation to the board, describing Stillpoint as a “community space for classes, conversation and contemplation.”

Mr. Davis also tried assuaging community concerns about the number of activities affecting the rural character of the property. Stillpoint can host up to five events a day that draw up to 35 attendees, and up to three a week with 36 to 100 attendees, under the MVC conditions. The commission defined an event as a gathering of 10 people or more, including staff.

“I know it sounds like a lot [of events], but it’s really not a lot in a day,” he said.

The application drew significant public input, with more than 90 pages of correspondence included in the public record. Other West Tisbury officials have also weighed in on the proposal, with the town planning board sending a scathing letter to the zoning board in opposition to the project.

In the letter, the planning board wrote it was “disappointed and surprised” by the MVC’s decision to approve a project with "significant commercial use,” worrying that it could set a precedent.

The planning board recommended the permit application be denied, saying it would leave the land “irrevocably changed and despoiled,” and cause “damage to the neighborhood, to the community and West Tisbury.”

Despite the planning board’s letter, some did speak up in favor at Thursday’s meeting, including the planning board’s own member Amy Upton, who was speaking in her capacity as a resident.

“I think it’s worth giving these two guys a try,” Ms. Upton said.

Zoning board chair Laurence Schubert emphasized the thin line that his board must walk with the hearing, attempting to give Stillpoint flexibility for community-driven programming while also effectively outline limitations in their special permit.

“You guys want loose, but sometimes we get in trouble with loose,” he said. “I think we have a ways to go…hopefully we can find a sweet spot.”

The hearing was continued to Thursday, July 6, following a site visit at the property.

Comments

I would like to expand

AMY UPTON WEST TISBURY

I would like to expand somewhat on my perspective on this proposal currently in front of the Town. I think it is important for people to understand the thin line that elected Board members who are also residents of the Town have to navigate regularly. There are almost never any straightforward easy decisions to be made. As public servants we take into account the complex relationships between private citizens, the community as a whole, and the physical landscape we all inhabit together - not just in the short term but with consideration for the generations which came before us, and those who will inherit the decisions we make in the long term. This can be a daunting task. But what I am learning with each new challenge is that Process is the key to any success we might hope to achieve. Process isn’t a fixed state, but it can be something to rely on. Sometimes Process is as straightforward as doing one’s homework, and being knowledgeable about rules and regulations that have been voted into place by those who engaged in this work long before we did, guidelines for how to make thoughtful and productive decisions. Sometimes process is digging in to a deeper understanding of what isn’t working or serving the needs of the times, and finding new and improved methods which will serve to guide policy in the future. I was thinking about all of this in the meeting the other night and I felt invigorated and even inspired to keep at it, the hard work of being part of the process with all of it’s inherent complexities, and at times contradictions. And I also found myself thinking that the conversation going on in that space, is exactly the type of conversation we as a community might be having at the StillPoint Barn, once it makes its way through the Process of the West Tisbury ZBA. One thing was abundantly clear above all else; everyone in that room cares deeply about this Town and this Island Community and I have no doubt will work together to find a solution we can all not only live with, but benefit from as well.

As retired life-long

Ruth and Scott Campbell West Tisbury

As retired life-long educators, we believe Stillpoint will only enrich our island communities and
Provide opportunities for much needed conversation and exchange of ideas. While multimedia
Technologies expand our lives in many good ways, Stillpoint would provide a venue to assure dialogue,
A chance to be stewards of the inevitable changes our island will continue to experience.
A chance to hold our ground on what most matters, and design, with our neighbors, our future.

CHAT GPT has this AI opinion

Marty Milner TALLAHASSEE

CHAT GPT has this AI opinion on island population and sustainability, so at least the MVC is in the mix. "Martha's Vineyard, an island located off the coast of Massachusetts, has a limited land area and infrastructure compared to mainland areas. The island's carrying capacity, or the maximum population it can sustainably support, depends on factors like housing availability, water supply, waste management, transportation infrastructure, and ecological balance.

To determine when the population of Martha's Vineyard might become unsustainable, it would require a comprehensive analysis of these factors, along with future development plans, population projections, and regional planning strategies. Local authorities, urban planners, and environmental experts would be better equipped to provide informed assessments based on current and projected data.

If you're interested in understanding the potential population challenges on Martha's Vineyard, I recommend reaching out to the Martha's Vineyard Commission or other relevant local agencies for the most up-to-date information and insights."

Perhaps we need to calculate when that "enough" point is reached, in order to forestall it? If you shoot holes in the bottom of the boat the fish don't swim in.

I'm trying not to be cynical

Tom Turlow Tisbury

I'm trying not to be cynical but this whole project fails the smell test. Seems like a way for the new owners to use a non-profit with a progressive, vineyard-friendly mission statement to make a profit for themselves. I don't believe for one second they will abide all the rules and keep for-profit, "off-mission" rentals to 20% (who's going to police this?). Nor do I believe there will be a substantial number of useful programs for the general public to justify the permits and tax-exempt status they are receiving. Additionally, the entrance to the property is on a very dangerous section of narrow road and daily events of over a hundred people will create a safety issue with vehicles entering and exiting. Like many of these MV projects, once it's approved and moves forward, there will be no going back, even if the owners fail to adhere to the rules.

Hi Tom,

Jake Davis Chilmark

Hi Tom,
Thanks for your concerns. Perhaps it would be good to come speak with us in person, see the place for yourself, and then after that see whether you believe we are sincere in wanting to run an educational space, not for profit, but for the good of the community. Please do be in touch. https://www.stillpointmv.org/#contact
Jake Davis, Assistant Director, Stillpoint

Mr. Turlow, can you explain

Dana Nunes MV

Mr. Turlow, can you explain why you don’t believe? Just a feeling? Perhaps you should come talk to us; visit the site, and actually hear what we have in mind. The “smell test” works best when you get up close.

Stillpoint, planned for land next to the Polly Hill Arboretum, had its first public hearing before the West Tisbury zoning board of appeals this week.