The town conservation commission unanimously voted Wednesday to allow 275 vehicles across the Leland, Wasque and Cape Pogue properties run by the Trustees of Reservations.

The future of vehicle access to the sandy trails of Chappaquiddick – a hotly contested issue that has resulted in several appeals and hours of debate – is approaching a critical juncture this month.

The sandy off-road vehicle trails of Chappaquiddick seem to be leading to a new destination as of late: a courtroom.

More than 30 years after first issuing a special permit that has since proved elusive, the Edgartown planning board and The Trustees of Reservations came together last week to seek a way forward. 

The Trustees of Reservations and the Edgartown zoning board told the state they wanted to pause their ongoing lawsuit after working out a course of action for the Trustees to file an application with the town. 

The nonprofit, which oversees miles of oversand vehicle trails on Chappaquiddick, is proposing to retire about 1,300 feet of trail along the bayside of Cape Pogue because it now regularly becomes inundated by Cape Pogue Bay.