A 10-month review of the Stop & Shop expansion plan came to a close Thursday night before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission. The plan has been a lightning rod for debate in Tisbury and around the Island.

With public sentiment running high on both sides of the issue, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission convenes a public hearing in Tisbury tonight on the Stop & Shop expansion plan.

The meeting begins at 6 p.m. in the Tisbury senior center.

As a long public review of the Stop & Shop expansion winds down before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, opposition to the project has begun to heat up. An Island citizens group is circulating an online petition and organizing a letter-writing campaign to the MVC.

The design process for a new Steamship Authority vessel that will replace the freight ferry Governor begins in Seattle with the Elliott Bay Design Group, the same firm that designed the Island Home. Final contract drawings and specifications are expected to be completed by the end of October.

The Steamship Authority this week postponed making a decision on the proposed Woods Hole terminal redesign because of additional questions from village residents. Woods Hole community members thanked the boat line for listening.

The Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted 8-2 Thursday night to approve eight new second-story rental apartments at Post Office Square in Edgartown. Commissioners who backed the plan said the acute need for workforce housing outweighed other problems.