Tisbury Planning Board Seeks Applicants for Master Plan Steering Committee

The Tisbury Planning Board has launched their Master Plan process with immediate plans to select members to a Master Plan Steering Committee, expected to begin work in early 2022. Steering Committee members will work closely with the Town’s planning consultants and the Planning Board to guide the development of the Master Plan. The committee will assist the consultant team in the development and implementation of community outreach activities, attend public meetings, and serve as a liaison between the community and the planning consultants. They will review and provide input on interim documents and participate in the final review of the draft plan. 

The Planning Board seeks to convene a committee of volunteers with varying backgrounds and skill sets and members that reflect the different voices of Tisbury. They are looking for individuals who are enthusiastic about the development of the master plan, collaborative, thoughtful, and community-minded. Applications are available online at https://www.tisburyma.gov/planning-board/pages/master-plan-steering-committee.

Planning Boards are authorized to develop a Comprehensive Municipal Master Plan by Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 41, 81D which requires sections on Natural & Cultural Resources, Economic Development, Housing, Land Use, Open Space & Recreation, Facilities & Services, Circulation & Transportation, plus an implementation section, describing how – and when - goals are to be achieved. This Master Plan will also address climate change, governance structure, housing production, as well as, area plans for the B-I and B-II Business Districts, and the Waterfront Commercial District.

When completed, the Tisbury Master Plan will provide broad direction in support of the Town’s long-term goals. According to Dawn Bellante Holand, Planning Board Chairperson. “Tisbury has never had a Master Plan, so we are now involved in a historic planning process which will chart the course of our town and development for years to come. A Master Plan brings clarity – and direction-to the decision-making process.” Bellante-Holand noted that an important goal of the process is to generate broad consensus. “The Master Plan will become a roadmap for the Town, and will help to ensure that individual town projects and procedures align with the Town’s long-term goals.” 

While the Planning Board will hire a consultant to guide the two-year process, public input and feedback will be valued, and welcomed at every step of the way. “We want to hear from residents, businesses, boards, and committees, to find out what’s important to them,” said Cheryl Doble, Planning Board Member. “We want to consider and include these ideas and opinions, so we can build town-wide consensus, and support for the final plan.”

All Tisbury residents have an opportunity to participate in public forums throughout the process. Residents interested in serving on the steering committee should submit a completed application or letter of interest to: Master Plan Steering Committee, c/o Tisbury Planning Board, P.O. Box 602, Tisbury, MA 02568 and/or via email to pharris@tisburyma.gov with a subject line Steering Committee Application.

Survey: Planning for the B2 Business District

The Tisbury Planning Board seeks your input as they begin working on an Area Plan for the Upper State Rd B2 Business District. To gain a better understanding of how residents currently use this district and what they think could be done to improve it, the Board has developed a survey. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your response will contribute to the
development of the Area Plan and its recommendations.

Here is the link to the online survey --
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TisburyB2

Paper copies are available at the Vineyard Haven Library and the Planning Board Office.

Community Meeting on Renewal of the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District

Tisbury cultural organizations, businesses, artists, and other stakeholders are invited to participate in a community meeting on Wednesday, May 8th at 5:30 PM at the Vineyard Haven Public Library, in preparation for the renewal of state designation of the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District. The meeting, hosted by the The Tisbury Vision Forum and Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District Partnership, will gather input for goal-setting for the district, review the District's leadership and key achievements, and will include a presentation on a recent wayfinding study completed by the Tisbury Planning Board.

A Cultural District is a specific geographical area in a city or town that has a concentration of cultural facilities, activities, and assets in a walkable, compact area that is easily identifiable to visitors and residents and serves as a center of cultural, artistic, and economic activity. The goals of the Cultural District initiative, set out in 2010 legislation, are to attract artists and cultural enterprises, encourage business and economic development, establish the district as a tourist destination, preserve and reuse historic buildings, enhance property values, and foster local cultural development. Once awarded, a Cultural District designation stays in effect for five years and may be renewed.

The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) approved the designation of the Vineyard Haven Harbor Cultural District in 2014, making it the first state-designated Cultural District on Martha's Vineyard. Founding partner organizations included the Vineyard Playhouse, Martha's Vineyard Museum, Martha's Vineyard Film Society, Martha's Vineyard Hebrew Center, Vineyard Haven Public Library, Martha's Vineyard Times, Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce, Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Gannon and Benjamin. There are now more than forty Cultural Districts statewide, including the Aquinnah Circle Cultural & Historic District on Martha's Vineyard.

EVENT RESCHEDULED: Community Meeting: Library Addition Visioning

Event cancelled for January 24th, rescheduled for February 7th

Vineyard Haven Public Library has engaged Maryann Thompson, Architects, to design an addition to the library building at 200 Main Street, in order to build a multipurpose meeting room. The Tisbury Vision Forum and Library Building Committee will host a community meeting at the library at 6 pm on Thursday, February 7th to gather input through a Wishlist and Character Study process with Maryann and her team.

The Wishlist process will discover what people like and dislike about the current space, and come up with possible ambitions for the addition/renovation. The Character Study will consist of looking at images of projects, spaces and materials to narrow in on how the community would like the new space to look and feel. All are welcome and refreshments will be served.

Following this community meeting, Maryann Thompson will be working on design concepts that will be presented to the public later this spring. Prior to construction, the library will be undertaking a capital campaign to raise the funds for the proposed addition.

More information about the proposed addition is available on the library website at http://vhlibrary.org/Building.shtml.

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Maryann Thompson, FAIA, was educated at Princeton University and the Graduate School of Design at Harvard University, where she received Masters in Architecture and in Landscape Architecture. She brings to her practice an interdisciplinary approach where issues of site and landscape are central to design thinking. Maryann received a 1998 AIA Young Architects Award, which states that “...although Maryann has been in practice for less than a decade, she has made a significant contribution to architecture.

Maryann is a Professor in Practice of Architecture, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. She has taught design as a visiting faculty member at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rhode Island School of Design, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, and Rice University. She founded Maryann Thompson Architects in 2000. Prior to that Maryann was a founding partner of Thompson and Rose Architects. 

The firm is committed to a design process that is collaborative with the client and the community, believing in an inclusive and collaborative design process, based on dialog and relationship building, to imbue their architecture with the essential spirit of the community.

Maryann Thompson has a long time connection to Martha’s Vineyard and has a home in Chilmark. Her past projects on Martha’s Vineyard include the Polly Hill Arboretum Visitors’ Center and a number of private homes.

See also https://maryannthompson.com/projects.

Tisbury School Building Model and Public Presentations

An architect's model of the planned new Tisbury School building and campus is on display at the Vineyard Haven Library.

On Tuesday, March 27th at 7pm, join the Tisbury School Building Committee at Vineyard Haven Library as they present their plans for the new Tisbury School. The new school project will be voted on at the Town Meeting on April 10th followed by a ballot vote on April 24th. This is the time to get the facts and ask your questions about the project.

The Tisbury Vision Council will also host a presentation for the public on Thursday, March 28th at 7pm, at the Katharine Cornell Theater.

Tisbury Vision Council Meetings and Survey

The Vision Council meeting that was scheduled for January 26th at the library has been cancelled. Two Vision Council meetings are scheduled in early February, and will be meeting at alternative locations.

Thursday, February 2nd -- 5:00 pm at the Town Hall Annex
The Vision Council will meet with the Tisbury Merchants Association to explore ways to enhance Main Street and support local businesses.

Thursday, February 9th  -- 7:00 pm at the Tisbury Senior Center
Tisbury's Complete Streets consultants will conduct a workshop to identify priority street improvement projects to create safe pedestrian and bike access in Tisbury.

Survey
To participate in an online mapping survey as part of the Complete Streets project, visit to the News and Announcements on the Vision Council home page: http://www.tisburyma.gov/vision-council

Final Tisbury Housing Workshop December 15th

Along with the five other towns on the Vineyard, Tisbury has begun a process to produce a Housing Production Plan (HPP). The HPP can be a guide to the Town’s decisions in addressing housing that is affordable for our workers, families, elders and children.  In Tisbury, the “how” of being proactive will be balanced with the equally important question of “where” it can happen.

Please join the conversation on Thursday, December 15, 2016 at 6:30pm at the Tisbury Senior Center, for the final interactive community workshop to examine the “who, how, where and when” in Tisbury. The workshop will be professionally facilitated by planning consultants from RKG Associates, Inc., JM Goldson Community + Planning.

For more information including information presented and gathered at earlier meetings, visit the Tisbury HPP page on the Martha's Vineyard Commission website http://www.mvcommission.org/tisbury-housing-production-plan

The Tisbury Annual Town Meeting: Preparing for Participation

On Thursday, March 10th and Thurday March 24th at 6pm, Tisbury's Vision Council will hold a meeting at Vineyard Haven Library to discuss the upcoming Town Meeting. This meeting is intended to help community members better understand Town Meeting procedures and the warrant articles that we will be voting on at the Annual and Special Town Meetings to be held on April 12th.

Deborah Medders, Town Moderator, will provide an overview of the Town Meeting process, share her thoughts on how we can prepare for Town Meeting, and discuss things that she has learned over the years. Following her presentation, she will answer questions from the group.

Deborah's presentation will be followed by a discussion of specific warrant articles. Warrant sponsors will present the background and intent of their articles. This will be an opportunity for community members to ask questions and gain a clear understanding of the warrants that we will be voting on in April. The meeting will help community members prepare for town meeting so that we will be able to hold a constructive conversation and make informed decisions.

Articles sponsored by Vineyard Haven Public Library and Community Preservation Committee were discussed on Thursday, March 10th. Additional articles will be discussed on Thursday, March 24th.

Implementing the Tisbury Vision Plan

The Vision Council

The Tisbury Planning Board has formed the Tisbury Vision Council to coordinate community participation in the implementation of the Tisbury Vision Plan and welcomes participation by all residents and business owners as members of the Council.

The Council will focus on the attainment of vision goals through the hosting of meetings and workshops, develop collaborative partnerships, and coordinate community outreach. Resident and business groups will be able to bring forth ideas that support the vision and help shepherd them to completion with support from the Council and volunteers. The Planning Board will provide ongoing support to the Council to facilitate communication and coordination among town committees and departments regarding ongoing projects and accomplishments.

Regularly scheduled Council meetings

The vision council will meet at the Vineyard Haven Library on the second and fourth Thursday of each month. The first meeting of the vision council is scheduled for Thursday, September 10th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm.

Agenda outline:

• Report and discuss ongoing projects
• Prioritize additional projects and workshops
• Review opportunities for volunteer participation

Help be part of the solution by participating in the Vision Council meetings, volunteering to be part of projects teams, and initiating community projects that support the attainment of the town’s vision goals. All residents and business owners are welcome members of the Tisbury Vision Council.

Contact the Planning Board:

(508) 696-4270 Ext. 1122

visionplan@tisburyma.gov

Announcement of Community Vision Meeting

The Tisbury Planning Board and the Board of Selectmen will host a public meeting to review the findings of the vision planning, present action strategies based on the findings and seek community input on near and long-term actions. This meeting will identify projects and set a working agenda for elected officials, town committees and community groups.


The meeting will be held on Wednesday, January 28th at 7:00 pm at the Tisbury Senior Center, 34 Pine Tree Rd.  Community members are encouraged to attend this important meeting.  For more information see the vision planning web page on the Town’s website or email the board at visionplan@tisburyma.gov.

Take the Tisbury Vision Planning Survey

The Tisbury Planning Board has created an online survey to gather community input as part of their on-going vision planning. This past fall, the Planning Board sponsored a series of community-based vision planning workshops. Through activities and facilitated discussion, participants identified shared community values, discussed concerns, considered our town’s special strengths, and then began to articulate a shared vision for the future. This survey further studies workshop findings and give those unable to attend the workshops an opportunity to share their thoughts and ideas.

 Please use the link below to take the survey and share your thoughts with the planning board.

Go here to take the Tisbury Vision Planning Survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/tisbury_vision_plan

Go here to see our new Tisbury Vision Planning webpage:
http://www.tisburyma.gov/Pages/TisburyMA_VisionPlanning/index

Additional Opportunity to Participate in Tisbury Vision Planning

Tisbury is hosting a second town-wide visioning workshop. Participants will review the findings from the first workshop, discuss a draft vision statement and explore strategies to achieve our vision.


Residents and businesses are all encouraged to participate in one of the upcoming workshops to help draft a vision plan to guide future town decision-making.  For more information, visit the town’s website, www.tisburyma.gov


There are two opportunities to participate in this workshop:


Wednesday, November 5, 2014 from 7-9PM
Tisbury Senior Center, 34 Pine Tree Road

Friday, November 7 from 10:00AM-Noon
Gen. George W. Goethals Post 257 (American Legion Hall), 34 William Street


If you know which session you plan attend, an email RSVP to visionplan@tisburyma.gov would be greatly appreciated.