Throughout the 20th century, Martha's Vineyard continued to use mostly traditional local forms and materials, resulting in a cohesive built environment that sets it apart from the rest of the United States. Thanks also to zoning and other land-use regulations (including DCPCs and DRI review), the Vineyard has mostly avoided the type of suburban sprawl and commercial development that have drastically altered many parts of the country. 

Recent construction usually follows traditional local forms and materials – typically a combination of several simple building volumes with steeply sloping roofs, white siding, or cedar shingles. However, many newer buildings, especially in suburban neighborhoods, are far removed from the Vineyard tradition in terms of their size, style, and materials.

How this Character Is Threatened

Sky-high real estate costs lead some property owners to maximize use of their property by demolishing older structures and building new ones that go to the limits of zoning regulations, that are too big or otherwise don’t fit their surroundings, or that are not environmentally sound. This is exacerbated when people with few ties to the Vineyard buy properties and hire architects or builders from different parts of the country whose designs have little relation to the Vineyard tradition or context. A few poorly designed buildings in highly visible locations can seriously undermine the Island’s character, and negatively impact property values and the overall quality of life.

Preserving the Island character is especially important in terms of how buildings and places (including foliage and open space) are seen from major public roads and vistas, and from public water bodies.

What We Can Do

In addition to local regulations, land conservation, and responsible property development, community planning has identified goals and strategies to help preserve the Island character. The 2009 Island Plan, for example, suggested that new buildings should harmonize with their neighborhoods or natural settings and minimize any negative impacts on Island character and abutters, without unnecessarily inhibiting the flexibility and creativity of owners and project designers.

• In built-up areas, this means understanding what features define the character of the village, neighborhood, or roadscape, and ensuring that the new building fits into those defining features.
• In natural areas, this usually means limiting the visual presence of new development.

The Island Plan proposed to “ensure that new buildings fit their context by tailoring zoning to reflect each neighborhood’s characteristics and by extending design review to all historic areas and traditional neighborhoods,” with a proactive, three-part approach:

• Using a system of individual project review (town boards and/or MVC) for the relatively few projects that are more critical because of their location – such as traditional neighborhoods and those highly visible from major roads or public waters – or because of their size.
• Tailoring zoning to reflect the characteristics of each neighborhood and roadscape, and to ensure that the basic parameters of new buildings are appropriate.
• Using education to make owners aware of design issues related to site layout, building design, and landscaping.

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