A DCPC is an area on Martha's Vineyard that is especially important to more than one town, or to the Island as a whole. These areas require special regulations to guide the type and manner of development that may occur within their boundaries.

DCPCs have helped control development in many of the most significant and beloved parts of the Vineyard. In short, a district may be nominated by a town board or by public petition, with regulations then drafted and adopted by the MVC, voted on by town residents, and finally codified in the town bylaws. A total of 21 DCPCs have been adopted on the Vineyard since 1974, including the initial Coastal, Island Roads, and Special Places districts, giving the towns significant regulatory powers they did not have before.

There are eight types of DCPC:

• Cultural or Historic Resource District
  
• Drinking Water Resource District
  
• Economic or Development Resource District
  
• Farming Resource District
  
• Fishing Resource District
  
• Hazardous District
  
• Major Public Investment District
  
• Wildlife, Natural, Scientific or Ecological Resource District

For more information:

• DCPC Designation Process - Step-by-Step
• DCPC Guidance
• DCPC Qualifications
• DCPC Moratorium
• DCPC Decisions (all designated districts)

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