Commission Votes to Approve Kennedy Family Property Plan

By IAN FEIN

Ensuring that Kennedy family members will remain stewards of their
rare Aquinnah estate into the next generation, the Martha's
Vineyard Commission last week approved a subdivision plan for the
366-acre property between Moshup Trail and Squibnocket Pond.

Owner Caroline B. Kennedy told commission members after a 10-2 vote
last Thursday night that her family was committed to taking care of the
unspoiled land, with its windswept dunes, freshwater ponds and coastal
heathlands. And she reiterated that the purpose of the estate plan was
not to develop the land, but to guarantee that it would be passed on to
her three teenaged children.

"We put a lot of care and effort into this plan, and a lot of
thought," Mrs. Kennedy told the commission. "I believe it is
such a special property, and I know my children feel the same way.
Obviously that sentiment is shared across the Island, so that's
something that we're very conscious of."

The property was bought by her mother, the late Jacqueline Kennedy
Onassis, in 1978 from the Hornblower family for $1.1 million. At present
only three dwellings exist on the property.

The commission reviewed the family estate plan subdivision as a
development of regional impact (DRI).

"We do feel that we are stewards of this property, and we hope
to be very happy here for many generations. This plan is a really
critical component in our ability to do that," Mrs. Kennedy said.
"It is our hope to keep living there as we have been."

During two months of commission review and two hours of debate last
week, the Kennedy family earned high marks for their stewardship of the
land.

Commission member Douglas Sederholm of Chilmark reflected on the
present undeveloped status of the property when he voted in favor of the
subdivision plan. "This is not as good as the current situation,
but we're not here because the current situation can stay as it is
for rest of eternity," Mr. Sederholm said. "You have to plan
for the future, and this is a lot better than what else could have
been."

The subdivision plan is unusual because it will reduce the number of
existing lots from more than 30 to seven, one of which will be
designated as forever unbuildable. The new lots will range in size from
30 to 100 acres, and will wipe from the books former subdivision plans
that existed for the property prior to the family's purchase. One
plan set out 150 lots, and another more than 50.

The Kennedy-Scholssberg family in their plan also agreed to preserve
more than 300 acres by restricting potential development to less than 15
per cent of the entire property. Mr. Sederholm made note of those
numbers in response to commission members who sought greater oversight
of future development.

"Almost 90 per cent of land is guaranteed to never be
developed, and I think we have to keep that in mind," Mr.
Sederholm said. "They're huge lots and they're highly
restrictive already."

Dissenters Megan Ottens-Sargent of Aquinnah and Andrew Woodruff of
West Tisbury both argued that the commission should maintain greater
control over any development on such a sensitive and strategic property.
The subdivision plan identifies no new buildings at this time, and the
property owners will not have to return to the commission until they
build a fourth new dwelling on any single lot.

Ms. Ottens-Sargent noted the dozen protected species found
throughout the property's diverse habitats, and said she hopes the
town and landowners will work with state environmental agencies before
planning any future development. The Massachusetts Endangered Species
Program describes Red Gate Farm as one of the most important tracts of
land in the commonwealth. "This area is a jewel - not only
to the town of Aquinnah, but beyond the Island," Ms.
Ottens-Sargent said.

Mr. Woodruff had specific concerns about two lots in the subdivision
that are slated for possible sale outside the family. He said
development of those two lots - one bounded by Herring Creek and
State Road, the other by the Atlantic Ocean and Moshup Trail -
posed the greatest potential for environmental and scenic impacts.

"While I've been on the commission, we've spent a
lot of time talking about screening and landscaping," Mr. Woodruff
said. "And in this case, with two of the most scenic view sheds in
Aquinnah and perhaps on the Island, I feel we've abdicated our
responsibility to do that."

Aquinnah town officials attended the meeting Thursday, and urged
support of the plan, as they have throughout the commission review. They
noted that town boards will have broad regulatory authority over any
buildings eventually proposed for the property, which falls within as
many as four districts of critical planning concern (DCPCs) and as
state-designated priority habitat will trigger extensive environmental
review and permitting.

Mr. Woodruff raised the possibility that the Aquinnah zoning
regulations might be overturned in court, but other commission members
expressed more faith in the power and the scope of the DCPC
designations. Voters in Aquinnah agreed some years ago to designate the
entire town as a DCPC.

"Aquinnah gives us a unique situation because they are the
only town on the Island that has ever been so committed to planning that
they asked the Martha's Vineyard Commission to declare the whole
town a district of critical planning concern," said commission
chairman Linda Sibley. "I feel that we need to respect the
extraordinary efforts that the town has made by trusting them to do some
of the things that we usually insist on doing ourselves," she
continued.

"I want to complement the town, as well as the applicant for
having the good taste to be in that town," Mrs. Sibley said.

The meeting ended with similar expressions of good will between the
landowners and Aquinnah officials. During the commission review, the
Kennedy-Schlossberg family offered to donate up to $15,000 of the
town's share to the Massachusetts Estuaries Project and $100,000
toward the town affordable housing committee.

"In general, the feeling in town is that we love having this
neighbor," said commission member Katherine Newman of Aquinnah.
"The kind of development that is planned for this property really
fits in with the community we have established."

Mrs. Kennedy said that the feeling was mutual. "Aquinnah been
such a wonderful community for us, my mother, and my family," she
said.