There have been a lot of myths swirling around the proposed Stop & Shop in Vineyard Haven. Let’s talk about the facts. The proposed new Stop & Shop is sorely needed, and will be a tremendous benefit to the community. The footprint of the new building is just 6,500 square feet larger than the existing building; most of this square footage is for storage and wider aisles. The new Stop & Shop will create new jobs, lots of them. The project will provide 42 extra parking spaces beneath the proposed building, in addition to the existing municipal parking lot.

The design of the building is impressive and vintage Tisbury, thanks to Oak Bluffs architect Chuck Sullivan.

I enthusiastically support the new Stop & Shop. The community at large does as well, given the more than 3,000 support signatures that were submitted, based on the project as presented. A rendering of the new store is available for viewing at the Vineyard Haven store. Supporters of this project know exactly what the project proposes, and what it will look like. This is a remarkable project that will rejuvenate the downtown. It should be approved as soon as possible.

W. Chester Cummens

Vineyard Haven