Huge Housing Plan Moves Toward MVC

Affordable Housing Project Is Pushed by Golf Developer and Partner
in Oak Bluffs Woodlands

By JULIA WELLS
Gazette Senior Writer

Against a backdrop of quiet maneuvers to develop yet another plan
for a private luxury golf club in the southern woodlands, a massive
affordable housing project planned for the same property in Oak Bluffs
is now on track for review by the Martha's Vineyard Commission.

The Chapter 40B housing project was referred to the commission for
review as a development of regional impact (DRI) two weeks ago. The
developer of the project is CK Associates, a company owned by
Connecticut golf club developer Corey T. Kupersmith and Bolton housing
developer Brian Lafferty.

The 276-acre property is owned by Mr. Kupersmith.

Mr. Kupersmith's plan to build a luxury golf course in the
southern woodlands has been turned down twice by the Martha's
Vineyard Commission in the last two years.

The 366-unit 40B housing project, planned for the same property, was
filed 11 months ago, but the project quickly landed in litigation when
Mr. Kupersmith and Mr. Lafferty challenged the right of the
Martha's Vineyard Commission to review it.

The commission won the case late last month when the chief justice
of the Massachusetts Land Court ruled that the commission has full power
of review over 40B housing projects.

Two weeks after the land court ruling, the Oak Bluffs zoning board
of appeals referred the project to the commission for review.

A July 15 meeting has been scheduled with the applicant and the
commission's land use planning subcommittee, although as of
yesterday the commission had received nothing from the developer in the
way of actual plans.

"I would suggest that you forward to me all the information
you have regarding this project at your earliest possible convenience.
This will allow me to review your submittal and alert you to further
information requirements we may have," wrote commission staff
planner and DRI coordinator Jennifer Rand in a letter to Mr. Lafferty on
June 17.

Ms. Rand attached a checklist of materials that are required by the
commission before a public hearing can be scheduled. The list includes
site plans, building plans and subdivision plans, plus reports on
surface water quality, groundwater, wetlands, habitat, archaeological
resources and traffic. The applicant is also required to submit a
certified list of abutters and proof of ownership, along with a $1,900
application fee.

As of yesterday Mr. Lafferty had not replied to the letter.

A resident of Bolton, Mr. Lafferty has been actively involved in
residential development projects in central Massachusetts for some time.

His latest project is a Chapter 40B condominium project in Bolton
called Sunset Ridge. The project was approved by the Bolton board of
appeals in April, but Mr. Lafferty appealed the decision to the state
Housing Appeals Committee after the board of appeals reduced the size of
the project from 32 to 28 units and added a condition to cap the
developer's profits at 12.4 per cent.

The Sunset Ridge project has been the subject of ongoing coverage in
The Bolton Common, a weekly newspaper. News accounts describe the Sunset
Ridge debate as acrimonious, and the paper also reported that Mr.
Lafferty is involved in a number of disputes with the board of appeals,
including a dispute about fees.

Filed with the Oak Bluffs board of appeals last summer, Mr.
Lafferty's plan called for a 366-unit housing project, including a
mix of single family homes and townhouses and also a mix of affordable
and market-rate homes. The original application appeared to be a quick
job, and included a number of pages that were nearly illegible.

On a related subject, a series of behind-the-scenes maneuvers by Mr.
Lafferty and Mr. Kupersmith to develop a new luxury golf, and luxury
housing plan for the property have seen little progress in the last
month.

After the land court ruling - seen as a clear win for the
commission - the developers tried to soften the blow by putting
out a quick press release announcing that a new plan was on the table
that had the blessing of state environmental officials, the Oak Bluffs
selectmen and the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank.

In fact, Mr. Lafferty's press release was premature and it was
quickly revealed that there was no new plan - only a proposal that
had been sketched after a single meeting that included Mr. Lafferty, one
Oak Bluffs selectman, state environmental officials and the executive
director of the land bank.

The new proposal calls for an 18-hole luxury golf course, 14 luxury
homes, 16 affordable housing units, a state-owned camp ground and 26
acres of conservation land. The proposal includes a pledge by the
developer to buy the Windfarm Golf driving range and then sell it to the
town and the land bank for use as open space.

Located on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road in Oak Bluffs, about a
half-mile away from the southern woodlands, the driving range is
privately owned.

Last week the Martha's Vineyard Commission voted to appoint a
three-person subcommittee to join any planning talks about the southern
woodlands - although commission chairman James Vercruysse said
yesterday that he is not aware of any plan for more talks.

Mr. Vercruysse said the subcommittee was appointed after the
commission received a request from Cape and Islands Rep. Eric T.
Turkington.

"I don't know if anything else is going to happen
- I called [Oak Bluffs selectman] Michael Dutton and he
doesn't know either. He said he would call people if something was
going to happen," Mr. Vercruysse said.

The Oak Bluffs selectmen have scheduled a discussion about the
southern woodlands for their regular weekly meeting tonight.

Any new plan for Mr. Kupersmith's property would require
approval from the commission as a DRI.

Mr. Vercruysse said the subcommittee includes himself and commission
members James Athearn and Roger Wey.

"This is just for the sake of listening and discussion. This
is not a mediation, and there can't be any decisions made,"
Mr. Vercruysse said.