After more than three decades of leadership, Camille Rose has quietly resigned from the Aquinnah planning board and plan review committee, citing personal reasons. She is chairman of both committees.

Ms. Rose, who is also a town selectman and the board’s appointed representative to the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, has been a member of the planning board since it was created in 1973. “This was for personal reasons, I can’t say more than that,” Ms. Rose said when reached by telephone this week. “It wasn’t an easy decision. I have been a member for 35 years . . . I was the [planning board’s] first chairman.”

Among other things Ms. Rose wrote the nomination that led to the townwide district of critical planning concern nine years ago, the first and only such townwide special planning district on the Vineyard.

“She covered the map as chairman; a lot of us knew a piece but she knew the whole thing. It’s a loss, and just how big a loss we’re going to find out in the next few weeks,” said Carlos Montoya, a member of the planning board.

“It’s going to take us awhile to recover from Camille’s departure,” said planning board member Peter Temple in an e-mail. “She’s a walking history book of planning board decisions, she’s knows zoning law backwards and forwards and she came up with every ‘cutting edge’ bylaw we have whether it’s slowing development, curbing trophy houses or fighting cell towers. As tough as this will be on us, the important thing is that she is still working as a selectman and on the MVC where I know she’ll continue the fight to preserve and protect the town.”

The planning board is expected to make a recommendation to the selectmen for an appointment to fill the seat.