The Martha’s Vineyard Commission has revised and shortened its list of standards and criteria for reviewing developments of regional impact (DRIs).

As required every two years, the commission reviewed its so-called DRI checklist, holding eight public hearings between September and November. It recommended 16 changes, including a higher square-footage threshold for commercial developments, and the removal of several items that were seen as unnecessary. The commission approved the final changes two weeks ago.

The checklist indicates what types of development are likely to affect more than one town, and are therefore subject to MVC review. MVC executive director Adam Turner said the changes for commercial developments are aimed partly at supporting year-round businesses, but also reflect improvements in review at the town level.

An across-the-board increase of 500 square feet means the new minimum thresholds will range from 2,000 to 4,500 square feet, depending on the proposed use and existing regulations. Larger increases would apply to recreational centers and institutional facilities, along with public buildings that serve more than one town. Those thresholds will increase from 2,000 to 3,500 square feet.

Two additional public hearings this summer focused largely on a checklist item related to critical open space as defined in the 2009 Island Plan. The item requires the referral of any development within such space (mostly along the water and major roads), although the commission may choose not to conduct a full review. A revision this year proposed an exemption for developments within an existing district of critical planning concern (DCPC) that can be shown to have adequate protection already in place.

Some questioned the item during the public hearings. Attorney Eric Peters argued in a letter to the commission that the item threatened “to turn the DCPC process on its head” and should be removed altogether. He pointed out that many critical open space areas were already designated as DCPCs, and that the two layers of regulation would often conflict.

At the final public hearing, commissioner Lenny Jason Jr. argued that the designation amounted to an Islandwide DCPC that voters have never approved. But commissioner Fred Hancock countered that the designation is only a matter of referral. In the end the commission voted to remove the item.

A section related to transportation projects now includes bike paths, and a section related to areas of archaeological significance now includes both developments and excavations. But several development types were removed from the list, including the demolition of commercial buildings over 2,000 square feet and developments at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport that are outside the airport business park. Commissioners felt those items were either unused or redundant.

Linda Sibley, who led the review process last fall and is the longest serving commissioner, noted that the checklist has grown over the years in response to situations the commission had not anticipated. But she added that shorter is better. “I think that this is improved,” she said. “It’s clearer, [with] some redundancies removed.”

The commission unanimously adopted the revised checklist, which still requires approval by the Massachusetts secretary of energy and environmental affairs.