A short warrant that goes relatively long on spending will come before West Tisbury voters at a special town meeting next week. Voters will be asked to open their taxpayer wallets to help develop a new affordable housing project, to continue work on the herring run at James Pond, and to buy a new chipper for the highway department.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the West Tisbury School. There are five articles on the warrant.

Town leaders are concerned about getting a quorum — 130 voters are needed to call the meeting to order. Moderator Dan Waters will preside.

Topping the warrant is a request for $900,000 to put toward developing what’s known as the fire station lot for affordable housing. The plan to put up seven buildings with a maximum of 18 bedrooms behind the old fire station on the Edgartown Road has been in the works for some time. The Island Housing Trust is developing the project. If voters agree, the money will come from the town community preservation fund.

Voters also will be asked to put $9,000 toward surveying and engineering for James Pond herring run on the north shore. The pond’s cut to the Sound has filled in over the years, and an effort began last year to clear it by hand. Future plans include mechanical dredging to keep the cut open for longer periods of time.

“They’ve done some hand work down there, but despite the hand work a single storm wipes it out, they want something more durable,” selectman Richard Knabel said this week.

Voters also will be asked to spend $22,000 for a new chipper for the highway department, replacing the current chipper which is nine years old. “They’ve worn out the one they’ve got,” Mr. Knabel said. “They need a bigger one, with advance safety features on it.”

Definition and language changes in the town zoning bylaw also on the warrant are largely housekeeping, according to Jane Rossi, planning board administrator. Most of the changes seek to clarify definitions for detached bedrooms, studio and craft workshop spaces.

“We’re clarifying in simple detail what these are,” said Ms. Rossi. “They are not apartments. They are not turning into apartments, unless you come in and apply to have that done.”

She said the town has encountered people using detached bedrooms or other spaces as apartments without the proper permits.

An article seeking $15,000 for dead tree removal will be withdrawn. Funds for removing the trees were appropriated through a reserve fund transfer, Mr. Knabel said.

Also, with the moderator’s blessing, the selectmen plan to get a sense of the room on whether to pursue the addition of bike lanes to major roads in town.

“The roads are narrow, it slows traffic down, there is a lot of grumbling about bike riders and safety,” Mr. Knabel said. “It’s not an unreasonable idea but not a small project.”

He said the town was told by the state it would need strong community support to pursue adding bike lanes to any state-owned roads.

Mr. Knabel predicted the most difficult part of the evening will be reaching a quorum.

“If it’s a rainy, windy night in November, people might say I’d rather stay home and warm,” he said. “We certainly are encouraging people to get out, the chances are we can get it all done in 30 minutes.”