Rico’s Boatyard Approved in Oak Bluffs

A boat yard on the Oak Bluffs-Tisbury line that has been operating for several years unpermitted got a green light from the Oak Bluffs planning board to continue operating with conditions last month.

At Jan. 22 meeting, the board granted a special permit to Rico’s Boat Service, located at 68 Holmes Hole road and 0 Down Island Farms Road, to continue operation as a shipyard, two contractors’ yards and a bike shop.

Owner Ricardo Virginio, who was present at last month’s meeting, was told he needed to comply with the roughly 70 conditions imposed by the Martha’s Vineyard Commission when it approved the operation back in October, as well as new conditions from the planning board.

Conditions imposed by the planning board require that Mr. Virginio keep the area cleaned up, adhere to a landscaping plan and provide a site plan for the property so it stays organized. The board recognized, but did not formally approve, the bike shop, and asked that Mr. Virginio return for a permit at a later date.

The operation has been controversial, given that it is located in a residentially-zoned area. But according to the 2025 commission decision, commissioners found that the benefits of allowing Rico’s to continue operating outweighed the detriments, noting that the property had a long history of unregulated commercial use and took the opinion that the services provided by the business were “essential.”

Many planning board members held similar sentiments last month before ultimately giving the operation their blessing.

“We’re a seaside town, and we have very limited boat yards,” said planning board member Chris Chambers. “In fact, boat yards are being told they need to find higher ground. They’re being moved out of Tisbury, et cetera.”

The board was firm with the owner on keeping the grounds clean and organized, citing previous issues with overcrowding and the storage of out-of-use equipment.

“[It’s] a business operation, not a junkyard or a storage site,” Mr. Chambers said.

Geoghan Coogan, attorney for Virginio Properties, confirmed to the Gazette that the property incurred several zoning violations before getting permitted last month.

“Throughout the last 30-plus years, there had been commercial activity on that site not permitted properly,” he said. 

He said that the property will continue operating the boat shop, two contractors’ yards and bike shop, but noted that each operation will be kept to a confined area.

“There’s no doubt that it needed to be cleaned up and needed to be more regulated,” he said. “You’ve got to respect the neighbors, and we understand that.”

Many abutters, over the years and recently, have expressed concern about the previously unpermitted activity at the site, including noise, environmental pollutants and a high volume of activity.

At last month’s meeting, Tisbury resident Ben Robinson said he feels the area has been “overburdened” by the activity the planning board ultimately approved. Mr. Robinson told the Gazette he grew up near the property, his brother still lives nearby and that he owns a piece of land in the area.

“Is it an overburdening when a boat yard is being applied for on the same property as two contractors’ yards and a bike shop?” he asked at the meeting. “We are now talking about permitting four businesses to operate out of a single residential property. This is a clear overburdening and must be addressed by the review of the planning board.”

Mr. Robinson is a member of the Tisbury planning board and an MVC commissioner, but recused himself from commission discussions relating to the property.

In an interview with the Gazette, Mr. Robinson criticized the planning board’s approval of the boat yard. He said he’s seen activity on the property slowly ramp up over the years, and he feels it’s stretched the bounds of what zoning bylaws are supposed to allow.

“I think Oak Bluffs really dropped the ball here,” Mr. Robinson said. “They should have regarded the neighborhood better.”

He also noted that in 2024, Oak Bluffs residents voted down an article making the area where Rico’s is located an industrial overlay zone, potentially opening it up to different kinds of specially-permitted businesses like warehouses and landscaping storage facilities. Though boat yards and contractors’ yards accessory to homes are still allowed, Mr. Robinson said the board’s approval of Rico’s doesn’t sit right with him given voters’ 2024 decision.

“Town meeting really overwhelmingly voted … not to convert these residential areas into commercial spaces, but what’s happened is this lot is basically entirely commercial now,” he said.

Mr. Coogan suggested that if the industrial overlay article had gone through at town meeting, it would have been harder for the planning board to strictly regulate activity at Rico’s.

Oak Bluffs zoning bylaws state that contractors’ yards are permitted as an accessory use of residential properties with permission from the planning board. Because there are two apartments on the lot, the property was eligible under Oak Bluffs zoning bylaws for two contractors’ yards, Mr. Coogan said.

According to the Oak Bluffs assessor’s records of the property, only one residential unit is listed as being attached to the property — a discrepancy Mr. Robinson pointed out at last month’s meeting.

“Did the Oak Bluffs planning board review these apartments at their site visit?” he asked.

When asked about the discrepancy, Mr. Coogan said the two apartments have existed there for a long time and were sufficient to get permission for the two contractors’ yards.

“While [the] assessor’s information is reliable, it is not always completely correct,” he wrote to the Gazette. “What is correct, is that there are two residential units in the property and they have existing, separate leases for the residential components necessary for the contractors’ yards.”

This article appears in February 27, 2026.