Editors, Vineyard Gazette;

Many of your readers will recall the concern raised over an application first filed in April 2023 to renovate the 1912 house at 81 South Water street, particularly over the feared loss of the open view corridor from South Water street to Edgartown Harbor and Chappy. The design was subsequently adjusted, luckily, so that the width of the open space remains the same as it was. Edgartown residents and visitors are very grateful for this.

The view corridor, loved by Islanders for centuries, is still at risk, however, if the owner is allowed to plant a tall hedge around the perimeter of the whole or even part of property, as proposed in recent adaptions to the application. The conservation commission’s purview includes the preservation of “historic vistas,” particularly from the water, so they have the authority to limit the height of any hedge on this property to retain the iconic view of this shoreline from Edgartown harbor. The portion of hedge running down to the water has been kept at 4 feet or less for hundreds of years and there is no hedge along the street. Consequently, the current open space allows those on boats to see all the way up the bluff to historic houses on the far side of South Water street while countless passersby on the street enjoy the opposite vista of the harbor and Chappaquiddick.

Now this last open vista from the harbor to South Water street and visa-versa, is at stake. The public is encouraged to write emails today to the conservation commission (conservation@edgartown-ma.us) or attend the 4 p.m. hearing by Zoom on Feb. 28 to express their views about the need to limit the hedge height, as well as any concerns about the safety of lifting and excavating under this partly 1912 house. Please go to the conservation commission department on the Town of Edgartown website and click on Feb. 28 to find the relevant materials and Zoom details.

Jane Bradbury

Edgartown