The Martha’s Vineyard Commission is facing a concerted push from at least two of the big down-Island towns to amend its processes for considering developments of regional impact (DRIs), out of concern they are inhibiting business activity.

Selectmen in both Tisbury and Oak Bluffs have signaled worries about the cost, delay and uncertainty which attaches to the commission’s review of proposed new developments, and are expected to argue for more local autonomy when the DRI process comes up for review next month.

Edgartown also has indicated it may become involved in the effort to alter the process by which projects are sent to the commission for DRI review.

Oak Bluffs town administrator Michael Dutton confirmed this week that he had spoken to his counterparts in the other two towns about the prospect of presenting a united position to the commission.

“The board of selectmen has discussed this matter informally a number of times, and asked me at our most recent meeting to speak to the other down-Island towns and also to the commission to set up a meeting where we could go over the DRI checklist and particular areas where we see difficulties,” he said.

The development of regional impact process involves the referral of certain projects considered likely to have effects beyond individual towns for comprehensive review by the commission.

But Mr. Dutton said there was concern that “some strictly local issues are now being taken on as DRIs.

“I think at the very least our selectmen wanted some sort of workshop whereby they and probably the planning board and possibly the building inspector could sit down for a decent give-and-take about various issues, not least the DRI.

“They thought if the other towns were interested — because there is a lot of commonality of the concerns — they would invite them too.”

Mr. Dutton’s request was taken up at this week’s meeting of the Tisbury selectmen, who echoed similar concerns and resolved to confer with their relevant town boards prior to taking concerns about DRI overreach to the commission.

They intend to make their representations separately from Oak Bluffs.

Geoghan Coogan was particularly critical, saying the whole DRI process was “too long” and “onerous.” A DRI referral added “six months at least” to the time it took to get a new business project off the ground, Mr. Coogan said.

Tristan Israel, while endorsing the value of what are termed cross-town referrals, agreed on the need to address inconsistencies in the DRI checklist.

Mr. Dutton later told the Gazette that the common complaint among the Island business community was that a DRI referral could add up to a year to the planning process, as well as considerable expense.

“It can add greatly to costs,” he said, “by forcing you to hire engineers and architects to do many different permutations, depending on what the commission says it wants to see.

“People end up hiring attorneys, and then there is the application fee.

“I can’t think of a full-fledged project that has been called off because of the commission process, but you hear all over town from people saying ‘I had this great idea but I’m not going to bother because I’d have to go through this enormously expensive process,’ ” he said.

Mr. Dutton said the trigger for much of the current complaint was the proposed Ocean Club development in downtown Oak Bluffs.

“The Wallace brothers are proposing a function business on the old Balance site,” he said.

The plan was to expand an existing restaurant on the first level up to the second level for use as a function hall. It would not involve any new building, but a new use for an existing building, which has housed a variety of businesses, in the downtown business area.

“Their argument is that it was always a place of assembly, was built back in the 1800s, for exactly the same use they’re proposing.

“Absent the DRI, I think the selectmen would approve the use. They realize it does trigger a DRI, but at the same time, they can’t see why it should,” Mr. Dutton said.

Apart from that specific case, he said, there were broader issues of concern.

“The adage in the business community is ‘once a DRI, always a DRI.’

“What they mean is that if you file for a DRI for a particular project, everything that happens on that property from then on is automatically a DRI from that point forward,” Mr. Dutton said.

He said he believed the commission planned to do away with that provision and said the town would push for that.

But he said the current DRI process interferes with attempts by the down-Island towns to promote more mixed-use development.

“The down-Island towns [are] trying to bring living space into the downtown areas, and specifically the B1 [business zoned] areas.

“Where you’re trying to do that in an existing building, why should that trigger a DRI in and of itself? That’s one area a lot of people have a problem with,” Mr. Dutton said.

Another concern was the uncertainty of issue which might be raised subsequent to a proposal being sent to the commission.

“In the middle of your hearing some extraneous issue can pop up and you might have to provide information or revise your plan, as a result,” Mr. Dutton said.

“We need to make it clear to the people who are trying to start a shop or restaurant or other business what they need to go through in order to get through the commission process, and get away from the situation where people don’t know what they’re supposed to be giving them.

“I think the commission, over the years, has got itself into a position where it can be used unfairly by people to attack various projects.

“It’s got itself into the position — this is my personal opinion now — where it’s trying to do too much,” said Mr. Dutton.

The commission plans to begin a review of the DRI process early in the new year.

The first of an expected series of consultations is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 10.