The Martha’s Vineyard Commission voted 10-3 Thursday in favor of a 3,920-square-foot expansion of the Alliance Community Church in Oak Bluffs. This puts to an end the church's long fight for an expansion, which brought out fierce opposition from abutters.
Visual impact, neighborhood concerns and questions about future use were all factors in the 4-3 commission vote against a large church expansion project on the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road in Oak Bluffs. Four commissioners excused themselves from the proceeding.
A new plan to turn 54 acres in Katama into a nine-lot residential subdivision saw favorable review by the Martha's Vineyard Commission last week, while stubborn sticking points remained for a pending church expansion in Oak Bluffs.
Plans to add a large expansion to an Oak Bluffs church continued to face scrutiny at the Martha’s Vineyard Commission late last week, as commissioners and neighbors questioned the impact on the neighborhood and the environment.
The Alliance Community Church (formerly Nova Vida) has applied to build a 9,000-square-foot addition to its Ryan’s Way building in order to build a 150-seat church.
Plans for a large addition to a church off the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road in Oak Bluffs have spurred concerns from neighbors for the second time in five years. At a public hearing before the Martha’s Vineyard Commission Thursday, commissioners and members of the public heard a proposal from Alliance Community Church to build an addition to the existing 7,000 square-foot building.
Oak Bluffs selectmen on Tuesday unanimously voted to take legal action against the Alliance Community Church on Ryan’s Way in response to mounting evidence that the church is violating town zoning laws and several conditions of approval from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.
Two years ago the commission approved plans from the Assembleia De Deus (Assembly of God) Nova Vida congregation to build a 150-seat church on the site with a day care center for 26 children. The church has since changed its name to the Alliance Community Church.
The Martha’s Vineyard Commission on Thursday heard emotional testimony both for and against a proposal by the World Revival Church in Oak Bluffs to build a large tent with amplified music at the corner of Ryan’s Way and Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road for outdoor religious services, prayer groups and choir practice.
