Draft housing bank legislation will reach the state legislature unaltered, after state legislators suggested altering key aspects of the draft as it remains stalled at the state level.
Chilmark, West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs became the first towns to weigh in on proposed changes to draft housing bank legislation, with all three voting not to modify the document’s structure before sending it off to the state.
With each passing day, we see more and more evidence of the fundamental change in the culture and quality of life on the Island caused by the rapid changes in the housing market.
State Sen. Julian Cyr and Rep. Dylan Fernandes came before Island leaders on Monday to pitch a statewide real estate transfer tax, as political headwinds shift with the upcoming election.
Representatives from both Islands came together on Tuesday to discuss housing and other shared issues during a rare joint meeting that included nearly two dozen select board members.
With just a handful of days left in the current Massachusetts legislative session, proponents of a statewide mechanism to finance affordable housing acknowledge that the issue is dead on Beacon Hill for this year.
A six-member review committee made up of one person from each Island town will take a last look at the act to establish an Islandwide housing bank before it heads to the state legislature.
Buoyed by a final, resounding vote of support this week in Tisbury for the Martha’s Vineyard housing bank, the coalition behind the plan is charting next steps in a still-lengthy process.