The Martha’s Vineyard Commission approved a first-of-its-kind Island project Thursday, clearing the way for Stillpoint Meadows to seek permits from West Tisbury for the proposed arts and humanities center just north of Polly Hill Arboretum on State Road.
Led by Thomas Bena, founder and former director of the Martha’s Vineyard Film Festival, and assistant director Jake Davis, Stillpoint Meadows aims to be a gathering place for classes, talks and other events.
Brian Smith cast the sole nay vote on the approval, while Kathy Newman abstained after raising concerns about the agreed-upon cap of 1,000 events and 38,000 visitors a year to the rural property, which abuts both private homes and conservation lands.
“We’re supposed to be protecting the culture of the land,” Newman said. “Thirty-eight thousand seems like an awful lot to me.”
Mr. Bena and Mr. Davis have said they also may need to raise money with private events on the property.
Weddings are explicitly prohibited in the commission decision, but it allows up to 200 other events that are not connected to Stillpoint Meadows’ educational mission.
Other conditions of the approval include strict limits on noise and exterior lighting and outright bans on alcohol sales and overnight stays.
Stillpoint Meadows will also be required to develop a landscaping buffer along its property line with Polly Hill, and keep its visitors from wandering there without the arboretum’s knowledge.
A project like Stillpoint Meadows has never come before the commission in the past, giving commissioners no previous examples to consider in their deliberations. There are also no prospects of similar developments of regional concern (DRIs) in the pipeline.
“I think this is pretty much a unicorn in terms of DRIs, so I’m not too concerned with setting precedent,” commissioner Doug Sederholm said.
The commission will finalize its approval with a written decision at a future meeting.
Also Thursday, commissioners approved their written decisions allowing a steel canopy at the Outermost Inn in Aquinnah and a new building for Big Sky Tents at the airport business park.
The commission declined to review an application to the town of Tisbury for the Island’s third outpost of Sea Bags, a Maine-based company that makes bags and other products from recycled boat sails.
While it is a formula business, a type of operation the MVC traditionally has frowned upon when it comes to food and beverage operations, commissioners agreed that Sea Bags’ mission of repurposing cast-off sails is a good fit for the Island.
Company vice-president Paul Gori told the commission that Sea Bags likes to operate in maritime communities where boat owners can recycle their old sails for new bags.
The chain currently has stores in Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Falmouth and Mashpee.
