Housing

Though the core mission of VCS will always be the protection of the Island’s natural environment, we share the concerns of many Vineyarders regarding the high cost of housing, and how it is impacting our community. The struggle to find stable year-round housing, and the stress on individuals and families it causes, is all too real. But as we address these problems together as a community, VCS wants to make sure we understand the complexities and the balance needed to create affordable housing while respecting the finite nature of our Island’s resources.

Ideally, new housing will be built in a way that maximizes affordability while minimizing environmental harm. In practice, we know that this will involve tradeoffs and compromise. However, at a minimum, sustainable affordable housing efforts should focus on repurposing existing buildings and locating housing close to services, along with improved regulation to address some of the root causes of our astronomical real estate prices, such as placing limits on Short Term Rentals, fractional ownership schemes, and very large house sizes.

For more on how VCS is thinking about the challenge, please see our policy statement on residential development, including affordable housing.