Construction Enters Final Stretch for Meshacket Commons
Meshacket Commons is nearing completion, soon to bring new year-round housing to Edgartown on Martha’s Vineyard!
Construction is nearly complete at Meshacket Commons in Edgartown, where 40 affordable homes for year-round Island residents are steadily taking shape on a 6.76-acre town-owned site off Meshacket Road. The $34 million development — the largest year-round affordable housing neighborhood on Martha’s Vineyard in over two decades — is a partnership between Island Housing Trust, Affirmative Investments, and the Town of Edgartown, with Union leading the design.
The neighborhood includes 36 rental units and four duplexes for homeownership, arranged around a central green with a community building, mail kiosks, and covered bike parking. More than a decade in the making, the project responds to a deepening housing crisis on the Island, where soaring property values and the conversion of rentals to short-term vacation use have left over 1,000 working families facing housing insecurity — and forced many essential workers to commute daily from the mainland.
The design draws on local building traditions through simple forms and cedar shingles that sit comfortably within Edgartown’s architectural character. All buildings are fully electric, with rooftop solar panels supporting heating, cooling, and hot water to help residents manage long-term energy costs. The site plan preserves existing tree cover along the roadside and incorporates stormwater management features throughout.
Applications for the four homeownership units are already open, with a housing lottery to follow. The rental units, serving households with incomes between 30% and 100% of area median income, will open for applications closer to completion. The project is on track for occupancy in early 2026 — a milestone that will bring meaningful relief to a community where the gap between what residents earn and what they can afford has never been wider.
