Staff
- Kate Guiney - Board Administrator
Overview
The Affordable Housing Committee works to create and provide a supply of affordable housing to residents of West Tisbury and administers Affordable Housing portions of the Zoning By-Laws.
Updates
The Lease to Locals Year-Round Rental
Incentive Program Expands to West Tisbury
WEST TISBURY, Mass., August 7, 2026 — The Town of West Tisbury is pleased to announce the launch and expansion of the Lease to Locals program, an innovative initiative designed to increase the supply of year-round housing on Martha's Vineyard.
Originally launched in neighboring Chilmark in August 2025, the program provides a one-time incentive of up to $12,000 to property owners who convert homes previously used as short-term rentals or that have been largely vacant into year-round rentals. Since its launch, the program has created five new year-round rental homes, providing housing for 11 year-round residents.
Developed by Placemate, Inc., Lease to Locals has a proven track record of helping vacation communities expand their long-term housing supply by providing financial incentives to property owners who rent to local residents rather than operate short-term rentals or leave homes vacant.
West Tisbury's participation in the program is funded by the Municipal Affordable Housing Trust, following voter approval at the Annual Town Meeting to raise and appropriate $150,000 for the program's first year. "The West Tisbury Affordable Housing Committee is thrilled to partner with our neighboring town of Chilmark to expand and build on their successful implementation of the Lease to Locals Program,” said West Tisbury Affordable Housing Committee Chair Kimberly Angell. “This program creates more housing opportunities using existing housing, housing that might otherwise be rented short-term or left unoccupied. It has worked on Nantucket, the Cape, and other resort communities. We sincerely hope that other towns on Martha’s Vineyard will join us in the future.”
All towns on Martha's Vineyard included Lease to Locals as part of their most recent Housing Production Plans. Chilmark proudly led the way with the first Lease-to-Locals program in Dukes County. With the West Tisbury program launching, the hope is that more towns will join to create an island-wide program that can quickly and efficiently provide more year-round housing with no construction costs.
Program Details:
To qualify, properties must be located in West Tisbury or Chilmark and must not have been rented long-term in the past 12 months. The objective is to increase the number of year-round rental opportunities in Town. Properties are subject to a maximum rental rate ranging from $2,900/month for a studio to $4,250/month for a three-bedroom unit.
The incentive payment to Property Owners is based on their commitment to a long-term lease and the number of Qualified Tenants. Property owners who switch to long-term rentals will qualify for a one-time incentive of $4,000 per Qualified Tenant, with a maximum of 3 incentives per lease, for up to $12,000.
About Placemate:
Placemate has deep experience and operational capacity to help solve the workforce housing crisis in destination towns by unlocking new housing opportunities for local employees. They have operated housing programs across the country in resort communities in California, Idaho, Nevada, Vermont, Colorado, and Massachusetts. Through their trusted online platform, they connect local tenants with homeowners who have underutilized properties available for rent. They partner with local governments and nonprofits to incentivize property owners who convert and preserve their units into seasonal and long-term rentals for locals.
Tenants and property owners can learn more about the program and get started by creating their profiles at http://www.placemate.com/west-tisbury, calling Placemate at (508) 458-8009, or emailing hello@placemate.com.
Housing Production Plan
The Town held three interactive community workshops to help guide housing policies and initiatives as part of the Housing Production Plan.
- Housing Production Plan FY2018-2022 (PDF)
- For more information, visit the Martha's Vineyard Commission Website
Contact Us
Affordable Housing Committee
Email Affordable Housing Committee
Physical Address
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1059 State RoadWest Tisbury, MA 02575
Mailing Address
P.O. Box 278
West Tisbury, MA 02575
Phone: 774-447-4560
Hours of Operation
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