KeepOurPlace.com has just three (3) founding convictions:

1. Like it or not, we are the stewards of one of the twelve last great places of the western hemisphere. And our obligations as stewards extend equally to both 50%’s of the island: the 50% that is in conservancy and the “Other 50%” that is in private hands. All of Block Island is sacred ground.

2. The island economy depends on its continuing to look and feel different from the mainland. If the houses of Block Island start to look like the garish things we see on the mainland, fewer people will want to visit.

3. The best hope for the next $100 million of development on Block Island is to have it be in the hands of our established island architects and builders, but that alone is not enough. They must know that they have a knowledgable and vigilant community behind them.

And that is really all we are starting with. KeepOurPlace.com is not trying to prevent the next $100 million of development on Block Island or even to stretch it out. We are focused on excellence of development. Is it respectful of a last great place? Is it respectful of island architectural traditions? Is it respectful of the scale of a small island?

At the Your Town conference sponsored by Scenic Block Island and Mary Newhouse a year ago June, one of the speakers made the point that a community gets the quality of development it demands. Those that settle for mediocrity get it; those that insist upon excellence get excellence instead.

Tomorrow: Sleepers, Weepers, or Keepers?