[MassHistPres] Handicapped access ramp

[slater at alum.rpi.edu]

>A person in the historic district wishes to
>construct a wheelchair access 
>ramp at his main door. How do other commissions handle such a matter? 
> What type of certificate would be given for this project?

Oddly, if you strictly interpret the law, this doesn't really fall into
any category. Why? Because the law says that hardship is concerned with
conditions "especially affecting the building or structure involved, but
not affecting the historic district generally". It doesn't say that the
presence of a person can cause a hardship.

However, I think there are three ways to handle this. 

One is to decide that the ramp is a "temporary structure" that has to be
removed once the occupant sells the property or the condition
necessitating it goes away. It would then fall under non-applicability.

Another is to nudge the homeowner into building an appropriate ramp.
I've seen ramps that, when the house has a front porch, come in from the
side or rear of the porch, so that they blend in well with the
structure.

And finally, you could loosen your interpretation of hardship and grant
it under that category, although I'm not sure if you could stipulate
that it would have to be removed upon sale of the property.

Ralph Slate
Springfield, MA