[MassHistPres] Demolition Request

[cvwtc at aol.com]

 Approving of their hardship would also teach others looking to rid themselves of historic properties to defer on maintenance until a structure becomes unsafe and needs to be torn down.

We've had a couple of examples of that happening in Beverly, most notably the Washington-Beedle School.  Before preservationists even had a chance to advocate for this city-owned property, it was suddenly determined to be "structurally unsafe" so it was torn down almost overnight to make room for a Walgreens.  Laws governing historic preservation can always be bypassed if a structure is deemed unsafe and once a structure is gone, there's no way to obtain a second opinion.  Your group needs to strongly oppose a demolition hardship if the integrity of your district is to be maintained.  It would also set the proper tone.

Has a community ever given the owners of an historic property a tax-break to stimulate renovation?  It seems like many city councils have no problem giving sustained and significant property tax reductions to wealthy developers when they come before City Hall to pitch a project.

Matt Pujo     

 
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