[MassHistPres] Turning an old house into an "auxiliary apartment" and adding a new house to the lot

[Marisa Morra]

Hi All,
We here in Weston have a proposal in front of us that I wondered if anyone has dealt with before.  We have an owner who has a 2+ acre lot that is long and narrow, hence non-conformong, with a c. 1860 house and barn & a c. 1910 stone carriage house.  The lot did not proof out as a flexible subdivision to be divided as they wanted, so now they are applying to take the 5 bedroom house- remove 3 bedrooms, and have it count as an auxiliary apartment, and build a big new house on the same lot. The building inspector has told them that this is theoretically possible, but would need many variances. We on the Weston Historic Commission are horrified, but have already imposed a 6 month delay, and this house is not in a "district" . We feel this would set a bad precedent for houses and lots in the same situation, of which there are many in Weston.  
Has anyone ever had this "auxiliary apartment" scenario  presented to them?   

Any thoughts on how to deal with it, once our demo delay time frame has expired?

Thank You,
Marisa Morra
Co-Chair, Weston Historic Commission