[MassHistPres] Swift House,Milton Ma

[Tucker, Jonathan]

It sounds like Milton has already done quite a bit.  The demolition has been delayed until November and there's a spring Town Meeting action of some kind (an amendment to the Zoning Bylaw?) that would address the situation in some manner.  Usually a variance is not something that Town Meetings grant, so that's a bit confusing.  I also suspect you're confusing regulations.  Milton's parking requirements appear to be established under its Zoning Bylaw, not the building code.

One way or another, it would be useful to build greater flexibility into Milton's parking regulations.  If there's time in your Town Meeting schedule, the Planning Board could propose, or a citizen could propose as a petition article (that requires only ten voter's signatures to be certified by the Town Clerk) a new subsection L. to Milton's zoning (Section VII. Parking Regulations) that reads something like:

"L.  Waiver or Modification.  Any section or subsection of Section VII, Parking Regulations may be waived or modified by the permit granting board or authority for compelling reasons of safety, aesthetics, site design, or the general public welfare or interest."

General public welfare or interest would certainly include the preservation of important local historic resources.  The fact the Milton adopted Chapter 22, Demolition of Historically Significant Buildings, as a part of its General Bylaws has established historic preservation as an element of the community's welfare and public interest.

I note that under Milton's Zoning Bylaw (Section VII, J.) the Board of Appeals can postpone for a period of 3 years the provision of up to 25% of required parking, and there can be a 3 year extension.  That might be another avenue to pursue to buy time while other solutions are sought.

It would help if there were more information.  Who do you represent?  Under what kind of land use (zoning) permit was the commercial building that needs the parking approved?  On which property is the commercial building needing parking-98 Adams Street itself or 100 Adams Street next door?  What is the specific action being brought before Town Meeting?

The best solution would be to find a way buy the property, impose an historic preservation deed restriction on it (to the benefit of the Milton Historical Commission), and then resell the property so that it can continue to fulfill its historic function.

Good luck,

Jonathan Tucker
Planning Director
Amherst Planning Department
4 Boltwood Avenue, Town Hall
Amherst, MA  01002
(413) 259-3040
tuckerj at amherstma.gov<mailto:tuckerj at amherstma.gov>




From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of dgkalman4 at cs.com
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2013 11:13 AM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: [MassHistPres] Swift House,Milton Ma

The Swift House(98 Adams St) located in Milton Ma is the only wood framed commercial building that remains on its original site since c.1790. While its interior has been modified over the years,its exterior has remained unchanged since its original use as a hatters house. The current owner who also owns 100 Adams St, would like to tear down the house because there is not enough land for the 6 parking spaces that the current building code requires for commercial buildings. An Article for a variance on this subject will be heard in this springs Town Meeting. There is also a demolition delay on this property untill Mid November,2013. Please let me know if there any suggestions of how to save this house.
David Kelman
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