[MassHistPres] Ideas for a Demolition Delay Workshop -- yes!

[Brandon Wilson]

Chris,

 

I sent your email to our Commissioners earlier today and already know that several are interested in attending such a workshop IF located in the Boston metropolitan area.  We may even be interested in hosting it here in Somerville, likely in our historic City Hall.  

 

Also here is some thoughtful feedback offered by one Commissioner about the type of issues we regularly face, even with a demo review ordinance in place for many years now (2003). 

 

"As it is, the process seems fraught with difficulty: An applicant routinely claims that the building is not significant and/or is "too far gone."  In some cases, they introduce evidence from engineers and others to buttress their claims.  Meanwhile, there may well be no other person to advocate for the building.  This leaves the Commission, sitting in a quasi-judicial capacity, to perhaps implicitly try to advocate for the building, which is awkward, since we're supposed to be a judge, not an advocate.  Besides, unless a Commissioner is already familiar with the property in question, the applicant usually can make a more compelling case.  

 

Even when the demo delay is invoked, owners frequently wait out the delay and then do what they want when it is over.  If they work with the Commission during the delay period, it seems often to be to agree to perform some perfunctory act, such as photographing the building before demolition, installing a marker, or salvaging a distinctive architectural feature.  In most cases, the building itself is lost.

 

I'd be interested in hearing how the process could function to actually promote genuine preservation."

 

Think you have struck a key chord with this topic…

 

cheers,  Brandon

 

J. Brandon Wilson

Executive Director

 

Somerville Historic Preservation Commission

City Hall

93 Highland Avenue

Somerville, MA 02143

 

(617)625-6600 ext. 2532

bwilson at somervillema.gov

www.somervillema.gov/departments/historic-preservation-commission

 

From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu] On Behalf Of hcooke4 at verizon.net
Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2014 12:39 PM
To: christopher.skelly at state.ma.us; masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Ideas for a Demolition Delay Workshop

 

Chris,
Randolph would be interested in such a workshop, and would be willing to host it at historic Stetson Hall.  We had a recent incident in Randolph where a contractor gutted the interior of a c.1780 house before the Historical Commission and event the Building Commissioner were aware if it - the house was a bank foreclosure and had suffered damage from 3 years on the market unoccupied - the commission was faced with the need to make some difficult decisions quickly to try to preserve at least some of the building. We would be interested in learning the best courses of action in such cases once the damage is done, and it is always helpful to learn of additional tools that Historical Commissions can use.  We would also be interested to learn about whether other communities have used CPA funds for low-interest/no-interest loans or grants to homeowners in historic districts.

Thanks
Henry Cooke, Chairman
Randolph Historical Commission

 

On 07/08/14, Skelly, Christopher (SEC)<christopher.skelly at state.ma.us> wrote:

 

Hello all, after hearing about the recent regional workshop on demolition delay in Plymouth, several of you have expressed an interest to me in a new workshop more tailored to those of you that already have demolition delay.  This would be a workshop that could discuss more on procedural matters, public process, determinations of significance and preferably preserved status and examples of what happens during the delay period.  I am interested in hearing from local commission members on whether you would like to attend such a workshop and if so, what you would like to see covered.  Chris.

 

Christopher C. Skelly

Director of Local Government Programs

Massachusetts Historical Commission

220 Morrissey Boulevard

Boston, MA 02125

(617) 727-8470
Cell: 413-834-0678

Christopher.Skelly at state.ma.us

 

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