[MassHistPres] Query re: Raising Historic Structures/ Flood Insurance

[jdianeol at aol.com]

 In my opinion (and I'm sure others will vary), this is a really tough call. On the one hand, the change and impact on the streetscape will be great if the building is elevated, of that there is no doubt. By the same token the complete loss of the historic property to sea rise (and based on the many scientists and professional planners discussing it at the MACC Annual Environmental conference on 1 March and the upcoming CPTC conference tomorrow, MA & New England are going to have greater sea rise impacts than other coastal areas due to combined effects of global climate change and tectonic plate rebound) and increased storm frequency and intensity would be even greater. 

I guess it depends on which cost you & your board feels is the steeper, less desirable price to pay. I applaud your call for public hearings and informed professional input.

I, personally,  would vote on the side of exploring the building elevation and would be inclined to ask the architects to explore means of raising the house that have the least impact on the historic streetscape and report back before making a final decision, whatever those means might be. There are going to be impacts, severe impacts, whether we "allow" them or not. Being proactive may save the building and some of the historic fabric from total loss. It may also facilitate an exploration of citywide street raising based on some recently released (or soon to be released) maps of coastal sea rise impact areas. That, in turn, may reduce the final impact of the building being elevated if the roads are elevated as well.

Although it may not have been our state's history, there are many locations where very historic (and much older) buildings and cities have changed street levels as needed. There are many cities with "underground tours" of former street level building fronts (NOT what I would recommend here though), and, of course, Venice Italy is a very famous example of a city that has thoughout history raised its buildings on an as-needed basis to remain above sea level.

Good luck... I do not envy you.

J. Diane Oliver-Jensen, rla, LEED A.P.

 West Brookfield, MA

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Margaret Welch <margwelch at prodigy.net>
To: masshistpres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
Sent: Fri, Mar 14, 2014 12:58 pm
Subject: [MassHistPres] Query re: Raising Historic Structures/ Flood Insurance



I am posting this on behalf of the Newburyport Historical Commission chair Linda Smiley:
 
"I am writing as chair of the Newburyport Historical Commission. 
 
We had a “first” come before us at our meeting last week, but I suspect that it won’t be the last that we hear of this.   
 
An applicant who owns a circa 1710 house along Water Street in Newburyport, which runs adjacent to the Merrimack River (this particular property is on the opposite side of the street from the river) has applied for permission to raise the entire house three feet.  His reason is that because of the new flood insurance rates resulting from the new FEMA maps and the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Act, his insurance is going to go up so much that it is cheaper for him to just raise his entire house to get it above flood plain level.  I know that Congress is in the process of looking at revising these requirements, and the applicant’s architects know that, but the owner wants to pursue it regardless.  Unfortunately, given the current rates, which I have heard estimates of being in the neighborhood of $68,000 +/- per year for $250,000 worth of insurance coverage, it wouldn’t take long to easily recover the cost of the work. 
 
I am sure I don’t have to tell you about the impact this will have on the appearance of the historic house, and its context in the neighborhood.  Also, how many others will get the same idea?   I shudder to think of the impact this could have on a coastal city full of historic structures such as ours.  On the other hand, we don’t want to deny that sea level rise is a real and pending threat, and people have the right to try to protect their homes.   
 
I was wondering if you have heard of this happening in other (historic) coastal communities in Massachusetts, and if so, what has been the dialog?  Our response was to schedule a public hearing, and we will invite not only the preservation community but also the people looking at sea level rise and sustainability issues.  I don’t know what the outcome will be, but it seems to be an important issue that we need to begin developing a strategy for. 
 
I would appreciate any insight you could offer."
 
Margaret Welch
Secretary
Newburyport Historical Commission


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