[MassHistPres] Historic house demo in swampscott

Fri Sep 1 10:48:22 EDT 2017

Hello Ricahrd,I feel your pain and it is becoming a common story. Increasingly on Cape Cod the older houses with larger lots are in peril.  Are they seeking to demolish the home?. 40B is tough to overcome and I wish I knew what to do about it. I think we need help. I wrote to the Governor and LT. Governor  to bring his attention to the increasing problems Historic Preservation is facing. Some legislation and a 40b  adjustment needs to happen.    In Harwich we have a  Historic home  that is National Register eligible  and in a developing  National Register district not yet completed. .  Harwich Ecumenical Council for the homeless owned the historic home and a home on the lot next door and is doing a redevelopment on 21/2 acres.     After an outcry from the neighbors the historic home was incorporated into a Habitat 40B project rather than being demolished.  They are using the 2 existing homes as market rate units in the 40b application  The 2 acre lots were subdivided into eight , the historic home left on a very small lot. It was a long ZBA hearing and Habitat won approval in a 3 to 2 vote. All the zoning of Harwich is thrown out and even illegal units in the HECH homes are now sanctioned. There were problems with the application and some legal concerns about site control of the project, but 40 b won.     So see if you can get a 106 review. I found it difficult to obtain that.  Who else is working with Mass housing? your local housing authority?   Mobilization of a group that can be vocal and also write to the papers proved to be helpful for us. Is there a chance you could get any legal representation?Best to you as you embark on this important workWhat a beautiful Historic asset. Sally UrbanoIndividualHarwich,ma 

    On Friday, September 1, 2017 9:37 AM, Richard Smith <rcsmitharch at verizon.net> wrote:

We are looking at a developing situation here in Swampscott.  133 Puritan Road, a waterfront house from 1913, faces a development proposal that would entirely remove the buildings and vegetation to construct 3 condo buildings with 16 units on a 1.06 acre site.  The property, which is inventoried under SWA 494 and 1620, is a Classical Revival summer home on the water.  Our researcher, Lisa Mausolf, identifies this as National Register eligible and potentially an element of a small historic district with several nearby houses.  The house and its grounds are the backdrop to Swampscott harbor as seen from Fisherman’s Beach and an important survivor of the summer estates era in Swampscott.  The town does not have a local historic district in place here at this point.  The town will be looking at the usual zoning, public safety, traffic and FEMA flood zone issues, but the Historical Commission is charged with protecting Town historic resources.  The developer has applied to MassHousing for a 40B approval, allowing them to override the zoning requirements for this area.  They propose to make 4 units affordable, and they anticipate a total sale revenue for the 16 units of $17 million.  Have other communities faced similar situations in which significant historic properties were threatened by 40B development?  Has any community successfully argued with MassHousing that significant historic sites should not be considered suitable for this type of development?  The town does have areas that have been identified in our new master plan as appropriate for affordable housing.  But not here.    Richard SmithSwampscott Historic Commission  ******************************
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