[MassHistPres] Single Building LHD question

[Johnstone, Michelle]

Thanks for your input! Unfortunately, it’s a little bit trickier here, since we need to make sure the LHD moves with the building to its newly divided parcel, when the building is moved. We will have to be creative!

Michelle H. Johnstone
Senior Preservation Planner
Department of Planning & Regulatory Services – Executive Office of Economic Development
City of Worcester | 455 Main Street, Rm 404, Worcester, MA 01608
P: 508-799-1400 x31410
C: 774-622-0695
E: johnstonem at worcesterma.gov<mailto:johnstonem at worcesterma.gov>
www.worcesterma.gov<http://www.worcesterma.gov/>

From: Paul Rohr <paul.rohr at gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, April 2, 2024 12:48 PM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu
Cc: Johnstone, Michelle <JohnstoneM at worcesterma.gov>; Sarah White <swhite at somervillema.gov>
Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Single Building LHD question

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A technique we've used here in Easton is to designate a measured subset of the original lot for the relevant LHD boundary.  For details, see the insets on the expanded map here:

  https://www.easton.ma.us/boards_and_committees/historical_commission/local_historic_district/index.php<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.easton.ma.us/boards_and_committees/historical_commission/local_historic_district/index.php__;!!LFBeBjl1XF97oaI!NuuqwQ7YwnEJLTjK-kX3q_p4xHc-KlrHELGHts9Aqn1XSd7W_KO4eYaITCE7Q8UE-60aDQhxmQuaR04578doBgXZAQ$>

The study committee I chaired back in 2010 originally used this approach to include the viewscape around the H. H. Richardson-designed Ames Gate Lodge (1880, EST.23) in the town's first LHD.  That building serves as the entrance to a vast estate and has been on the National Register since the 1970s.  During negotiations with the family who's owned that land since the Lodge was built, agreeing to these boundaries preserved the option for future generations to someday add alternate access elsewhere along the streetfront to accommodate modern vehicles.

During the 2013 expansion of the Ames LHD, a subsequent study committee followed a similar approach within a larger lot containing the Immaculate Conception Church (1902, EST.30), Rectory (~1850, EST.520), and Garage (~1920, EST.579).  After "lengthy debate" at Town Meeting, the final boundaries chosen were shrunk to exclude the church so the rest of the district expansion could pass.

Would a similar approach work for you, or is some more creative lawyering needed?

On Mon, Apr 1, 2024 at 5:17 PM Sarah White via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>> wrote:
We have a couple of buildings in Somerville whose LHD boundaries only extend to the exterior footprint of the building (note that these are two municipally-owned buildings on a civic campus -  the entire campus parcel is not an LHD). While typically LHD boundaries include out to property lines, there is nothing in 40C that prohibits what you propose. There is nothing in 40C, for that matter, that prohibits a public way from being part of an LHD.

I think that finding a creative solution such as the one being proposed, even if it includes moving the building slightly on the lot (which should be documented), is essential these days when we both need more housing and don't need to be throwing tonnes of material into landfills from a sustainability perspective. As long as there are no zoning violations created, sounds like you are moving in the right direction.

Sarah White, MDS-HP
Senior Planner
Planning, Preservation, & Zoning Division (PPZ)

Se habla español







________________________________
From: MassHistPres <masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu>> on behalf of Johnstone, Michelle via MassHistPres <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>>
Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2024 10:59 AM
To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> <masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>>
Subject: [MassHistPres] Single Building LHD question


Hello!



We have encountered an odd LHD situation here in Worcester. We have a ca. 1858 Italianate mansion that was proposed for demolition to make way for new townhouses last summer, and under the city’s demolition delay ordinance, the twelve-month delay was upheld by the Historical Commission. In the interim, the Historical Commission has initiated a preliminary study report of the property as a single-building local historic district.



It is a former funeral home that contains a large asphalt surface lot on the parcel, and the city nor the Historical Commission have any desire to have purview on anything on the site other than the building itself, as they understand the need for additional housing. Although the property owner is opposed to the creation of the district, they have offered to move the building over a bit on the lot so that they can still build the planned townhouses and retain the original building. What the owner and their council are most concerned about is the potential that the HC would be overly critical of the new construction that is planned next to the original building. So, we are trying to find a creative way to only include the portion of the lot on which the building is sited to give them the peace of mind that their new construction designs cannot be denied by the HC, and in doing so hopefully encounter less resistance in the effort to permanently protect the building.



What are your thoughts on this? I am thinking that there must be a way that we can condition the boundary of the district to include only the building, even if it's moved, as long as it remains on the existing parcel or any subdivision of the existing parcel that includes the existing building. If we don’t find a way to creatively condition the boundary of the district, there is a very real probability that the proposal will be shot down at City Council.



Any and all suggestions welcome!



Michelle H. Johnstone

Senior Preservation Planner

Department of Planning & Regulatory Services – Executive Office of Economic Development

City of Worcester | 455 Main Street, Rm 404, Worcester, MA 01608

P: 508-799-1400 x31410

C: 774-622-0695

E: johnstonem at worcesterma.gov<mailto:johnstonem at worcesterma.gov>

www.worcesterma.gov<http://www.worcesterma.gov/>



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