Cheshire council tables townwide demolition‑delay ordinance after heated public hearing

The Cheshire Town Council on Oct. 14, 2025, held a public hearing on a proposed townwide demolition‑delay ordinance and voted to table the proposal for further review, council members said. The ordinance would have placed a 180‑day hold on demolition permits for structures 80 years or older and required Historic District Commission (HDC) review for flagged properties.

Assistant Town Planner Andrew Martelli, who presented the draft ordinance, told the council the measure grew from conversations with the Historic District Commission and would apply townwide to structures 80 years or older. “So, essentially, what this is is this is a demolition delay for any structure in town that is 80 years or older,” Martelli said, describing a process that would flag older properties in the permitting system, trigger notice and an HDC review and — if HDC found the property historic — impose a hold of up to 180 days from the date the demolition permit…