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Town Council grants 60-day stay for demolition of 255 East Pearl after preservation board recommendation
Summary
The Jackson Town Council voted unanimously to impose a 60-day stay on the demolition of a 1935 cottage at 255 East Pearl Avenue so the owner can pursue relocation options. The historic preservation board had recommended the maximum 100-day stay. Council also directed staff to run a public notice in the newspaper to seek takers for the structure.
Jackson Town Council voted unanimously May 19 to place a 60-day stay on the demolition of a single-family home at 255 East Pearl Avenue to give the owner time to relocate the structure.
The council considered a recommendation from the town's Historic Preservation Board, which found the 1935 cottage historically significant and recommended a 100-day stay to explore alternatives to demolition. Paul Anthony, the town's director of planning and building, told the council the board had concluded the structure met the town's historic criteria for age, significance and integrity.
Katie Wilson of KMW Architecture, representing the applicant, told the council the owner has attempted for months to find a buyer or a mover and has advertised through local channels such as Jackson Racks without success. Wilson said relocating the building has been difficult because of the structure's condition and required upgrades: "We have freezing pipes, old windows and doors. It's drafty...people look at the interior and realize they have to bring the plumbing up to code, electricity up to code, and then do all these things to make it a useful building."
Michael Stern, speaking for the Historic Preservation Board, said the board had basic documentation prepared but limited resources for additional historic survey work. He said the board's recommendation for a stay was intended to allow time to document the building and find relocation options.
Council members debated the length of a stay. The demolition ordinance allows stays between 60 and 100 days; councilmembers said 60 days balanced the preservation concerns with the owner's timeline. The council approved a motion by Councilmember Deamer, seconded by Councilmember Unner, to grant a 60-day stay. The motion passed unanimously.
Following the vote, the council approved a separate motion directing staff to work with the applicant to run a newspaper notice alerting the public to the stay and the opportunity to move the structure. Councilmember Unner said she wanted the advertisement to be placed "at the first or earliest opportunity"; the council asked staff to coordinate timing with the applicant and report back.
The applicant told council members the occupant of the home is a newly hired firefighter who will need to move in June if the property is not claimed. Town staff and the Historic Preservation Board said they would help the applicant publicize relocation options but cautioned the town's authority under demolition rules is to provide a waiting period, not to guarantee preservation.
The stay will end 60 days from the Historic Preservation Board's recommendation date; staff noted a 100-day stay would have extended to July 17, while the 60-day stay ends June 7. The council said it would monitor staff's outreach and any offers to relocate the building.
