Historic zoning commission denies demolition request for Nolensville house at 7306 Nolensville Road

The Town of Nolensville Historic Zoning Commission on Wednesday denied an application for a certificate of appropriateness to demolish the single-family house at 7306 Nolensville Road, a property located inside the town's historic-district overlay.

The commission's decision followed a lengthy public comment period in which residents, local preservation groups and the applicant debated whether the building should be preserved, moved or demolished and whether the owners and prospective developer demonstrated the "unreasonable economic hardship" required by the zoning ordinance to permit demolition.

Len Serafino, a Nolensville resident, urged approval of demolition and redevelopment, saying the town needs more sales-tax revenue and that the existing structure is dilapidated: "Nolensville has a revenue problem... the historic zoning commission has an opportunity to allow a developer to tear down a dilapidated house and ultimately replace it with a retail center," he said.

Opponents included Barry Beasley, president and CEO of the Heritage Foundation Williamson County, and Michelle Jenkins, president and museum director of the Nolensville Historical Society. Jenkins said the house is one of the oldest homes in the district and that the society has archival research documenting its history; Beasley asked the commission to "pause, not allow for this demolition, and let some collaborative conversations happen." Joe Kurtzinger and other longtime residents stressed that the collection of old buildings in the district conveys the town's identity.

The developer's representative, identified in the record as Mr. Burke, said the current zoning overlay reduces the property's marketability and that rehabilitation costs are high compared with the after-rehabilitation value. Burke said the developer would prefer to preserve or even move the house if feasible, but that the transaction cannot proceed without certainty they could remove the structure as a last resort: "If the home cannot be... that will have a drastic negative financial implications on the owners," he said.

Town staff told the commission the property is within the historic-district overlay but is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and staff noted mature trees on the site that should be protected in any future work. The commission and participants referred repeatedly to standards in the town's zoning ordinance (Article 3, historic-district provisions) and to the ordinance's requirements about unreasonable economic hardship and demolition-by-neglect procedures.

Commissioners also reviewed a structural assessment from a contractor (SEI) that listed extensive repairs for floors, ceilings, exterior walls and the roof and recommended demolition of the stonemasonry chimney and several outbuildings; the report did not, according to the engineer excerpts presented, categorically say the main house must be demolished.

After discussion and questions about alternatives, effort made to incorporate the building into a larger development, and whether submitted cost estimates and reuse plans met the ordinance's requirements, a commissioner moved to deny the demolition application. The motion carried; the commission recorded the application as denied.

Commissioners and multiple public speakers said the decision could set a precedent for other properties in Nolensville's historic district, and several participants urged continued discussions about rehabilitation, relocation and design compatibility for any future redevelopment proposals. The applicant acknowledged the possibility of pursuing relocation or restorative options if feasible but said sewer-capacity limits and marketability affect the timeline and financing.

No further formal action on 7306 Nolensville Road was recorded at the meeting; the commission's denial closes the applicant's request for a demolition certificate of appropriateness at this hearing.