Council approves amendment to demolition rules after public support

The Newburyport City Council voted to adopt Ordinance 2-17, a revision to Chapter 5, Article 10 on building demolition, approving the amendment at its June 1 meeting.

Preservation advocates urged the change during the public comment period. Tom Colterjohn, speaking for the Newburyport Preservation Trust, thanked the council for a prior positive vote and asked members to approve the ordinance on second reading: “We thought it was terrific…we fervently hope that you will again vote positively on it.” Chris Sawtell, vice chair of the Newburyport Historical Commission, told the council the amendment will give the commission more time to review development affecting the city’s cultural and historic assets, calling cultural heritage “a nonrenewable resource.”

Councilors moved the ordinance to a roll-call vote. The clerk recorded 8 yes, 2 no, and 1 absent; the motion passed. The measure had been the subject of prior committee work and public input; committee members described revisions as providing additional time for historic-review processes without changing the fundamental policy framework.

The council’s approval means the amended demolition-review timeline and related procedural changes will be available for implementation per the city solicitor’s guidance and any clerical updates. The council did not specify an effective-on date during the meeting; implementation steps were described as ministerial and will be coordinated by city staff.

What’s next: the council adopted the ordinance on second reading tonight; any subordinate administrative steps or clarifying updates to the city code will be completed by the city solicitor and returned to the council or recorded in the city’s ordinance codification process.