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Stockbridge panel adopts six-month window for repair of unsafe, nonconforming structures
Summary
The planning commission passed language allowing limited repairs to nonconforming structures and giving owners six months to obtain permits to reconstruct unsafe buildings; repairs to damaged nonconforming structures are capped at 25% of fair market value and must be finished within a year.
The Village of Stockbridge Planning Commission on May 1 adopted new ordinance language governing repairs and reconstruction of nonconforming and unsafe structures.
Under the adopted provision, property owners may repair or alter a nonconforming structure provided the work does not increase the structure’s nonconformity. If a nonconforming structure is damaged (by fire, tornado or other causes), repairs are permitted up to 25% of the structure’s fair market value, with work to be completed within one year. If a structure is declared unsafe, the building official will allow a six-month period for the owner to obtain permits and repair or reconstruct within the existing footprint; if repairs would not remedy the unsafe condition, demolition may follow.
Commission discussion framed the change as balancing public safety with reasonable accommodation for property owners, allowing time-limited repairs while maintaining the building official’s discretion to require compliance with current codes when necessary. The transcript records that the motion passed; the minutes do not include a roll-call tally for this action.
The commission asked staff and the building official to draft the precise permit language and timelines for implementation and to return the matter for follow-up review. The commission also recorded other related drafting tasks, including providing a missing redline of Article 3 at the next meeting scheduled for June 5, 2025.
Because the transcript records the motion as passed but does not list complete vote tallies, the minutes reflect the policy adoption without a formal roll-call in the record.
