Selectboard continues 13 South Street demolition-appeal hearing, agrees to remand to Historic Commission

The Medfield Selectboard continued a public hearing on an appeal of a demolition permit for 13 South Street on May 19, agreeing in principle to remand the matter to the town’s Historical Commission so the owner can present additional information.

Attorney Ted Cannon, representing the property owner, told the board the ownership group had obtained a demolition permit in 2014 and had spent more than a decade trying to find a buyer or a developer willing to preserve or adapt the small, difficult-to-renovate house. "We would like the board to consider the appeal of the demolition permit at 13 South Street," Cannon said, noting previous efforts to preserve the façade and the long-running difficulty of making the structure habitable.

The Historical Commission stressed its preference for preservation but noted that prior negotiations had stalled. A commission member described an earlier moment when the commission and the owner’s architect appeared close to an agreement that was never finalized in writing, and reminded the Selectboard of the Commission’s guiding principle: "when in doubt, err on the side of preservation."

Board members and commission co-chairs discussed the narrow scope of the Selectboard’s review—whether the Historic Commission had a reasonable factual basis for finding the building historically significant and "preferably preserved"—and whether a remand would allow the applicant to present evidence under the bylaw’s relief criteria. Several members said a remand made sense if the owner would engage in good-faith negotiations; others emphasized the Commission needs concrete marketing evidence or a six-month showing under one of the relief pathways before lifting the delay.

By consensus the parties accepted the idea of remanding the case to the Historical Commission. The Selectboard then moved to continue the hearing and set the next date for June 16 at 6:00 p.m. The continuance was seconded and the motion carried.

What happens next

The Historic Commission will schedule a meeting to hear additional materials and presentations from the applicant. If the Commission remains unconvinced, the appeal can be reasserted before the Selectboard according to the town’s appeal procedures. The Selectboard’s action preserves the procedural record while giving both sides a chance to seek a resolution at the commission level.