Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Jackson Historical Society presents plan to move and restore flood‑damaged Town Hall building
Summary
Architects Cristina Campa and Nick Aceto presented a two‑phase plan to relocate and restore the Town Hall building that houses the Jackson Historical Society after last year’s flood, proposing a move closer to Main Street, a River Walk connection and later site improvements to expand green space and reconfigure nearby roads.
Cristina Campa, principal of Cristina Campa Landscape Architecture, and Nick Aceto of Aceto Landscape Architecture presented initial drawings to the Town of Jackson Planning Board on Jan. 9 for moving and restoring the Town Hall building that houses the Jackson Historical Society after flood damage last year. The project is planned in two phases: relocation and restoration in Phase 1, followed by site improvements in Phase 2.
The presenters said Phase 1 would place the building closer to Main Street and tie it into the River Walk to improve public access. According to Aceto, the proposed upper‑lot location would not meet the cited FEMA conformity standards and could not be configured to meet ADA requirements, so the team recommends using the upper lot as green space to reduce erosion and stormwater run‑off while keeping the historic building in a more accessible spot.
Board members asked how parking would be handled after the move. The applicants described a combination of on‑street parking and use of nearby local lots to increase available spaces for events at venues such as the Whitney Center. Chair Bill Terry warned that street parking along Black Mountain Road raises safety concerns because of vehicle speeds and sight lines; the project team said they would coordinate road‑safety ideas separately with transportation planners. Cristina Campa suggested the board invite a representative from the North Country Council to discuss road work and parking coordination.
The presenters and board discussed coordinating Phase 2 — which includes green‑space development, parking changes and an intersection reconfiguration at Black Mountain Road and Main Street — with the town’s Master Plan, which the chair said is scheduled for update in 2026. Campa and Aceto said road work is a separate project but requested the board note the change for inclusion in the Master Plan. Board members reiterated that Planning Board involvement in Phase 1 will be limited if the relocation brings the lot into conformity with setback and flood‑plain rules.
The board did not take a vote on the presentation itself; members encouraged further technical review, input from the town engineer and coordination with traffic planners before the project moves to formal application stages.
