Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Select Board adopts local historic-district zoning section to pursue downtown designation
Summary
Fair Haven's Select Board voted to add a local historic-district section to the zoning bylaws, citing potential partial relief from Act 250 and eligibility for multiple grants to support historic engineering and facade improvements.
The Fair Haven Select Board voted to add a local historic-district section to the town zoning bylaws after a presentation laying out benefits tied to a downtown designation. The presenter said the designation could provide partial relief from Act 250 review and would make property owners eligible for several grant programs aimed at engineering and facade work.
The presenter described the intent as codifying current downtown practices to preserve the look and scale of the business district while allowing reasonable accommodations. Board members asked about the district boundary and whether residences in nearby blocks would be included; the presenter said the mapped district runs up to St. Mary's and down to the river, and an appendix lists properties that would qualify for assistance.
"The biggest benefit is some relief from Act 250," the presenter said, adding that the regulations were reviewed by historic-preservation staff from the region and the historical society. A motion to set the local historic-district section in the zoning bylaws was moved, seconded and carried.
