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Historic commission invites consultant to advise on demolition‑delay bylaw and preservation plan
Summary
Barrett Planning Group presented options for a preservation plan and demo‑delay bylaw. The consultant said demo delays are a pause (30 days to two years) that do not permanently prevent demolition and recommended a survey and community engagement before drafting a bylaw.
At a joint meeting with the Historic District Commission, the Planning Board invited consultant Jen Daugherty of Barrett Planning Group to present options for protecting historic resources, including a townwide demolition‑delay bylaw and a broader preservation plan.
Daugherty explained that a preservation plan starts with survey work and community engagement to define what residents value and then recommends tools (demo delay, local historic districts, zoning, outreach). On demolition delay, she said the bylaw is a general town bylaw (no special enabling statute) and that communities choose thresholds and delay lengths: "Delays vary widely across the state. They go from 30 days all the way up to 2 years." She added that the Massachusetts Historical Commission commonly recommends a 50‑year cutoff as an initial threshold. Board members discussed exemptions for health and safety, the use of assessor data as a neutral baseline for building dates, and the practical benefits of pilot survey work. The commission noted current survey phases (School Street first; a second phase underway) and that a consultant survey of roughly 100 properties costs about $20,000.
The board agreed to refine a scope of work, pursue funding options (CPC and state matches were discussed), and to avoid rushing a bylaw without public education. Staff and the historic commission will prepare a draft process and consider a community engagement schedule and funding plan ahead of any formal bylaw submission.
