Developers ask Avon commission to remove landmark designation for 32135 Detroit Road

Steven Geisler, representing Petros Development Group, asked the Avon Landmarks Preservation Commission on April 8 to remove the Landmark Designation for the Colvin Sweet property at 32135 Detroit Road so his company can pursue demolition and build a new residential community.

"We were proposing the removal of the Landmark Designation on the property shown on screen, with plans to develop a new housing community similar to what was being developed on Nagel Road," Geisler said, describing plans to align new home sizes and exterior finishes with local zoning standards and to salvage architectural elements when possible.

The request prompted immediate pushback from Vice-Chair Ralph White, who said he personally knew the family that had lived in the house and did not think the structure was beyond saving. "I didn't think the house was in that bad of condition," White said, citing regional examples where developers preserved historic houses and incorporated them into new subdivisions.

Petros Development representatives Luke Petros and Geisler countered that the house shows long-standing water intrusion, visible mold and bowing basement beams. "The mold had gotten really bad," Petros said, describing visible mold on exterior drywall and telling commissioners the structure appeared to need work "down to the studs," which they said could make preservation economically unfeasible given infrastructure and site layout costs.

Commission members pressed for more documentation rather than making a final decision. David Morahan and others asked the developers to provide a plot plan and to arrange a site visit; Geisler said they would provide the plan and welcomed a walkthrough. Morahan also asked whether the developers would obtain a structural engineer’s report; Geisler said they could bring one in to evaluate whether the house is structurally unsound.

Vice-Chair White suggested tabling a final determination until the next meeting while the Commission verifies Sunshine Law requirements for a group site visit. The developers said they had closed on the property in late 2025 and confirmed the house currently has no power or running water.

The Commission did not take a vote on removing the designation at the April 8 meeting. Next steps recorded at the meeting: Petros Development will deliver a plot plan to the Commission and staff will coordinate a walkthrough; commissioners signaled intent to review any structural report and to discuss the item again at the next regular meeting on May 13, 2026.