City officials have tried to curb the demolition of historic homes by imposing delays on knockdowns — partly to preserve some of Newton’s stately Victorian and Italianate homes, partly to stave off the rise of new homes filling out local neighborhoods.
But officials are cutting developers and property owners some slack under the delay rule by waiving it on projects that leave historic homes standing. They’re encouraging builders to upgrade the homes, and add on new garages, kitchens, bedrooms, and living space
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Indeed “officials “ are cutting developers and homeowners some slack under the delay rule by waiving it “,….
As a former 24 year member of Newton Historical Commission , that’s always been the practice,.. and it’s really the only leverage we have in the protection of “ preferably preserved” properties.
This is not new news.
The only possible real disincentive to tear downs would be the tightening of our very generous zoning regulations.
The setback dimensions are too small allowing new construction to encroach on neighbors, and the Floor Area Ratios ( FAR ) , are too large allowing too large a structure to replace the historic original.
It’s simple,.. If you want to disincentivize developers and preserve the historic character of our city, work to change this zoning . If you don’t give a %#<¥ , let Trump ( Korff ) have his way.