Basis for excluding 90 to 96 Middle St from the Waterfront 40R District

[schae...@gmail.com]

What is the basis for excluding 90 to 96 Middle St from the Waterfront 40R District?

Thank you,

 

Steve Schaeffer

 

[Fairhaven 40R Questions and Answers]

Thank you for your question.

90, 92, and 94 Middle Street are not included in the proposed Waterfront Overlay District as they are subject to the regulations of Fairhaven Bylaw Chapter 103 Demolition Delay. As per the bylaw:

“Any building proposed for demolition or significant alteration, in whole or in part, built before 1921 or those built after this date which have otherwise been determined by the Historic Commission to be potentially historically or architecturally significant based on established criteria shall be referred to the Historic Commission for a public hearing to determine if they are "preferably preserved." Any building which the Historic Commission determines to be preferably preserved shall not be demolished within 12 months of such determination in order for the Historic Commission and the Town to seek alternatives to demolition in order to protect the historic character of the community.”

As such, the three properties listed would not be considered suitable candidates for the type of redevelopment allowed and encouraged by the 40R / Smart Growth Overlay District bylaws and are not included in the proposed Waterfront Overlay District.