Demolition Delay

August Determinations

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The Medford Historical Commission has made the following determinations at their August meeting:

77 Cotting St – NOT preferably preserved.

137 Damon Rd – NOT preferably preserved.

368-374 Main St – Preferably preserved, with a demolition delay of up to 18 months.

Thanks to everyone who came out to voice their concerns about three very interesting properties in Medford. Each of these buildings vividly represents the history of its unique Medford neighborhood – be it the 19th C working-class residential boom of Hillside, the grand suburban plans of Lawrence Estates or the homey and bustling streetscape of South Medford’s Little Italy. When these buildings are gone, their loss will be felt. For those who couldn’t make it, here are some details, via the Transcript.

Historically Significant

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77 Cotting St,
137 Damon Rd and
368-374 Main St

have all been found historically significant. This means that a public meeting will be held on Monday, Aug 20 7 PM in the Community Room at the South Medford Fire Station, at Main and Medford Sts [was City Hall] to determine whether these historically significant buildings are also preferably preserved. After public discussion, if they are determined to be preferably preserved, a demolition delay of 18 months may be imposed. The demo delay can be lifted if the community and owner/developer can create a plan that preserves the historic character of the neighborhood.

July New Business

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The Historical Commission received applications for demolition permits on houses at 137 Damon Road and 77 Cotting Street.

At the August meeting [now scheduled for Tues July 31 7 PM], the commission will determine the historical significance of these houses. If the houses are found historically significant, there will then be a public meeting in September where a demolition delay may be imposed. At this public meeting, neighbors will get the chance to meet with the owner and discuss their concerns about the property.

The Historical Commission also received an application for demolition for the commercial buildings at 368, 370, 372 and 374 Main Street. That building is home to Bocelli’s restaurant, previously DePasquale Bros., and supposedly the first restaurant in the region, outside of Boston’s North End, to serve pizza!  The building now also houses the Backstreet Salon and Jason Anthony Formal Wear.

The process is the same for commercial buildings.

 

Demolition Notice: 58 Logan Avenue

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Notice of Public Hearing

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

On Intent to Demolish a Significant Building
As Determined by the Medford Historical Commission

Notice is hereby given to the Public that a Notice of Intent to Demolish has been submitted to the Medford Historical Commission for the house located at 58 Logan Avenue, Medford, MA.  The Medford Historical Commission has determined that the building meets the criteria of a significant building as defined in Section 48-77 of the Medford City Ordinance.  In accordance with Section 48-78 of the Medford City Ordinance, the Medford Historical Commission is holding a public hearing on May 14, 2018 at 7 p.m. at Room 201, Medford City Hall to determine if the demolition of the house at 58 Logan Avenue would be detrimental to the historical, cultural, or architectural heritage or resources of the City of Medford.

Please click the links below to find the MHC form B for the property along with a brief history of East Medford.

58 Logan Avenue MHC Form B
History of East Medford by John Clemson
Logan Park_MHC Form H

You can also find more information on our Survey Plan page for East Medford by clicking the following link: Survey Plan Page

We did it!

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We have strengthened Medford’s Demo Delay! Thanks to everyone who shared their passionate commitment – to historic preservation, neighborhood character, and community-driven development – with the City Council Tuesday night (4/18).
The Council voted to amend the current bylaw: to extend the Medford Historical Commission’s demo delay to 18 months, and to require review on demo applications for all buildings built more than 75 years ago. Please stay tuned as we clarify the language, take the bylaw before the Committee of the Whole, and make sure the changes go into effect. And please, reach out to the City Council members and let them know you support this change!

Demo Delay is on the Agenda!

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This coming Tuesday, April 18, the Medford Historical Commission will be going before City Council to request they amend the existing demolition delay bylaw, Chapter 48 of the City Ordinances. The resolution, offered by Councilor Breanna Lungo-Koehn, is to move forward with extending the delay from six months to eighteen or twenty four. We need your help and support. The Commission is the official municipal board charged with protecting our community’s history. One way we do that is by reviewing existing buildings which are slated for demolition. The existing bylaw we operate under however, is ineffective so we have been advocating for change. We view this extension as long overdue and entirely necessary to protect the irreplaceable historic assets which are being demolished on a monthly basis. We need you to voice your support for this amendment at the next Council meeting. Please join us in Alden Council Chambers at 7PM at City Hall and spread the word in the mean time. The Council agenda is attached.
If you plan to attend, here is what you should know:
History: Early in 2016, the Historical Commission began reviewing the existing bylaw to propose a series of amendments to make the ordinance a more effective preservation tool. We crafted a draft bylaw whose most important edits include: a change of reviewable buildings from 1900 to fifty years old and the length of time for a demolition delay from six months to twenty-four. In September, we were invited to meet with the Council’s subcommittee on demolition delay. We sent the enclosed letter with the proposed attachments for their review. We also generated the enclosed Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) list which help further clarify our intent.
Necessity: Demolitions are increasing every month. The number of applications has tripled since 2014 and is still increasing. Last year, we had 15 reviewable cases. All of those are summarized in our 2016 annual report, enclosed. Another dozen buildings were not reviewable. This year, we have already had six applications and we expect more to follow. Based on our estimates, Medford has approximately 3,500 buildings built before 1900 out of a total of 18,000 housing units. If current trends continue, swaths of our rarest housing stock could be wiped out and lost. We must not let that happen.
Changes: What this new bylaw will do is provide the Commission with a series of much needed tools which were not available when the bylaw was originally written. We have updated definitions to clarify what is reviewable under the new bylaw. It will include any building over fifty years old, partial and total demolitions. Like before, a building will need to be determined significant and preferably preserved. If a demolition delay is imposed, we provide a clear set of requirements the applicant must fulfil in order for the Commission to review a request to lift the delay early. If the applicant does nothing, they should be prepared to wait out the full delay.
Outcome: We believe this is an opportunity to push for better projects. We are not anti-development. In most cases, we support carefully crafted projects that match the built landscape. Dozens of rehabilitation projects happen every year and they demonstrate that Medford, and its historic homes, businesses and former industrial blocks are worth saving and re-use. Our goal is to ensure that every building is given equal consideration and review over the very final act of demolition and removal. Once a building is gone, so too is any record or tangible connection with the past.
I ask that you come and support this change for a better Medford. If you have any questions regarding this proposal, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I will have access to my email all weekend and will make it a priority to respond to any questions.
Thank you and see you Tuesday.