by David Dahlbacka in All Ages, Beat Reporter, Davis Square, Development and Zoning, Events, Historical, Housing
Posted on July 4, 2010 at 6:37 pm
Last Modified on July 4, 2010 at 6:39 pm
| July 6, 2010 | ||
| 7:30 pm | to | 9:00 pm |
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Somerville Historic Preservation Commission Public Hearing
Tues. July 6 7:30 PM
Somerville City Hall
3rd Fl. Conf. Rm.
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)
This is the legally-required public hearing and vote on the proposed Morrison Avenue Historic District between College Avenue and Willow Avenue (map). Requests for accommodations for persons with disabilities should be made by Friday, July 2.
This meeting is important because historic districts on the one hand preserve historic properties for later generations, and on the other hand can prove expensive and inconvenient for property owners in the district.
For more information, see:
- Historic Preservation
- Historic Preservation Commission
- 6/24/10 Planning Board Meeting – Beat Report (last issue discussed)
- 5/6/10 Planning Board Meeting – Beat Report (last issue discussed)
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Historic District designation does not have to be expensive for the homeowner. There is a lot of misinformation out there about what designation means. The Ordinance does not require that a homeowner bring a building back to its original state or make expensive changes. The ordinance is intended to preserve the historic fabric of the City and prevent inappropriate alterations. Studies across the US have found that property values in historic districts tend to be more stable and vary less with fluctuations in the economy.
The proposed Morrison Avenue LHD has come about as a direct result of the new Bed & Breakfast Ordinance, which allows owners of listed buildings to have more than 3 rooms for rent. This Ordinance gives a financial incentive to homeowners to preserve and maintain the truly wonderful architecture of the City. Two houses in this stretch of Morrison are already designated as local historic districts. A third house, whose owners currently run a B&B, is proposed to expand the existing grouping. These owners have requested designation.
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One issue I have heard discussed is the fact that Somerville doesn’t currently have geographically concentrated districts as seen in, for instance, downtown Portland. Houses are designated part of a historic district by year of construction, which means that a scattering of houses get picked at any one time. It might make more sense to create geographical regions instead.
The Somerville Historic District List shows many houses on the same streets. There are 3 houses on Adams St., 8 on Aldersey St., 13 on Atherton St., 13 on Bow St., etc.
Is there a map showing all the current and proposed historical properties? Such a map might immediately suggest appropriate bounds for historic districts.
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7/6/10 Somerville Historic Preservation Commission Public Hearing – Beat Report
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