Despite the proposal on August 7 to the Marion Planning Board by the Sippican Historical Society for a demolition delay bylaw, the historic saltbox-style Cape at 42 Main Street is still in jeopardy.
Judith Rosbe, treasurer of the Society, began the presentation describing the catalyst behind the evening’s proposed bylaw.
After being notified by one of its board members that the house at 42 Main Street was slated for demolition, the Society held an emergency meeting at which they determined that Marion had no mechanism to respond to the loss of historic homes and structures in town.
“Our mission is to protect historical artifacts and buildings,” Rosbe stated, adding that the Society had performed an inventory of historic buildings in 1998, which is on file at Town Hall.
Society president Frank MacNamee elaborated on the need for the bylaw, saying, “There is no provision to notify anyone – the public, the abutters, no one – if an application for demolition is filed. This is troubling.”
MacNamee was quick to point out that the Society was not proposing a historic district, “…or attempting to control how someone paints their house. We just want to slow things down,” he said, so that there is time to react to a proposed razing of a historic building.
The proposed bylaw is modeled on a bylaw approved in Southborough, and already accepted by the state Attorney General.
The bylaw would affect houses built prior to 1925.
Under the proposed bylaw, a demolition application would be sent to the Marion Historical Commission, of which there are currently three members. The commission would determine within ten days of receipt of the application if the home was on the inventory of historic buildings and notify the building commissioner of their finding. If the building was of historic significance, the application would be sent to the Massachusetts Historical Commission for review.
The bylaw would provide time for the Town to develop a strategy to protect or purchase a historic structure. MacNamee noted that the “Historical Society has a large fund to do these [projects].”
While Society members underscored that their bylaw proposal would only affect future demolition proposals, the fate of 42 Main Street was an integral part of the evening’s discussion.
Planning Board Chairman Eileen Marum said that she had visited the site at 42 Main Street and described the building as being in “deplorable condition.”
Charles Cann, who lived in the home for many years and has restored many historic structures, took great exception to this description. While he conceded that the house was not in great shape, he stated that the historic saltbox portion of the house was in fine shape structurally. Cann added, “That house is an important house for this town. This town is a fine example of a New England working waterfront town … local carpenters and local joiners built this house … if you just leave the façade, you may as well just tear it down.”
MacNamee had noted earlier in the evening that the Society had met with the current owner of the home and had a “productive meeting” at which they came to the agreement that the front façade and entryway would be left intact.
Cann warned the board that many historic homes’ important features are “…erased or cosmetized to the point that they lose all their meaning,” adding that there are not many historic saltbox Capes anywhere in the state.
Planning Board member Christopher Collings suggested the Town define what would be considered a historic house “…and what is just old wood.” Collings continued, “[The Society has] a twenty-year-old document you can show the Town what you define as historical.”
Planning Board member Norman Hills noted that Marion already has a process for designating a home as historical. Marum described being in a historic building as “touching the past.”
“Touching the craftsmen who built the house, the people who passed through the house,” Marum said.
Rosbe asked the Planning Board to provide guidance as to the best way to bring the bylaw proposal to the voters. The Society could collect 100 signatures from residents and place it on the warrant at the Fall Special Town Meeting.
The bylaw could also be sponsored by the Planning Board as part of its broader bylaw codification process, which Hills thought would most likely reach the Annual Town Meeting in the spring.
The board will discuss it further and provide its recommendation to the Society at a later date.
In other business, the board provided feedback during a pre-submission conference for a high-end used car lot for 149 Wareham Road proposed by Dwight and Alisha Crosby. The site on Route 6 has an existing building that Crosby will use as a showroom for up to three cars, and they will park an additional 28 cars in front of the building. The board suggested the applicants will need to develop a traffic flow plan, as well as lighting and landscaping. Hills noted there was a discrepancy in the assessor’s plan versus the plan used by the applicant. Mrs. Crosby noted that they wanted to be considerate of their neighbors and intended to have minimal lighting.
The board also closed the public hearing for the proposed Tabor Academy dormitory off Spring Street. The board placed special conditions on the permit for the project, including signage on internal roadways stating there is no through traffic. Additionally, board member Stephen Kokkins asked that there be additional vegetative screening along the southern border of the property to screen the building from the neighbor. Lastly, the issue of the internal lot lines on the property must be resolved to the building commissioner’s satisfaction.
The next meeting of the Marion Planning Board is scheduled for August 21 at 7:00 pm at the Marion Police Station Community Room.
Marion Planning Board
By Sarah French Storer