WE LOVE SOMERVILLE AND WANT TO PROTECT IT FROM BAD IDEAS.

WE DO NOT HAVE ANY OPPOSITION TO THE CURRENT DEMOLITION REVIEW ORDINANCE. WE OPPOSE THE PROPOSED DEMOLITION REVIEW ORDINANCE FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

WE BELIEVE THAT THE NEW DEFINITION OF DEMOLITION IN THE PROPOSED ORDINANCE CANNOT INCLUDE RENOVATIONS OR MODIFICATIONS TO A STRUCTURE. THAT IS RENOVATION, NOT DEMOLITION.

FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION PURPOSES, WE BELIEVE THAT THE TERM "DEMOLITION" REFERS TO DEMOLITION OF A PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED HISTORIC STRUCTURE, AND CANNOT APPLY TO ALL BUILDINGS OVER 75 YEARS OLD, BECAUSE ALMOST ALL OF SOMERVILLE IS OVER 75 YEARS OLD.

THE NEW TERMS "PARTIAL DEMOLITION" & "SERIAL DEMOLITION" IN THE PROPOSED DEMOLITION REVIEW ORDINANCE ARE DECEPTIVE AND INAPPROPRIATE, SINCE THEY AIM TO CONTROL RENOVATIONS, ADDITIONS AND MODIFICATIONS, AND NOT JUST DEMOLITION. THEY SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE PROPOSAL.

WE BELIEVE THAT THE ONLY CONTROLLER OF NON-HISTORIC BUILDINGS SHOULD BE THE SOMERVILLE ZONING ORDINANCE, AND NOT A HISTORIC OFFICER.

WE BELIEVE THAT HISTORIC BUILDINGS SHOULD BE PRESERVED. WE LOVE OUR HISTORIC SOMERVILLE BUILDINGS. HISTORIC BUILDINGS SHOULD BE PROACTIVELY IDENTIFIED AS HISTORIC BY THE SOMERVILLE HISTORIC COMMISSION. HOWEVER, IF A HOME HAS NOT BEEN IDENTIFIED AS HISTORIC, IT SHOULD NOT BE UNDER ANY HISTORIC COMMISSION CONTROL.

IMPORTANT: Please provide your SOMERVILLE ADDRESS in the COMMENT BOX!