Citizen Petition At Town Meeting Would Raise The Threshold Required To Demolish Historic Structures

Local preservation artisan and carpenter Hollis Webb wants to make it harder to demolish historic structures on Nantucket. The Finance Committee, however, recommended town meeting take no action on his proposal.

Webb is sponsoring a Town Meeting warrant article that would raise the threshold required for the Historic District Commission (HDC) to approve the demolition of any building constructed at least 50 years ago. As it stands, the HDC can approve demolitions with a simple majority vote. Webb wants to change that to a supermajority. In practice, that means that instead of needing a 3-2 vote to allow a demolition, the HDC would need a 4-1 vote.

“Our tourism, everything, is dependent on our historic districts, so protecting those by requiring broader consensus makes sense to me,” Webb said. “I can't find a reason why it wouldn't bolster and strengthen the HDC.”

Webb’s article comes in the wake of a controversial decision to demolish the historic Nantucket Electric Company building on New Whale Street. The HDC voted 3-2 to allow the demolition. If Webb’s proposal had been in place, that vote would have failed, and the demolition would not have been permitted.

Webb clarified that the demolition of the electric company building was not the impetus for his article, but it is the most notable recent example of a decision that the change would have prevented. It is rare for the HDC to vote so narrowly on anything, and other recent demolitions of historic structures that have grabbed headlines either initially claimed to be renovations or dodged the HDC entirely.

The limited applicability of Webb’s article was one concern the Finance Committee raised. Another was the proposal’s origin. Webb does not serve on the HDC, and it is unusual for Town Meeting to modify the voting procedures of a town board if that board did not suggest the change.

“To me, it seems a little bit strange to change a commission's voting from outside rather than having it come from inside the commission,” Finance Committee member Joe Wright said.

Webb’s proposal would also have to contend with the practical reality of enforcement on Nantucket. When homeowners decide they want to demolish a historic structure and don’t believe the HDC will let them, they can opt to intentionally allow the building to deteriorate until it is a public safety risk and has to be torn down. It is often difficult to prevent this, as town personnel are stretched thin and usually only respond to cases of this nature on a complaint basis. Webb’s article wouldn’t close this loophole.

But what Webb’s article would do is force the HDC to reach a near-unanimous consensus before allowing any demolition request that does come before them.

“I support Hollis's article, as does the Nantucket Preservation Trust,” outgoing Nantucket Preservation Trust executive director Mary Bergman said. “I was very excited to see the initiative he had taken…there needs to be more time spent on the discussion of a demolition.”

Without a positive motion from the Finance Committee, and with the Select Board remaining silent on the issue, Webb will have to draft a positive motion of his own if he wants the article to pass at Town Meeting.