MALDEN — A proposed new municipal ordinance would “put some teeth” into empowering the Malden Historical Commission to be able to delay the razing of a particular building, structure or other site of historical significance for up to 12 months.
The ordinance appears to have a lot of support in the community.
There has been no specific, set policy on how city officials, or the Malden Historical Commission, deals with challenges or protests when buildings or sites deemed to have historical value have fallen to the wrecking ball or bulldozer.
Several City Councilors and City Planner Michelle Romero have been working on an ordinance proposal for a number of months and Councilor-at-Large Craig Spadafora spearheaded the push for a concrete policy back in the spring of 2017.
New Council President Debbie DeMaria and Ward 4 Councilor Ryan O’Malley have also been active in having the city pursue such a policy. The Demolition Delay Ordinance could be taken up for further discussion at the Council’s first meeting of the new year Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the John and Christina Markey Senior Center, at 7 Washington St., Malden.
“We are considering the best parts of all that have been discussed so far,” DeMaria said. “A lot of the protections come from what already is in place at the state level.”
DeMaria said many cities and towns have already followed the same path and now have demolition delay ordinances in place, which are similar to the Massachusetts Historical Commission regulations.
Essentially, any buildings planned for demolition listed on the National Register of Historical Places, located in areas near those places, or any local buildings that may be eligible for that designation, are subject to automatic review by the Malden Historical Commission.
The Malden commission would then decide if the building should be preserved. The process would include an application by the owner of the building in question, a public hearing on the application and a final review by commission members.
What is new in the ordinance is that the Malden Historical Commission would be empowered, if it determined the building or site should be preserved, to order a 12-month delay on any demolition or razing permits to allow the owner and permit seeker to pursue other options, with the assistance of city officials.
There would also be a one-year delay on any other permits for construction at the site and changes to the existing structure there.
The Malden Historical Commission would also be allowed, under the proposed ordinance, to recommend that the building or site be preserved under the Commonwealth of Mass. Historic District Act, which allows communities to establish a historic district to protect a building or site from demolition.
“There is a lot to be worked out, but this is something we want to see for the community so that everyone has a voice when it comes to preserving historic buildings and our heritage,” DeMaria said.
