The town drew one step closer toward establishing a local historic district in Marion Village.
Meg Steinberg, chairman of the town’s historic commission and advisor to the historic study committee, met with the planning board Monday with plans for the new district. Steinberg said historic officials will share plans with the planning board for further review, as well as the state’s historic commission. Once the study committee receives feedback and makes any suggested alterations, a bylaw would be proposed to voters at next year’s town meeting.
Last year, the study committee formed and completed a survey in which 90 percent of respondents favored having a historic district. The study committee did further outreach over a year ago and Steinberg said that many residents prefer a district that is less restrictive than other types. Steinberg told Planning Board members that homeowners within the district can renovate homes and can even demolish some properties, as long as the rebuild matches the neighborhood within the village. Steinberg said most renovation and remodeling projects would not need any local approval as long as the visible front exterior still maintains the same historic facade. For instance, new windows or a new roof would not need local review, Steinberg noted.
Steinberg said homeowners can even make significant alterations to the backside of a home as long as it is not visible from a public way. “Everything will be a balance between looks, appearance, and cost,” Steinberg told the Planning Board on Monday. “We want you to review the report and get your support at the town meeting.”
Steinberg said there are 100 towns with local historic districts in the state and around 200 overall. “We jumped on the bandwagon finally,” she said.
In other planning board business, the board met with developers for two separate housing applications: one on Wareham Road and another on Wareham Street.
The board, looking for more information, delayed one site plan review hearing for FSJ Marion’s proposal for a multi-lot development on Wareham Street until November.
The board opened its hearing for an affordable housing village, proposed by Mark Zuker. Board members said issues such as sewer and water to the development proposed at 78 Wareham Road must still be vetted locally before moving forward. According to Zuker’s presentation earlier this year, the development would encompass 30 acres and feature 36 detached dwellings and 12 townhouses.
Marion Planning Board
By Jeffrey D. Wagner