In 1986 Salem was on the cutting edge when city leaders implemented a six-month demolition delay ordinance. This means that when applying for a demolition permit for a building older than 50 years and owner has to wait six-months before they can demolish the building. Or they can apply for a waiver of this delay period through the Salem Historical Commission who can determine (after weighing all the factors) if the building can be torn down sooner.
Theoretically this six-month time period can be used to examine preservation options for a historic building, or to develop actions that mitigate the loss of a historic building. However, in today’s construction world six-months of waiting is not a sufficient incentive for an owner to work with the Salem Historical Commission on alternatives. Six months is about the same amount of time it takes to get all the other necessary approvals and so an owner can request a waiver of demolition delay and while they wait out the time clock they can visit the other boards in the city (Planning, Zoning etc.) and proceed as planned.
As Salem’s desirability continues to rise, we anticipate an increase in “tear-down” real estate, which we are already seeing in the Willows, North Salem, and other Salem neighborhoods.
Salem needs to increase the Demo Delay time period to 12 months (or even 18) and apply the requirement to partial demolition.
- This will encourage preservation rather than replacement.
- This will protect small “starter” homes and neighborhoods and maintain housing diversity in the city.
- This will protect land values from increasing faster than home values and creating a “tear-down” real-estate market.
- This will keep old-growth and hand-crafted materials out of landfills. In addition, preservation jobs hire local craftspeople, keeping money in the community. Replacement pays someone far away to ship newly-manufactured materials here.
- This will maintain the scale, massing and style of neighborhoods that have been functioning for centuries.
- This will put us on equal footing with nearby communities, including Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Ispwich and Newburyport, which have a 12-month demo-delay time period.
Strengthening the Demolition Delay Ordinance will bring clarity
Changes to the demolition delay ordinance will benefit everyone.
- This will help applicants know what to expect when applying for a demolition permit.
- This will define what qualifies as a demolition and what buildings are important to preserve.
- This will guide the Salem Historical Commission in how to use the demolition delay time period to find opportunities to preserve, rehabilitate or reuse the threatened building.
- This will encourage applicants to work with the Salem Historical Commission to achieve a mutually beneficial development plan that respects the historic context while allowing a project to move forward.
