Government

‘The Town’s Heritage Is Being Eroded’: Objection Filed in Planned Demolition of 1829-Built Forest Street Home

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A town resident and historic preservationist has filed a formal objection to the razing of a multi-family house on Forest Street that once was cited for blight. The red-painted, 2,500-square-foot house at 74 Forest St.—the fifth residence on the west side of the street, running north out of downtown New Canaan—dates to 1829, tax records show. The property in July was purchased for $603,750 by a limited liability company whose principals are James and Gregory Demirjian of New Canaan, according to records on file with the Connecticut Secretary of the State. It was transferred the following month to a different LLC controlled by the same two individuals. It isn’t clear what is planned for the lot—no building permit application has yet come into the town.

Government

New Canaanites Eye Expansion of State Law That Allows for ‘Demolition Delay’ of 180 Days

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New Canaan preservationists are watching the progress of an addendum to a state law that alllows Connecticut towns to delay by 180 days—as opposed to just 90—the razing of a structure, following a demolition application filed with local building officials. Senate Bill 330—an updated version of which arrived on the governor’s desk Monday and was endorsed 4-0 by New Canaan’s delegation to the state legislature—would take effect Oct. 1. The local ordinance that New Canaan developed exactly 10 years ago, outlined in section 12a of the Town Code, allows for a 90-day delay on a proposed demolition in cases where a formal letter of objection is filed with the Town Building Official and a committee then finds that the structure in question has “architectural, historical, or cultural importance.” Under the update to the state law, a homeowner during the delay would not be able to perform asbestos abatement, an important change. The new text reads, in part: “If a waiting period is imposed by a town … the person seeking the permit shall take no action toward demolition of the building, structure or part thereof, including, but not limited to, site remediation and asbestos abatement, during the waiting period.