The Historical Society of Easton has worked diligently to craft a demolition delay ordinance that will help the town of Easton record and document some of our historically significant and sensitive structures. This 90-day delay in issuing a demolition permit is meant to give the town’s proposed Historic Review Committee an opportunity to offer property owners alternatives to demolition and then negotiate an amicable solution prior to the issuance of a permit to demolish. This ordinance in no way prevents owners from exercising their rights to do with their property as they see fit so long as their plans meet existing building regulations. Currently, 59 other Connecticut towns and cities have such a delay on their books, making Easton one of only a handful of Fairfield County towns that offers no protection to our historic properties. Enacting this ordinance will benefit all of us. This ordinance is currently on the agenda for adoption at the Annual Town Meeting on April 25, 2022, at 7:00 PM at the cafetorium of the Staples Elementary School on Morehouse Road. We urge all Easton residents to come out and support this initiative.
Below is the text of the proposed Demolition Delay Ordinance:
The proposed Demolition Delay Ordinance will only apply to structures on the list below. The Index to Historic Homes in Easton consists of structures that were first identified and entered in Easton’s Historic Resources Inventory and filed with the Connecticut Historical Commission in 1998. It has been recently updated to include structures that currently meet the qualifications of age (minimum of 50 years old) and historical significance to the town. In addition, several structures that have been demolished since 1998 have been removed.