Unable to agree on whether a 125-year-old house at the edge of the Edgartown Historic District qualifies as a historic property, the Martha’s Vineyard Commission on Thursday voted narrowly to review a building demolition proposal at 2 Beach street as a development of regional impact (DRI).
The history of Seven Gates Farm goes back to 1887, and for generations a parade of farmers, shareholders and conservationists have done just about all they could to keep the land and buildings of this enclave looking, working and feeling largely unchanged.
A small cottage perilously close to the edge at Stonewall Beach in Chilmark has been demolished to prevent it from falling over the cliff, town building inspector Leonard Jason Jr. said Tuesday.
The demolition of the structure, which contains a bedroom, began Monday, Mr. Jason said. By Tuesday afternoon the demolition on Greenhouse Lane was complete. The debris was trucked off to the Edgartown landfill.
Demolition of the old public works building, a new beer and wine license for Cafe Moxie and three signatures on a new cable contract for the town were all in a day’s work for the Tisbury selectmen at their meeting Tuesday.
At the request of town building inspector Ken Barwick, selectmen voted to approve the demolition of the old DPW building on Spring street “at the earliest reasonable time.”
East Chop residents mourned the end of an era this week, reacting to news that an old Victorian in the heart of Oak Bluffs' Highlands district may fall to a wrecking ball in the coming months.
Army Barracks Building Is Demolished with No Permits and No Review;
Building Inspector Under Fire
By JAMES KINSELLA
The contractor who tore down the old Army Barracks building on
Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs did the work with no building or demolition
permits, and town building inspector Richard Mavro failed to issue a
stop-work order on the project, even though demolition work had been
under way for several weeks.
The demolition of the building was completed last week.
The demolition and reconstruction of the old Army Barracks building
on Circuit avenue in Oak Bluffs was never referred to the Martha's
Vineyard Commission as a development of regional impact (DRI), even
though it met the standard for referral and review by the commission.
In a letter dated Feb. 22, commission DRI coordinator Paul H. Foley
said the structure should have been referred to the MVC under two
sections of its DRI checklist that pertain to historic buildings.
