The Londonderry Heritage Commission held a public hearing on Friday night, Oct. 25, regarding an application for Certificate of Approval for the removal of the historic barn located at 2 Litchfield Road.
The property was put in the historic district a number of years ago and the current owner, Richard Flier, is requesting to demolish the barn, citing safety concerns, despite previously stating he has restored millions of square feet of historic properties in the past.
Laura Gandia, an attorney representing the owner and applicant CC Properties LLC, went before the Commission in July and was denied the removal without prejudice because the Heritage Commission wanted a structural engineer report, which they received.
“The property is unique in nature as it is the only privately owned property in the historic district and it is encumbered with two zoning districts, that a CIII and the historic overlay district and a 2006 historic preservation easement deed,” Gandia said during the meeting.
Gandia explained that one of the parts of the criteria for removal is public safety concerns.
“You do have your public building inspector who has determined that there are public safety needs that require the removal of the building,” she said.
The second criteria is structural instability based on a report by a registered architect or engineer.
Gandia added that the conclusion they came to is that “the barn is in extreme distress and is structurally unstable, that is what the zoning calls for that is what the report provides.”
Gandia said she also asked if there is anything they could do, to make it sustainable, despite it not being in the Heritage Commission’s purview, in terms of what they could determine.
“Because of these issues any attempt at remedial work would be unsafe for those involved due to existing deterioration and structural instability and is not recommended,” Gandia said the report stated.
Deb Paul, the previous owner of the property, said when she owned the building, she was told if they were to replace the barn or house, they would need to replace it with the same historical look, and asked if that would be the case if they granted approval.
David Ellis, a historian who lives in the town, argued that the property was taken care of previously and has been neglected by the current owner.
“I draw your attention to two pictures. The first was a photo of the barn as it was in 2006 when the previous owner acquired the property,” Ellis said during his prepared remarks at the meeting. “The second was the barn as it was in October 2017, two months after the present owner purchased it (note Google’s date stamp upper left). The substantial amount of care and repair by the previous owner is unambiguously apparent. The present deplorable condition is entirely the result of the applicant’s negligence. He now seeks to be rewarded for that negligence by being allowed to demolish this almost two-hundred-year-old English barn in order to increase the value of his investment.”
Heritage Commission member, Jim Butler, said there has always been an issue with the property, during his tenure in town, and said “globally” he is concerned if the property stays zoned as CIII and they take the barn down, something could be added there that would create more traffic at the intersection.
“I don’t think that intersection globally can handle that type of CIII there,” Butler said.
The Heritage Commission and advisory board ultimately approved the certificate of approval for the removal of the barn.