By Alan Long
We all know that everyone loves the historic look of a small New England town. But preserving that look isn’t automatic – it takes work, and it can’t be left up to individuals. So we have a Historic District Commission to review proposed changes to structures in the center of Town and make sure that we retain that “look and feel.” The HDC does this by minimizing visible modern features wherever possible, by approving the use of traditional building materials, especially on existing historic buildings, and by trying to ensure that residents and visitors know, every time they walk, bike, or drive through the District, that the Town cares about how it looks and has taken steps to preserve that look.
The members of the HDC have many years of experience making decisions about ways to maximize the historic look and feel of the District, based on their professions (architects and builders), their knowledge of precedents in other New England towns, and their love for Bedford.
The bylaw amendment before Special Town Meeting next week removes the HDC from its role in preserving the historic look and feel that we all value, at least on the issue of solar panels (and what would be next?). Yes, there are guidelines in the proposed bylaw that would have to be followed for any proposed installation, but there are also criteria that the HDC would consider that would be ignored under the proposed amendment, for example:
- How historically significant is the building for which the installation is proposed?
- How visible will the proposed panels be (i.e. on which roof surfaces will they be installed?)?
- What percentage of the roof surface would be paneled?
- Have alternative technologies been considered?
We don’t expect that if this bylaw amendment passes, every roof surface in the Historic District will be paved with solar panels, but we know that there will be some installations that don’t take into consideration the important criteria that aren’t mentioned in the amendment. The question to answer in voting for or against the amendment isn’t “do I support the use of alternative sources of energy,” but rather “what do I want the center of Bedford to look like”? We do need the HDC to be allowed to keep doing its job, and for that important reason, I urge you not to approve the proposed amendment.
Loading ...
