[MassHistPres] Zoning issue: "construction control" on a historical society building project

[Judy Markland]

Nina,

It would help to have a few more specifics.  Is it that the Historical 
Society is deemed to be a commercial _use _or that it's located in a 
commercial _district_?  It looks to me as though the address is in the 
Village Zoning District.  Is that correct.

Who made this determination and what triggered it?  Issuance of a 
building permit?

The appeals process differs depending on what entity made the determination.

Judy Markland, Whately Historical Comm and former Planning Board member.


On 8/22/2025 4:20 PM, Nina Reyes via MassHistPres wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> The Colrain Historical Society zoning has recently been locally 
> designated as “commercial,” which puts our group under "construction 
> control" (i.e., any changes require a drawing and the stamp of an 
> architect or an engineer). This makes every single tiny thing the 
> organization has to do prohibitively expensive. To install an 
> ADA-compliant washroom, which we’re doing right now, required $9,000 
> for the architect alone. Our coffers simply can’t afford that kind of 
> expense.
>
> I’ve surveyed area historical societies, and none of them are 
> apparently under similar strictures. Has anyone else  encountered this?
>
> If any of you who are local historical societies who would be willing 
> ASAP to support our effort to get out from under "construction 
> control" by simply stating the zoning of your own group in a letter to 
> us, our group would deeply appreciate the support. We anticipate going 
> to the local Zoning Board of Appeals relatively soon. Arriving with a 
> sheaf of two- or three-sentence statements from other historical 
> societies would definitely bolster our argument that our zoning 
> designation is out of line with the norm.
>
> You can email me your statement directly at nireyes29 at gmail.com and 
> I’ll print it, or send a hard copy to Colrain Historical Society, PO 
> Box 45, Colrain, MA 01340. If you have questions, I can be reached at 
> 651/283-9497. (Yep, I’m a transplant, and can’t change my cell number 
> because my kids have known it all their lives.)
>
> Thanks so much.
>
>
> Nina Reyes
> Volunteer for the Colrain Historical Society in Colrain, MA
>
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