Milton council to hold public hearing on historic district changes

Milton Town Council will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 4, at Milton Public Library to discuss an ordinance that would allow for some administrative approvals of proposed changes to residential homes in the town’s historic district.

Currently, any changes to homes in the historic district, big or small, must be approved by the Milton Historic Preservation Commission. The town has 196 homes in its historic district, which in general, encompasses the area between Broad Street and Chestnut Street. Historic homes come with certain tax advantages – homeowners are able to get credits for renovations to such homes – but the homes must remain in the same location on the lot. Milton’s historic district is recognized as such by the U.S. Department of the Interior. 

The town’s regulations on the historic district currently call for mandatory review of any renovation to a historic structure with costs estimated at more than $3,000. The regulations do allow for certain types of ordinary repairs or maintenance without commission review.

Under the new ordinance, first reviewed by the historic preservation commission in July and then by the Milton Planning and Zoning Commission in August, the threshold requiring review would be raised from $3,000 to $15,000. Any project estimated to cost under $15,000 could be approved by the town’s project coordinator, who reviews building applications.

Ordinary repairs and maintenance that do not change the overall appearance of a historic home would also be able to go through without commission approval. Included are repairs of existing windows or doors, shingles or shutters, existing roof material, and roof structures like dormers or chimneys.