Several residents spoke out for and against the demolition at the meeting, which the property developer did not attend.
From the outside, the house located at 11 Jackson Road doesn’t look like much. Trees shield the structure from being visible from most angles on the street, and if you get close enough, you’ll see the front door is boarded up.
Still, the prospect of demolishing the more than 150-year-old building was enough to get Berlin residents talking.
The Borough of Berlin Historic Preservation Commission held a meeting Thursday, April 19 to discuss the future of the historic building.
Schaeffer Land LLC applied to demolish and remove the existing structure located at block 1400 in lot 14, citing structural concerns with the old building. They would then subdivide the plot of land into three, and build three new homes.
Originally, the representative from Schaeffer was planning to attend to hear residents voice their opinions. However, the day of the meeting, Borough Solicitor Howard Long received a letter stating the developer would not be able to attend, requesting to adjourn the night’s meeting.
This postponed any official decision-making until the next meeting, which will take place on May 4.
Despite this setback, the historic commission still gave residents the floor to speak about the potential demolition.
“I could give a list of 100 bullet points as to why this particular property should be saved,” Berlin resident Jeff Greenberg said. Acknowledging the structural concerns with the building, Greenberg requested that if new buildings were to be constructed, their architectural style would match the surrounding neighborhood.
“My fear is that developers will essentially destroy a piece of our history and put up some cookie cutter home,” he said.
Resident Michelle Iacovoni, who lives next to the property at 7 Washington Ave., voiced concerns about subdividing the property.
“My property is greatly affected by Mr. Schaeffer’s design, as I will now have three properties backing up to and adjoining my yard, as opposed to the one,” she said.
She said she believes the lot is not large enough to accommodate three homes, and said it will add to the traffic jams already at the corner of Washington and Jackson.
Resident Travis MacAllister, who also lives near the property, spoke in favor of the demolition.
“The [street] corner is terrible,” said MacAllister, citing a lack of sidewalk around the area. “I’m excited my kids and my dogs will have concrete to walk on.”
He also mentioned the house has been vacant for many years.
MacAllister said his family does the concrete work for Schaeffer.
After hearing public comment, board members said they will take the public’s opinions into consideration as they move forward with the project.
