Kendal Common study committee outlines local historic district proposal at neighborhood forum

WESTON -- April 24, 2024, Weston committee pitches mid-century modern historic district to Kendal Common residents. The Kendal Common Local Historic District Study Committee, formed by the Board of Selectmen in 2022, held its first neighborhood-facing meeting Wednesday to explain how a proposed local historic district would regulate exterior changes while leaving interiors, repairs and landscaping untouched. Co-chair Kathy Spadden noted Kendal Common's homes, built after 1945, have no demolition-delay protection under current town bylaw. Co-chair Alicia Primer said a district commission would issue certificates of appropriateness, non-applicability or hardship, with hearings scheduled within 14 days. Architect and committee member David Fixler called the approach "a more enlightened, enhancing form of preservation," not "strict constructionist." Residents pressed whether designation would shield the neighborhood from the state's Chapter 3A MBTA Communities zoning requirement, which Primer said remains untested; she will write the State Historic Preservation Office for guidance.