South Windsor Town Council Passes Demoliton Delay Ordinance

The South Windsor Town Council did more than just discuss tobacco product bans and tax abatements for hotels on Monday,

Indeed, the council also took action on two notable items.

First, the town council unanimously approved amending the existing demolition ordinance to delay the complete demolition of structures that are at least 75 years old and are deemed “historically significant.”

A structure is historically significant if it meets one of six criteria, such as the building is located in South Windsor’s local Historic District or has been designated as an Historic Property and comes under the review of the Historic District Commission or the building or structure is listed on the State or National Register of Historic Places.

If a structure or building falls under the ordinance and is up for demolition, notice to the public must be provided to neighbors and residents via mailings and signs.

Within a certain period of time, the demolition of such a building or structure may be delayed by the Demolition Delay Committee appointed by the Town Council or a town resident. The delay may be used to explore alternatives to demolition, such as adaptive reuse of a building or even relocation.

If no resolution can be found, the building may then be demolished.

Town Councilor Kevin McCann said that the legislation was the result of compromise by all parties.

“This amendment is much better than when it was first brought to us,” McCann said.

Virginia Macro, the chair of the South Windsor Historic District Commission, said that she was pleased with the ordinance in its new form.

“It’s just preservation,” Macro said. “People may not know that what they are demolishing is historically significant.”

In other business, the Town Council passed a resolution appointing the South Windsor Public Building Commission to develop conceptual plans for expanding the Charles Enes Community Center by up to 10,000 square feet at a cost of no more than $1.5 million.

In addition, McCann added an amendment that the commission look into alternative space within South Windsor to meet the community center’s needs.

While the measure passed unanimously, Town Councilor Dr. Saud Anwar said that he spoke to a resident who was disappointed in how the community center’s needs were being addressed.

Specifically, earlier this month the Town Council voted against including a sixth referendum question that, if passed, would have allocated up to $1.5 million for the expansion of the community center.

Anwar, who supported the referendum question, said that the measure brought before the Town Council on Monday amounted to nothing more than an attempt to placate those who were in favor of the sixth referendum question.

It was a comment that drew a response from Mayor Tom Delnicki, who voted against the referendum question because, he said, that the project had not been properly vetted.

“No one was looking to stick it to anyone,” Delnicki said pointedly. “We’re looking to do this right. I’m not going to re-debate this.”

Town Councilor Cary Prague said that Delnicki did the town a favor by taking a more measured approach, as a proposed expansion of the senior center portion of the community center “failed miserably” at a referendum two years ago.

“I predict it would have failed miserably again,” Prague said. “People want to know what they are getting.”