Panel votes to continue Central Square zoning rewrite
The Bridgewater Community and Economic Development Committee discussed extending the town's 60-day demolition delay ordinance to as much as 18 months at its October 8 meeting, hearing a proposal from Crescent Street resident James Walsh.
Other Committee · Meeting of October 8, 2026
BRIDGEWATER — The Bridgewater Community and Economic Development Committee discussed extending the town's 60-day demolition delay ordinance to as much as 18 months at its October 8 meeting, hearing a proposal from Crescent Street resident James Walsh. Walsh said the ordinance, in place since 2017, has never saved a building in nearly 10 years and pointed to National Historic Preservation Tax Credits covering about 40 percent of rehabilitation costs as an underused incentive. Discussion favored a shorter six-month-to-one-year window over Walsh's 18-month proposal, with general support for shifting the historic-significance cutoff from 1925 to 1950.
Pleasant Street resident Janet Hansen called a prior demolition near the town common, which preceded the CVS now on the site, "a shady deal." No vote was taken. The committee also voted to continue a separate Central Square property maintenance zoning amendment pending building inspector input.
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Source: the Other Committee meeting of October 8, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
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