The 'historic' debate continues

It's Thursday, and as usual, I went down to Gloucester to visit me mum.

My mother lives in a Victorian-era house, and my youngest sister is about to move into one, at the end of next month.

My sister was most dismayed by the 'changes' that were made to the house they are buying in Malden, but let's face it, had it been an 'unrestored Victorian,' they would not have been able to afford it.

They plan on doing a lot of tearing out of 1970s-era paneling, bizarre kitchen modifications, and hope to be able to restore exterior trim that was removed.

She had hoped to be able to live in a historic house and now she's about to get her wish come true.

So it was with particular interest that I read this story (and, of course, accompanying comments) in today's Daily News.

In a nutshell, people bought house described below, agreed to conditions of a special permit, then gutted the house to the frame.

The special permit was granted for a so-called 6C development to build two residential structures on one lot. As part of the permit granted by the Planning Board, officials called for the preservation of certain aspects of the existing home, a 2,064-square-foot Greek revival built in 1900 ...

Granting the special permit took several months, [Planning Director Nancy] Colbert said, and included participation from several boards, including the Historical Commission. The owner of the home or representatives were involved in each step along the way, Colbert and [Planning Board Chairman Daniel] Bowie said.

If these people did not want to maintain a historic home, why did they buy one? Could it be because they also get to build a second home on the same lot?

Why did the Planning Office spend considerable time coming up with a special permit, especially one that allows 2 homes on one lot? Aren't we all about open space around here?

Why are there no fines associated with this "flagrant" disregard for the special permit?

So ... months of time and no fine? What a waste of taxpayers' money. Save your outrage, Planning Board and Historical Commission, for your own decisions.