Once the historical report was complete, we had to go before the Historic Landmarks Commission and get the HSSR approved.  Getting it approved meant that the HLC agreed that there was no significant historical value to the house (other than the wall out front) and we were clear to tear it down.

Now, here is where it gets messy.  The HLC initially approved the report but couldn’t give final approval because the historians needed to do a slight update to the report.  In the meantime, we submitted our proposed plans to the Single Family Design Board (the planning board tasked with insuring neighborhood compatibility).

We ran into resistance from one member in particular of this board who seemed to work behind the scenes with members of the other board to undermine our project.  What followed was another 18 months and 6 or 7 more meetings before one or the other board.  Ultimately, the good sense of others board members prevailed and we got approval from both boards.

Permitting, while not particularly inefficient or problematic, took another 12 months.

The entire process, from the start of the historians work to having the permit in hand, took almost three years.