HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetter of Support- BearseBarnstable Old King's Highway Historic District Committee
Town of Barnstable
Barnstable Town Hall
Planning, 3rd Floor
367 Main Street
Hyannis, MA 02601
(via email - please confirm that this has been received. Thank you.)
September 23, 2023
To the Barnstable Old King's Highway Historic District Committee:
This letter is in support of the Munsell application for
demolition/deconstruction and reuse of materials for the property located at
3075 Main Street, Barnstable Village. I am a former member of this
Committee and served in various capacities over nearly 20 years including
as Chair and Clerk. I served as Clerk when the original application for a
Certificate of Appropriateness came before the Committee. It was clear
from the application and the discussion that the Munsells intended to
incorporate not only design features of the original carriage house but also
reuse as much of the materials as possible. I was not surprised when the
building was deconstructed in the winter; and I did not feel that the
applicant had violated the conditions of the Certificate of Appropriateness or
misled the Committee in any way. It appears in hindsight, that a Demolition
Certificate may have been prudent and toward that end, I hope the
Committee agrees to approve this application by issuing a Demolition Permit
(retroactively) which would allow the Munsells to proceed with their
construction of a building design that was unanimously deemed appropriate
and approved by the Committee at the time of the original application and
subsequently when the permit was renewed.
I might also add, that it seems a bit disingenuous to call the Munsells out
about the lack of a Demolition Permit so many months after the fact, and
after construction had begun in earnest. If this issue was so serious and
detrimental to our community, I would think a more timely objection would
have been raised and addressed by the Building Department. Over all my
years on OKH, the most difficult thing to deal with was the animosity and
negativity of an applicant's neighbors, along with a general
misunderstanding of the process and purview of the Committee. This is
especially disheartening in this instance because of the genuine care and
measures the Munsells have gone to to inform their neighbors about their
intentions. The Munsells and many of their respective neighbors have
worked side by side on a number of community projects to enhance
Barnstable Village. Indeed, Dave Munsell was also a conscientious and
valued member of the Barnstable OKH Historic District Committee for a
number of years. It is time to come together as good neighbors and continue
those efforts; and to let the Munsells proceed with their project unhindered.
Thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this application and for all of
your time and efforts on behalf of all of us who live in the district.
Sincerely,
Carrie Bearse
2715 Main Street
Barnstable, MA 02630