Weirs Drive In Nears the End

[LoveLakeLife]

I wonder if the new ugly condo development on the other side of the road on the hill had any Indian artifact problems?


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[Riviera]

Originally Posted by LoveLakeLife

I wonder if the new ugly condo development on the other side of the road on the hill had any Indian artifact problems?


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I've seen the map that depicts the Weirs Beach land listed with the National Register of Historic Places. I can’t seem to dig up the map, but my recollection is that the land area doesn’t go that far up the hill. Generally speaking, there is no requirement to protect or investigate historic features unless there is a specific law or permit that requires you to do so. In fact, even a building listed on the National Register can be demolished without any review, unless there is a local ordinance that protects the structure, or some other federal permit triggers a historic review.

The smaller lots that have been developed in the Weirs area (with less than an acre of land disturbance, and no requirement for an Army Corps wetland permit) generally would not trigger a historic review.

FWIW, the Laconia State School property has also been triggered as a property that will need historical and archeological investigation, and I suspect some level of mitigation/preservation.

I’ve been down this road with a development property, and it’s expensive, and time consuming. In our case, we were working with a vacant home that’s only historical significance was a former owner that was a somewhat famous artist in his time. The home was not listed on the National Register, had no architecture of historical significance, and was surrounded by industrial properties. We spent over a year, and over $200,000, creating a digital replica of the home, creating a biography of the former owner, and making a donation to the local historic commission. Then we had to acquire adjacent land, and move the home to the adjacent lot, where it was repurposed as an office with a historically appropriate addition. We were lucky that we were able to find a buyer for the relocated home and adjacent land. The only thing that triggered the historical review was the need to secure a federal stormwater permit for land disturbance over an acre. The process is difficult, in that you need to satisfy the State Office of Historical Preservation, and there are no guidelines or restrictions on what they might require . There is an appeal process, but that is equally ambiguous and expensive.