Steps to house razing need second look

A cottage on Australian Avenue soon will be demolished, after the Architectural Commissions recent, and reluctant, approval.

This particular demolition while perhaps unfortunate for neighbors of the quaint 1,300-square-foot wood-frame-and-stucco house built in 1928 isnt the problem. Demolition is a homeowners right and, on an island where land value reigns supreme, it is arguably an inevitability.

The real problem lies in commissioners uncomfortable realization that they simply rubber-stamp demolition orders while holding little, if any, decision-making power. As John Page, director of planning, zoning and building, told them: There is not a lot of discretion from this board to deny a demolition request.

So despite their feelings that the house holds significant historical value and serves as a nice old reminder of old Palm Beach, as member Richard Sammons said, they had no alternative but to approve this request as they must for nearly all demolition requests.

The only exceptions involve extraordinary circumstances (that are not related to historic value) or buildings protected by the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

And with no other boards overseeing demolition requests in this manner, that means no one has the power to deny them. While some oversight might be better than none, oversight without influence amounts to little more than wasted time.

Architectural Commission members wisely asked Page to reconsider the process, which he pledged to do.

Asking the Landmarks Commission to get involved sounds like a good start. But that boards required research, documentation and resulting deliberate pace could leave dozens of possibly worthy homes open to razing each year even as demolition requests are likely to increase as the real estate market continues to improve.

Its possible that simply tweaking the process wont be enough. A careful look at demolition might require that the work of both commissions undergoes review. Together, perhaps, the boards can combine to allow for smarter, quicker scrutiny of properties that may contribute to the islands historical character.

If residents truly value preserving that character, then they cannot be cavalier about demolition.

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Steps to house razing need second look