Planning Board Cools on Demolition Delay Bylaw

Historical Commission · Meeting of September 21, 2026

Hadley Historical Commission reported a cool Planning Board response to a proposed demolition delay bylaw and a costlier schoolhouse roof fix. Co-Chairs Courtney Meyer and E Dragon told the commission their pitch for a demolition delay bylaw "was maybe not met with the anticipated response" they expected from the Planning Board, which reportedly pushed for a cutoff date as late as the 1800s for what counts as historic. Member Brianna Quinn called that proposed cutoff "really shocking" given Hadley's 1930s and 1940s structures.

Separately, the commission learned the Massachusetts Historical Commission rejected a standing-seam roof for the Hockanum Schoolhouse, raising the project's cost to roughly $19,000; a volunteer, Keith Urbane, will be asked for a discount. The commission approved its June and August minutes by unanimous voice vote and finalized plans for a September 25 commemoration of Revolutionary War veteran Jeremiah Cady at Old Hadley Cemetery.

In the full story:

• Call to Order and Approval of Minutes
• Old Business: CPA Projects — House Plaques
• Old Business: CPA Projects — Driving Tour Audio Project
• Demolition Delay Bylaw
• Women's Christian Temperance Union and Lions Club Fountains
• Boston Tea Party Commemoration (Jeremiah Cady Day)
• Hadley History Organizations Cooperation Proposal
• New Business: Hockanum Schoolhouse Roof and Town Meeting
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 2,718 words

Source: the Historical Commission meeting of September 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript. It was corrected where it differed.