Historic Districts Commission denies demolition of 246 Concord Road cottage

SUDBURY -- September 9, 2025, Sudbury Historic Districts Commission denies 246 Concord Road demolition after applicant skips special meeting. The commission voted 3-0 on Sept. 9 to deny Case 25-19, a demolition application for the cottage on parcel H09-0020, after the property owner failed to appear and did not submit a signed continuance form. Member Christopher Hagger told the panel town staff had advised that inaction would yield a "constructive approval" of the demolition. A consultant retained by the Sudbury Historical Commission dated the cottage to 1908 based on deed history, cartography and tax valuations; Associate member Shervin Hawley said the Atlas of Middlesex County independently confirmed the structure's position. Member John "Griff" Noble, who voted no alongside Hawley and Hagger, said the applicant supplied no documentation of the claimed financial hardship: "If there's no evidence there's a hardship, I'm not going to vote that way." The November 2024 denial of an earlier application on the same property had set the bar for any new submission.