Frequently Asked Questions

The new district was approved overwhelmingly by Town Meeting in May 2025. The next step for any bylaw is approval by the Massachusetts Attorney General. The bylaw was approved by the AG in November 2025. The district will be legal once the map is recorded at the Hampshire County Registry of Deeds. Then the Selectboard will appoint the Advisory commission.

https://imgur.com/a/rATkDwL

The South Hadley Historic District Study Committee proposed the District. The Study Committee was formed by the Selectboard in 2012 and charged with exploring the possibility of one or more local historic districts in town.

The Study Committee proposed a single property district: the Firehouse Museum. In total, the proposal includes three town-owned parcels: the Fred M. Smith Memorial Green, the Firehouse Museum, and the sloped lot to the north (right) of the firehouse.  All are owned by the Town of South Hadley.

Massachusetts General Law 40C is called the Historic Districts Act. This is the “enabling legislation” for this proposal and outlines the process for creating a legal local historic district in Massachusetts.

Yes, many if not most of the towns surrounding South Hadley have 40C Local Historic Districts.  These include Holyoke, Granby, Chicopee, Amherst, Belchertown, Northampton, Springfield (21) and West Springfield.

They are different. The National Register is largely an honorary designation. It is through the federal Department of the Interior and is not focused on protection of properties. In contrast, Local Historic Districts involve local oversight and focus on the protection of properties and districts. Specifically they attempt to: “preserve and protect the distinctive characteristics of buildings and places significant in the history of the Commonwealth and its cities and towns.”

The proposed district will first and foremost protect the 1889 Firehouse Museum, an important and iconic building which has been a fixture of South Hadley’s history and now houses the Town’s historical resources. The district will also support redevelopment efforts in the Falls, will highlight the 1795 Canal and the Canal District, and will elevate all historic work in the Town of South Hadley.

Following 40C, the South Hadley Selectboard will appoint a seven person commission to oversee the District.

Commissions review changes to the exterior features of a property visible from a public way. They don’t review interior changes. They would also review any new construction within the district. The Study Committee has included all optional exemptions in the proposal: temporary signs and structures, light fixtures, paint color, roof color, etc. Maintenance and landscaping are always exempted.

The Commission would have no authority over any other properties or parcels.

Just to note: there IS a process for enlarging existing districts, but there is no shortcut. The Study Committee would need to go through the full process involved in establishing the original district.

The proposal was submitted to the Massachusetts Historical Commission (MHC) and the South Hadley Planning Board on May 15th. To date, it has been endorsed by the MHC, the SH Planning Board, the SH Selectboard, the SH Redevelopment Authority, the SH Trustees of the Old Firehouse Museum, and the SH Falls Neighborhood Association. All votes have been unanimous.

All documents are available on the Town website here or: https://www.southhadley.org/1267/11843/Other-Community-Plans-and-Reports Email: melissataylor7500@gmail.com with any questions.