Newburyport City Council Approves 18-Month Historic Demolition Delay on First Reading

NEWBURYPORT — May 12, 2026 — Newburyport City Council voted 9-2 to extend the city's historic demolition delay from 12 to 18 months, advancing Ordinance 217 on first reading at the May 12 meeting. The vote came after the council approved 8-3 a floor amendment by Councillor Kathleen Nikitich stripping a tiered committee provision that would have applied the extended delay only to structures built before 1924; the ordinance now sets a flat 18-month delay for all structures 75 years or older — up from the existing 12 months — anywhere in the city, not only within the existing downtown overlay districts. Nikitich, citing Amesbury's planning director, argued the 18-month figure paired with streamlined Historical Commission procedures would yield an effective delay equivalent to Amesbury's. "At 18 months, the effectiveness of Newburyport's demo delay will be no greater than it was at 12 months, but at least it will not be weaker," she said. Councillors Michael DeLay and Zara Zeeb voted no, with DeLay raising concerns about outer-ward homeowners of mid-century capes being hampered in family-expansion projects. The meeting opened with extended tributes to Ward 5 Councillor Jim McCauley, who died May 8; the council president, mayor, and multiple former councillors and residents spoke during public comment, with Mayor Sean Reardon confirming city flags will fly at half-staff through the end of the month.