India Hoeschen-Stein
Jessica - I don't agree that these 60 year old ranch houses are fuel suckers. I worked as an engineer in the energy industry for many years and most (if now all these houses) were insulated and retrofitted during the 90's under the demand-side management era. The gas utilities were offering huge subsidies for energy improvements for many years.
I definitely agree that for folks selling their house they will take the best offer. Unfortunately, small, affordable energy efficient houses are not being built in their place. Across the street from me a 960 sqft (3 bedrm, 1 bath) selling for $580,000 was replaced by a 4,600 sqft home with 4 bedrms and one bath costing $1.6 million. At the rate that this is happening across Town I can guarantee that Concord will see it's energy use (and cost) rise and age and income diversity will also disappear.

I agree with the statement that older homes are not necessarily 'fuel suckers', since in most cases one can improve home efficiency greatly (taking advantage of rebates from either MassSave or the Town of Concord to help pay for it). These smaller homes serve a wider, more diverse market which is not well served by the $1M+ new homes. I see nothing wrong with a home buyer deciding to add to or replace a home to suit their needs, but the trend of buying and demolishing small homes to build spec houses - essentially deciding what the market should be - does not serve this town well. Those spec houses, generally built to code-minimum standards, are not necessarily more energy efficient than a smaller home that has been upgraded.

Wade Rubinstein
Concord needs a public restroom in West Concord with easy access to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. This would be much appreciated by visitors and businesses. A public restroom could also act as a kiosk to promote local businesses.

India Hoeschen-Stein
Yes, all the affordable ranch houses are being replaced by almost identical looking mini-McMansions that are 3-6 times the square footage. As a result affordable housing is disappearing and our carbon footprint & energy demand/consumption are skyrocketing. My neighborhood (Elsinore Street) has completely transformed in the last 3 years and soon there will be no ranch houses left.

Judy Hill
Zoning regulations and setbacks from rivers and ponds are there for a purpose. It's always disappointing to see builders applying for exceptions, particularly for their projects near rivers and within buffer zones. Then to see those exceptions allowed by Planning and/or ZBA.