Voters Deny Historic Preservation Article, Withdraw Business District

Andover voters bucked the establishment Thursday night by shooting down a proposal that would have essentially given the town of Andover independent local control of historic preservation.

On Thursday, the second night of Annual Town Meeting began and voters started business on article 32 of the 47-article warrant, eventually finishing by the end of the night.

Voters approved most articles throughout the night. This included $1.3 million, among several articles, for the maintenance and improvement of town-owned buildings, properties, facilities and infrastructure.

Three articles were withdrawn, including a citizen petition article (which means it was submitted by a resident and not the town) that would have allowed for the creation of a . The Planning Board, which governs these type of zoning amendments, did not recommend approval of the proposal.

Voters chose to vote down a zoning bylaw amendment that would have given the town of Andover complete control over the historic preservation of buildings, taking the state commission out of the process. The article was in connection with a current effort to move a historic home. Voters denied another article that would have banned bow hunting in Andover.

For the full results, click here or check the PDF in the photo gallery. Check out Andover Patch's of Town Meeting.