Newburyport Council Passes Demolition Delay Ordinance and EV Fleet Policy

NEWBURYPORT — June 2, 2026 — Newburyport City Council approves demolition delay ordinance and zero-emissions vehicle fleet policy at June 2 meeting. The council passed Ordinance 217, amending Chapter 5, Article 10 of the city code to give the Historical Commission more time to review proposed demolitions of historic structures, on a roll call vote of 8-2, with Councilors Zed and Delai opposed and Councilor Kahn absent. Three public speakers, including Tom Colterjohn of the Newburyport Preservation Trust and Chris Saltel, vice chair of the Historical Commission, urged passage. The council also unanimously approved Order 821, a zero-emissions vehicle first policy for city fleet procurement covering 14 vehicles — primarily water, sewer, highway, and Council on Aging vehicles — revised in collaboration with the state Department of Energy Resources and outside counsel Anderson Krieger; the policy must be adopted by June 30 to qualify for the state's climate leader program, which carries up to $1 million in charging infrastructure grants. Councilor Zed opposed referring Order 850, addressing the ambiguous public-or-private status of an unfinished Coffin Street segment, to the Committee of the Whole, arguing the question belongs in land court rather than before an 11-member legislative body: "We are not a court. We don't make findings like this. We make laws."