Newtown council agrees to raze Lanza home No discussion or comment as panel OKs plan for Sandy Hook killer's home

36 Yoganada St. in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, Conn., is the home of Sandy Hook School shooter, Adam Lanza, and his mother, Nancy. Wed., January 21, 2015. 36 Yoganada St. in the Sandy Hook section of Newtown, Conn., is the home of Sandy Hook School shooter, Adam Lanza, and his mother, Nancy. Wed., January 21, 2015. Photo: Carol Kaliff Buy photo Photo: Carol Kaliff Image 1 of / 11 Caption Close Newtown council agrees to raze Lanza home 1 / 11 Back to Gallery

NEWTOWN -- The Newtown Legislative Council decided the fate of Adam Lanza's home during a meeting Wednesday evening.

The panel voted 10-0 to raze the Yogananda Street home, where the 20-year-old lived with his mother before he took her life and killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

With two absent members and without any discussion or public comment -- since no residents showed up at the meeting -- the council unanimously passed the proposal as soon as First Selectman Pat Llodra explained the reasons behind her board's recommendation.

The Board of Selectmen recommended the demolition this month after pleas from several neighbors who said the house reminds them of the Dec. 14, 2012, massacre.

Llodra said the board made its determination after concluding it represented "the sentiment" of Lanza's neighbors and the families of his victims.

Legislative Council Chairman Mary Ann Jacob said the quick, unanimous vote meant the group agreed it was the best thing for the community.

"The lack of discussion was not lack of concern, but really a consensus on the appropriate thing to do," Jacob said after the meeting. "This was the next step in the process. I guess we all knew it was coming down the pipe."

Jacob said the Colonial home has become "an attraction" that continues to draw media attention to that neighborhood.

"It's a residential neighborhood that has lots of kids in it," she said. "I think they'd like to go back to their lives. No one is going to forget what happened, but they don't need strangers driving up and down their street and asking questions every day. So, hopefully, this will give them some much-needed peace."

The town took ownership of the home in December, after the bank that held the mortgage turned over the deed to the town at no cost. The 3,100-square-foot house sits on 2 acres and is appraised at $523,000.

Llodra has said some families don't want anything done in that property, while others would like it to be developed. Regardless of the fate of the land, Llodra said she would return to the council at a later date to seek approval for some limitation on the deed so that any economic benefit from the future sale of the land is used for the families of the victims.

Meanwhile, the Board of Selectmen is expected to set a date for a special town meeting to discuss the demolition, as required by town charter.

"There's no precedent for this," Llodra said. "We're being very careful trying to make sure every action is covered."

Llodra also said "there's no way to know" how much the demolition will cost yet, but she said a similar house that was demolished in Newtown cost $29,000. "I'm thinking it will probably be around that number," she said.

The money is to come from the Sandy Hook Elementary Fund, which also was used in the demolition of the school in late 2013. There is still more than $200,000 in the fund, officials said.

noliveira@bcnnew.com, 203-731-3411, @olivnelson