Officials in Newtown, Conn., have voted to demolish the home of Adam Lanza, the gunman who killed 20 first-graders and six educators at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012.
The Newtown Legislative Council voted 10-0 Wednesday night to approve a proposal to tear down the 3,100-square-foot home where Lanza lived with his mother. The land on which the home stands will be kept as open space for now.
The bank that acquired the 2-acre property from Lanza's family donated it to the town in December. According to news reports, First Selectwoman Pat Llodra said she expects the house will be razed, in line with residents' wishes, once winter ends. The cost of demolition isn't clear but could come in around $30,000, she said.
The house is where 20-year-old Lanza killed his mother before his shooting spree at the school. He then killed himself.
"Not only is the property a constant reminder of the evil that resided there — those of us who walk, run, drive, ride or otherwise must pass it multiple times a day, are having a hard time moving on," Dave Ackart, a neighbor, wrote to the council, according to The Associated Press.
The AP added that Llodra asked town attorneys "to write something into the deed that will prohibit the town from profiting from any future sale or development of the land."
The News Times reported that Wednesday's vote came with no discussion or public comment.
"The lack of discussion was not lack of concern, but really a consensus on the appropriate thing to do," Legislative Council Chairman Mary Ann Jacob said. "This was the next step in the process. I guess we all knew it was coming down the pipe."
She said the property had become "an attraction."
Copyright 2020 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.