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Town adopts Historic District guidelines
After over two decades of trying to preserve the Town of Washington's unique charm by ordinance and advisory board, the town now has a comprehensive and detailed set of guidelines designed to set the standard for future architectural revisions in the town.The town's Historic District Design Guidelines were unanimously adopted by the Town Council on Monday after a special joint session between the council and the Planning Commission. Although the session was open to the public for comment prior to the vote, no concerns were raised by those present, and indeed the document – produced by Cheryl Shepherd of Millennium Preservation Services, LLC, of Warrenton – received effusive praise from both council and commission members.
Noting that no town resident – outside the council and planning commission – had shown much interest in the guidelines, the council discussed ways of insuring wide dissemination of the new document now that it has been adopted.
Although pleased with the guidelines, one council member in particular, Claudia Mitchell, was insistent that the guidelines be made as publicly available as possible. She said that she'd like to make a "really serious effort to get this information out," including, possibly, putting the guidelines in CD format and making copies available at the public library and at the building office.
Speaking to those present after the votes, Shepherd said that, "Everybody worked really hard on this," and that it was a "great document" for the Town of Washington.
The guidelines are a detailed survey of the architecture within the town limits describing in detail various styles, construction methods and materials and the significance of the Town of Washington as being historically valuable with a, "unique, traditional, bucolic appeal."
According to the guidelines, they were written to "provide the framework for consistent decision making and design quality" for new construction, alterations and additions in order to maintain the "historic architectural character of the the town.”
These guidelines grew out of two surveys – on in 1989 and a more detailed survey in 2005 – and are written to help guide decisions by the Architectural Review Board (ARB) which was established in 1985 along with the Historic District within the town limits.
No comprehensive guidelines have been available to the ARB prior to the ones adopted Monday night and in years previous this has led to confusion about just what the town could require.
In 2003 the town was challenged in a law suit by Sidney and Mary Catherine Worley – owners of two lots on the north side of town – when the town was not able to provide a clear set of guidelines for a house the Worleys wanted to build. According to David Konick, who represented the Worleys, the issue with the town became a case of constantly shifting and evolving requirements.
Following the open session for comment on the guidelines and the subsequent vote, members of the planning commission left and the town council went into closed session to discuss the wastewater collection system and plant bids.
After coming out of closed session and before council adjourned, it voted to authorize Herb White, president of WW Associates, to negotiate with VDOT to “patch” instead of “repave” streets during the installation of the sewer system and the upgrading of the water system.
The vote may have been procedurally incorrect, sources said, as the public should have been notified that council was still in open session. When council earlier declared it was going into closed session, members of the public were asked to leave.
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