Master Plan Amendment #2006-0003 (Docket Item #9A)

Rezoning #2006-0001 (Docket Item #9B)

Old and Historic Alexandria District Boundaries

Thank you, Chairman Wagner and members of the Commission. I am Michael Hobbs, President of the Old Town Civic Association, and I thank you for this opportunity to share our views on this proposed expansion of the Old and Historic Alexandria District.

Working toward the preservation of the historic and residential character of Old Town was the central purpose in the founding of our association more than fifty years ago, and we are proud to have served as a champion of the Old and Historic Alexandria District ever since. Without Alexandria’s unparalleled architectural, social and cultural history, our City would lose much of its unique character, and perhaps its most important asset would be grievously devalued.

But we also recognize that our efforts and those of others interested in protecting that historic heritage would be of little effect if they remained static—frozen in time and space—rather than cognizant of the value of historic resources throughout the City (not just within the formal boundaries of the Old and Historic District), and through our entire history (not just the 18^th century).

We warmly endorse the enlargement of the Old and Historic District, as proposed in the docket item before you, as a modest but appropriate first step in what should be a comprehensive review and strengthening of Alexandria’s efforts to preserve and protect its most cherished historic heritage.

As we urged in our statement on the historic preservation issues involved in the demolition of buildings in the 1500 block of King Street, the present regulatory framework, developed in steps over a period of decades, may not be adequate to our needs going forward, and may have important gaps. In particular, we questioned the logic of including buildings on one side of a city block within the full protection of the regulatory regime of the Board of Architectural Review, while buildings across the street—which might be of the same or comparable historic vintage or architectural merit, and which would in any event closely impact the protected buildings—might have no protection at all. The proposal before you tonight addresses that problem, at least for the affected portion of these two blocks.

As noted, however, the present step is a modest one. Looking ahead, we urge that the City regard this, not as the end of the process, but the beginning. Ideally, our review of the scope of the historic districts should not be approached as a piecemeal, block-by-block, start-and-stop process: the result over time might be boundaries more characteristic of a North Carolina electoral district than appropriate for this purpose. The objective should be, rather, a comprehensive review of the present and future scope of the historic districts as they would be most effective in supporting the goal of preserving Alexandria’s historic heritage not just in the near term, but for many years ahead. We understand, for example, that the staff is presently reviewing the area between the southern boundary of the Parker-Gray District and the northern boundary of the Old & Historic District, in the area roughly between King and Cameron Streets westward from Patrick Street, with a view toward bringing forward later this year recommendations regarding possible additional expansion of either or both of those Districts. That is a commendable step in the right direction.

At the same time, it is important to the ultimate result that this process be conducted in a way that fully engages the public in the discussion, and that properly protects the rights of existing property owners that would be affected by proposed changes. We note with approval that staff has notified and consulted with all of the property owners in the area of the present proposed expansion, before finalizing its recommendation. Looking ahead to the potential consideration of larger areas, we believe that could most usefully be conducted in the context of a broad program of public information and education about the benefits of preserving our historic heritage to Alexandria generally, and the potential benefits to or concerns of homeowners and other property owners in particular. In that regard, we applaud the initiative of the City Council and the City’s historic preservation organizations in commissioning and organizing the Historic Preservation Forum which will be keynoted with a presentation from Charleston, South Carolina Mayor Joseph P. Riley, Jr. later this month, and will be followed by a series of public forums and workshops this fall. That is an important initiative which must certainly advance the cause of informed public participation and engagement in the discussion, not only of the possible expansion of the two historic districts, but of strengthening our city’s strategies for preserving its historic heritage over all.

Thank you for your consideration.