RECENT COMMENTS
Public discussion on CAR set for Thursday
The Richmond City Council C.A.R. Task Force will facilitate a public discussion on the Commission of Architectural Review (CAR) on Thursday, October 1 from 6:30-8PM at the Richmond City Council Chambers. Issues that were raised by attendees at the first public hearing in June, hosted by the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods and the Historic Richmond Foundation, have been noted by City of Richmond staff and provided to the City Council C.A.R. Task Force.
From an email sent out by the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods (aka Not That ACORN):
The upcoming meeting will be a continuation of the public hearing series initiated in June.
The purpose of the Task Force is to review the process and guidelines of the Commission of Architectural Review, which is charged with providing oversight and review regarding the erection, reconstruction, alteration or restoration of buildings or structures within designated Richmond Historic Districts as to their architectural compatibility with existing historic landmarks, buildings or structures in that district.
Residents of City Old & Historic Districts and others who have worked with C.A.R. and the Department of Community Development staff on C.A.R. applications are asked to comment on the application process and the role of C.A.R. in protecting Richmond’s historic neighborhoods.
Your comments are valuable to the committee and will be taken into consideration by the Task Force in their review of C.A.R. guidelines.
CITIZENS WISHING TO SPEAK AT THE HEARING ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER PRIOR TO NOON ON THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2009 BY CONTACTING THE COUNCIL CLERK’S OFFICE AT (804) 646-7955.
Written comments may be submitted to:
Steven A Taylor, Council Policy Analyst
Suite 305, City Hall
900 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219
Telephone: (804) 646-2780
“Issues that were raised by attendees at the first public hearing in June, hosted by the Alliance to Conserve Old Richmond Neighborhoods and the Historic Richmond Foundation,”
This is incorrect. As a point of clarification, I organized this meeting through my pleas with the CAR at the May CAR meeting when they wanted to make changes to the guidelines. I asked them to postpone any decisions on guideline changes until they held some public forums to talk to the residents about what they wanted. The CAR agreed and asked me to put the meeting together. ACORN and HRF were invited to participate, which they very graciously did.
As a participant of this process, I have posted an online petition http://www.petitiononline.com/saveohds/petition.html asking the CAR Task Force to amend the CAR guidelines. The petition will be delivered to them before they conclude their review in February of 2010.
The petition reads as follows:
To: Commission Of Architectural Review Task Force
We, the undersigned, believe that the Old & Historic Districts of Richmond, Virginia Handbook and Design Review Guidelines must be revised to ensure that new construction of additions, alterations and infill reflect and relate to the context in which they are located. As currently interpreted and applied by the Commission of Architectural Review, the guidelines undermine the original intent behind the creation in 1957 of the City of Richmond Old & Historic Districts, which is to protect and preserve the historic resources in these districts. Specifically, by prioritizing differentiation at the expense of compatibility, the CAR ensures additions and infill that are in obvious opposition to their historic settings.
We request that the Commission of Architectural Review Task Force amend the handbook and guidelines by removing Article 2 under Form in the New Construction section, page 42, which states: New construction should be contemporary in style, yet compatible with surrounding historic structures. New construction should not mimic previous architectural styles in such a way that creates a false historical appearance.
We also request the removal of any other language within the guidelines that include the words or phrases: mimic, contemporary, false historicism, false historic appearance that are used to mandate that new construction should differentiate from existing historic structures in the Old and Historic Districts.
Article 2 should be replaced with language that calls for new construction of alterations, additions and infill to 1) reinforce and support the historic context; 2) blend in, rather than stand out; and 3) not introduce features uncharacteristic of the historic district.
Prioritizing compatibility over differentiation will promote architectural harmony and wholeness within the district and allow buildings and districts to evolve in accordance with their historic patterns and styles. The ultimate goal is to ensure continuity of character over time.
Sincerely,
The Undersigned
If you support this petition, please go to the link below and sign:
http://www.petitiononline.com/saveohds/petition.html
Please forward this information to as many people as you can.
If you are unable to attend the meeting, you can email your concerns and comments to Steve Taylor, the task force liaison, at Steven.Taylor@richmondgov.com