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HRAB 08-18-92 Meeting AgendaI COUNTY of FREDERICK Department of Planning and Development 703/665-5651 FAX 703/678-0682 MEMORANDUM TO: Historic Resources Board Members FROM: Kris C. Tierney, Deputy Planning Director r(/Ag- DATE: August 4, 1992 RE: Meeting Date and Agenda There will be a meeting of the Historic Resources Advisory Board on Tuesday August 18, 1992, at 7:30 in the conference room of the Old Frederick County Court House, 9 Court Square, Winchester, Virginia. Please let me know if you are unable to attend. AGENDA 1) Discussion regarding existing procedures for reviewing Rezoning, Master Development Plan, and Site Plan applications and recommended modifications. 2) Other THE COURTHOUSE COMMONS 9 N. Loudoun Street - P.O. Box 601 - Winchester, Virginia - 22601 HRAB 8\18\92 Agenda pg. 2 1) The HRAB was established in part to make recommendations to the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors on Rezonings and Master Development Plans that had an anticipated effect on a historic site. Although the present slump in development pressure has resulted in little activity in either area, the HRAB should be prepared to resume this role as the economy begins to strengthen. With this in mind, it would be appropriate to establish certain procedures for handling such applications. RECOMMENDED POLICY/PROCEDURAL CHANGES Presently the County's Zoning Ordinance states that the impact statement (prepared as part of a rezoning application) should address "preservation of historic structures and sites located on the land to be rezoned". Staff would suggest that this be expanded slightly to include a discussion of the method(s) of preservation proposed. Also it would be appropriate that for certain sites a "preservation plan" be prepared. This might be required when a site of some importance was involved and would include detailed information on the treatment of the historic aspects of the site. Such a plan could be required as a part of the rezoning application package or later on in the development process. A plan might also be submitted at the request of the HRAB or 'voluntarily" by a rezoning applicant as a proffer This raises the issue of our list of locally significant sites. If we are going to develop requirement that will apply to certain recognized sites then we will need to complete and publicize the list of locally significant historic sites. In this way when a developer purchases a property he will be on notice that the county feels the site, or some portion of it, is of some significance and that he will be expected to address the preservation of that portion of the site in some detail. The list of sites and appropriate language explaining its purpose and implications could be inserted into the county's Comprehensive Plan. Another change that the staff is recommending is that our application process be modified so that the HRAB becomes a regular review agency on Rezoning, Master Development Plan and Site Plan applications that involve a historic site. This would mean that rather than the application going to the Planning Commission and/or Board of Supervisors and being referred to the HRAB as is presently the case, the HRAB would automatically be included in the review process up front. The applicant would be required to solicit comments from the HRAB on his\her application and submit these comments as a part of the application package. If this were done the county's application packages would have to be modified, procedures and timing would have to be established for submission HRAB 8/18/92 Agenda pg.3 of proposals to the HRAB and the review of the proposals. This would not be difficult to accomplish. Finally the staff recommends that we develop a concise set of standards or regulations to be added to the Zoning Ordinance and applied to sites proposed for development which are on the list of locally significant. These standards would address such things as the permanent protection of the site in the form of easements dedication etc, the use of appropriate architectural styles signage and landscaping. The standards would have to be fairly broad in nature. We would want to allow flexibility for dealing with the wide variety of sites present throughout the county and the circumstances surrounding the particular development proposal.