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Projects & Planning

Westover Garden Apartments Study

Location

The study area includes garden apartments in the Westover neighborhood, bounded roughly by 16th Street North to the north, North Kensington Street to the east, Fairfax Drive and Interstate 66 to the south, and North Lancaster Street to the west.

On November 30, 2016, the Historic and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) directed staff to study only garden apartments within this area.

About the Project

County staff is conducting further analysis on garden apartment buildings in Westover, as part of a historic designation review process. The analysis phase of this process includes:

  • Collecting community feedback, including targeted outreach with property owners of garden apartments;
  • Educating the community about the designation process and addressing concerns;
  • Conducting an architectural survey and evaluation of the garden apartments to assess their physical integrity and historical significance;
  • Writing a designation report that includes results of the analysis;
  • Drafting proposed historic district guidelines with stakeholder input;
  • Coordination with the ongoing market rate affordable housing study
  • Holding additional public hearings with HALRB

After the analysis is completed, the HALRB will decide whether to support any proposals and send it forward in the designation process. If the HALRB chooses to send the request forward, additional public hearings would be held before the Planning Commission and the County Board.

Background

On June 23, 2016, the Arlington County Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) received a request to study the Westover neighborhood for consideration as a local historic district. Two public meetings were held to discuss the request.

On November 30, 2016, the HALRB held a public hearing as a first step in a historic designation review process. After hearing public comments from many speakers, the board made two decisions:

  • The study area meets designation criteria. Arlington County’s Zoning Ordinance requires that potential historic districts meet at least two of eleven designation criteria (Section 11.3.4). The HALRB found that the Westover study area meets at least two. In particular, the property is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the property has character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage or cultural characteristics of the county.
  • Further study is needed of only the garden apartment buildings, including those listed in the Historic Resources Inventory that was approved by the County Board in 2011. The HALRB directed County historic preservation staff to conduct further analysis in conjunction with the ongoing County study to assess the creation of zoning tools and proposals for the preservation of market rate affordable housing.

About Local Historic Districts in Arlington

Arlington currently has 38 locally designated historic districts, ranging from individual single-family homes, churches, and businesses, to cemeteries, Civil War forts, and neighborhoods such as Maywood, Colonial Village, and Buckingham Village.

Status as a local historic district creates a protective zoning overlay that ensures certain exterior changes to historic buildings, as well as new construction, are compatible with the existing historic architecture. A set of design guidelines are crafted for local historic districts to help manage future architectural changes. The HALRB manages this special design review process for all local historic districts in Arlington.

The establishment of a local historic district is an extensive process over many months that involves the careful evaluation of historic resources within the study area and a thorough analysis of the neighborhood’s historical and architectural significance. The local designation process requires continual coordination with the community. Various meetings are held throughout the designation process to inform and engage property owners, residents and community members.

Historic Significance in Westover

The Westover neighborhood is a planned community that was developed in phases from 1939-1957, influenced by the dramatic increase of the federal workforce in Washington, D.C. and the need for affordable, quality housing.

The neighborhood has been recognized for its historical and architectural significance by its listing in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. These listings are honorary and do not impose any special restrictions on historic properties. A direct benefit of such designation is the ability for property owners to take advantage of state and federal tax credits for rehabilitating historic buildings   The historic garden apartments in Westover also have been identified in the National Register Multiple Property Listing for Garden Apartments built in Arlington County between 1934 and 1954 (originally accepted by the National Park Service in 2003 and updated in 2012).

Additionally, the garden apartments and some of the commercial buildings in Westover are included in Phase 1 of the County’s Historic Resources Inventory (HRI). This planning tool was approved by the County Board in 2011 and ranks historic garden apartments, commercial buildings, and shopping centers into categories based on their architectural and historical significance. The HRI helps establish preservation priorities for these specific types of historic buildings.

 

Study Documents

December 2, 2016
County News Release

November 30, 2016
HALRB Public Hearing

July 21, 2016
Community Informational Meeting

Related Plans and Resources