Arlington County is breaking new ground in preserving the old. The county recently became one of the first jurisdictions in the nation to rank historic commercial properties according to significance.
The Arlington County Board approved an inventory of 393 New Deal-era garden apartments, shopping centers and Art Deco office buildings, including 23 properties labeled “essential” to the county.
Though many cities label historic areas or buildings, only a handful of cities nationwide rank properties, said Cynthia Liccese-Torres, historic preservation planner for the county.
The new rankings add to Arlington’s reputation as the most surveyed jurisdiction in the state; preservationists have surveyed every building in the county more than 50 years old.
The rankings will serve as a “planning tool” for the county, and the county board is expected to discuss incentives for preservation — such as tax breaks and zoning rules — in the fall.
“This is Virginia — so this has got to be a lot more carrot than stick,” County Board Chairman Chris Zimmerman said of the expected incentives.
But some worry the rankings will mean new requirements that will burden property owners trying to develop or repair their buildings.
“We think that being hindered by the ‘historic’ tag will end up costing money and make it that much more difficult to maintain affordable housing,” said Charles DeLashmutt, owner of Barcroft Apartments, one of the properties deemed “essential” by the county.
Real estate professionals also said some of the highly ranked properties were actually prime spots for redevelopment.
Realtor Aaron Seekford said he feared that was the case with some of the garden apartments deemed “essential” by the county.
“There’s something called ‘functional obsolescence.’ I think the community would be better served by putting in something new,” he said.
But county officials said those concerns were unfounded.
“Most of the fears are bogeymen,” preservation coordinator Michael Leventhal said, adding that the rankings will help owners by allowing them to consult county architects and preservationists for free. “The whole idea is to be more transparent. No one likes doing plans, coming before the county, and then being blindsided by a bunch of do-gooders.”
