The Alexandria City Council waited 16 years after the Virginia Department of Historic Resources recommended the Parker-Gray district in Northwest Alexandria be designated as a historic district to begin the process of registering it as a historic area.
Because of the city’s failure to act, residents in the neighborhood have been ineligible for state and federal home improvement tax credits. Up to 45 percent of the cost of renovating an historic house can be claimed in some cases, according to the Historic Resources Department Web site.
The City Council earmarked $100,000 for the surveying of historic districts, including Parker-Gray, in April.
The council has yet to begin the surveying necessary for the area to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Parker-Gray neighborhood is near the Braddock Road Metro station. It is a historically black neighborhood; 45 percent of the population is African-American, according to the latest census data.
Sarah Becker, a neighborhood activist who worked to get the council to set aside money for Parker-Gray, said her home, built in the 1880s, would have qualified for the tax credits had the council acted sooner. She said she had to cover renovation costs without assistance.
“Had I had the benefit of tax credits at that time, that would have cut my costs probably in half,” she told The Examiner.
Becker said that because of the 16-year delay, the city should move immediately to survey the land and get Parker-Gray into the national registry before surveying other historic districts.
“I think this should be expeditiously completed,” she said. “What is it going to take to get to the top of the list?”
Alexandria planning officials did not return calls for comment.
Council Member Andrew Macdonald, who worked to get funding for the neighborhood survey, said he has asked the planning office for a timetable for the survey, but has yet to hear back.
“It should be done as soon as possible,” he said.
At a glance
» Becker said the city estimates it will take two years to finish the survey for historic designation.
» Alexandria has five historic districts.
