City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: MARCH 8, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the Acquisition of the Property Located at 517 Prince Street and the Associated Lifetime Lease for the Current Owner, and Conservation Easements for Open Space and Historic Preservation.
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ISSUE: Acquisition of 517 Prince Street for historic preservation and public open space purposes.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council authorize the City Manager to:
(1) Acquire the real property located at 517 Prince Street;
(2) Sign the lease agreement with the current property owner to allow him to reside at the subject property for the rest of his natural life or an earlier time of his choosing which the seller is reserving unto himself as part of the sale of the property;
(3) Sign the Conservation Easement Agreements with the Virginia Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Outdoors Foundation for an open space easement on the property, and the Virginia Department of Historic Resources for a historic architectural preservation easement on the house; and
(4) Execute all documents that may be required.
BACKGROUND: The Murray-Dick-Fawcett House, located at 517 Prince Street, has long been recognized as one of the oldest, and most authentic pre-Revolutionary homes remaining in the City of Alexandria. The house was built about 1772 and documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) in the 1930's, with the architectural drawings prepared at that time now held within the collections of the Library of Congress. In the 1960's the house was included within the Alexandria National Historic Landmark District, receiving the highest designation for historic recognition and protection afforded by the Federal government. Since its original construction, the historic house has h...
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