City of Alexandria, Virginia
________________
MEMORANDUM
DATE: NOVEMBER 22, 2017
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: MARK B. JINKS, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Discussion of the Regulation of the Painting of Unpainted Masonry in the Old and Historic Alexandria District.
BODY
_________________________________________________________________
ISSUE: Regulations related to the painting of unpainted masonry in the Old and Historic District.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council request that the Board of Architectural Review Design Guidelines Subcommittee review and comment on whether the City's policy related to unpainted brick should be changed, and if so propose new language.
BACKGROUND: Following an appeal of a decision of the Old and Historic Alexandria District Board of Architectural Review (BAR) denying a Certificate of Appropriateness for after-the-fact approval of painting unpainted masonry on November 18, 2017, City Council requested that Planning & Zoning staff provide background on the existing ordinance and considerations for changing the ordinance, if necessary.
Since 1992, Section 10-109(B)(4) of the Alexandria Zoning Ordinance has stated the following: "The painting of a masonry building which was unpainted prior to such painting shall be considered to be the removal of an exterior features having historic and/or architectural significance requiring a certificate of appropriateness." The BAR's 1993 Design Guidelines also "strongly discourage the painting of a previously unpainted masonry surface." Additionally, when the BAR regulatory review process was eased in the Parker-Gray District in 2012, the work group and community found that the painting of unpainted masonry on all elevations of both Early and Later building should continue to require BAR approval at a public hearing.
Because a Certificate of Appropriateness is required, the BARs must apply the Standards for review as listed in Section 10-105...
Click here for full text