Below you find the DC Preservation Leagues response to concerns about historic district designation in

Eckington. Please feel free to ask additional questions that we might be able to assist with.

What does historic designation mean?

If Eckington becomes a historic district, when you make changes or repairs to your home like switching
doors or windows, or building a deck you will need to get the approval of a historic review board
composed of some of your neighbors, as well as the citys office of historic preservation. They have the
power to deny plans that arent consistent with the chosen historic period, both in terms of appearance
and materials. This is on top of the zoning and permitting restrictions you already need to go through with
DCRA. If your home is not historically compliant and doesnt have a spotless permitting trail, you could
even be prevented from restoring it to the condition in which you bought it.
Response:
Contributing buildings in historic districts require review by the Historic Preservation Office staff, in addition
to regular review by zoning and building code officials. This review process is folded into the typical permit
process required for most exterior alterations. Most alterations (nearly 95%) to historic buildings are
approved administratively by the staff, as the review of most minor projects has been delegated by the
Historic Preservation Review Board. Major new construction, additions and raze permits are reviewed
monthly by the HPRB.
Similar to buildings not within a historic districts, undertaking work without a building permit or not in
accordance with approved plans and permits may result in fines, if the property owner does not take action
to correct the violation in a timely manner.
Whats good about historic designation?
Historic designation can preserve the current look of neighborhoods. By reducing the supply of housing, it
also tends to drive up home prices, so it can be financially beneficial for people who already own homes
(though this is arguably offset by the downsides like slower growth of businesses serving the community).
Response:
There are several benefits related to historic district designation:
1. Local districts protect the investments of owners and residents of historic properties. Insensitive or
poorly planned development can make an area less attractive to investors and homebuyers, and thus
undermine property value. In contrast, historic district designation encourages people to buy and
rehabilitate properties because they know their investment is protected over time.

1221 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 5A | Washington, DC 20036 | T: 202.783.5144 | F: 202.783.5596 | www.dcpreservation.org
John Sandor, President | Scott P. DeMartino, Esq., Vice President | Howard S. Berger Treasurer | Kate M. Olson, Esq., Secretary
Fay Armstrong | Sean C. Cahill | M. Jesse Carlson, Esq. | Melissa Cohen, AIA, LEED AP | John DeFerrari | Edward D. Dunson, AIA
Hany Hassan, FAIA | Gerard Heiber, LEED AP | Rob McClennan, AIA | Donald Beekman Myer, FAIA
D. Peter Sefton | Edwin Villegas | Chuck Wagner | Juliet Zucker

2. Properties within local historic districts appreciate at rates greater than the local market overall as well as
faster than similar, non-designated neighborhoods. Findings on this point are consistent across the country.
Moreover, recent analysis shows that historic districts are also less vulnerable to market volatility from
interest rate fluctuations and economic downturns.
3. Local districts encourage better quality design. In this case, better design equals a greater sense of
cohesiveness, more innovative use of materials, and greater public appealall of which are shown to occur
more often within designated districts than non-designated ones.
4. Local districts help the environment. Historic districts encourage communities to retain and use their
existing resources in established neighborhoods. This reduces the need for cars, cuts back on pollution and
congestion, and eliminates landfill waste.
5. Local districts are energy-efficient. Many older buildings were designed with energy conservation in
mind, taking advantage of natural light, cross-ventilation, and climate-appropriate materials. Preservation
commissions are also increasingly improving their design guidelines to make it easier for historic building
owners to use renewable-energy technologies.
6. Historic districts are a vehicle for education. They are a tangible link to the past and a way to bring
meaning to history and to peoples lives. They preserve the original character of buildings and streets, while
welcoming growth and innovation within those spaces. They are a living, active record of communities and
their residents.
7. Historic districts can positively impact the local economy through tourism. An aesthetically cohesive and
well-promoted district can be a communitys most important attraction. According to a 2009 report, 78% of
all U.S. leisure travelers are cultural and/or heritage travelers who spent, on average, $994 on their most
recent tripscompared to $611 spent by non-cultural and heritage travelers.
8. Protecting local historic districts can enhance business recruitment potential. Vibrant commercial cores
and charming neighborhoods with character attract new business and quality industry. Companies
continually relocate to communities that offer their workers a higher quality of life, which successful
preservation programs and stable districts enhance.
9. Local districts provide social and psychological benefits. People living in historic districts enjoy the
comfort of a human-scale environment (a mix of aesthetics and functionality that fit the average persons
dimensions and capabilities); the opportunity to live and work in attractive surroundings; a recognizable
and walkable neighborhood; and the galvanizing effect of community-based group action.
10. Local districts give communities a voice in their future. By participating in the designation process,
citizens can help direct their communities path. Making these decisions together in a structured
wayrather than behind closed doors or without public commentgives everyone involved a sense of
empowerment and confidence.
Several studies have shown that there is no direct correlation to increased home prices. Visit the Advisory
Council on Historic Preservations Website to read several studies completed in several different cities:
http://www.achp.gov/economic-designation.html

Whats bad about historic designation?

The people proposing these limits mean well. But historic designation rules add complexity and time to
projects, and make some types of housing illegal. This has bad consequences:

Home prices and rents are likely to increase

Low-income residents may not be able to afford repairs
More hassle and less freedom when planning renovations
Fewer people will be able to live in Eckington

Its this last one that really bugs me. Eckington is a beautiful neighborhood thats in a great location, and
more people would probably like to become our neighbors. More neighbors mean more businesses
serving Eckington, safer streets and better schools.
Speaking more broadly, theres a housing crisis across American cities we have not been building new
homes as quickly as we need to, and limits on housing play a big part. San Francisco has strangled itself
with these kinds of limits, and is now only affordable for the very rich. D.C. is already too expensive! We
shouldnt make the problem worse.
On an individual basis, each neighborhood tends to try to forbid change people who already own homes
decide they like what theyve got, and that new people and places should go somewhere else. But when
every neighborhood in a city does this, the results are disastrous. We dont think its ethical to vote for a
measure like that.
Response:
The goal of historic districts is to manage change to make a better community for residents. Historic
districts support affordable housing and often stop bulldozers that threaten to demolish houses and build
larger rental properties that often price residents out of the neighborhood. Check out some of the
affordable housing projects around the city that have benefited from historic designation and received tax
credits because of the designation: http://www.somersetdev.com/documents/PairingHTC-LIHTC2015-0811Final_1.pdf
Other FAQs:
HISTORIC DESIGNATION FAQS
1. Does the private homeowner or institution have any say over whether their property would be
designated historical?
In the case of a proposed historic district, a simple majority of property owners within the proposed
boundary may object to and thus defeat a designation of the district.
For an individual property nominated as a landmark, a property owner may object (at the Historic
Preservation Review Board hearing or in writing to the HPRB), but this does not necessarily prevent the

property from being declared a landmark. The reason is that landmark nominations are frequently
forwarded to restrain a property owner from demolishing a historic building.
2. If a homeowner wishes to appeal such a designation, can they do so and how do they do it?
There is no appeal on the basis of the owners preference of whether the property should be protected.
After designation, a district or landmark nomination may be amended to account for boundary
expansions or additions of newly contributing structures over time. Historic structures can be de-listed
from the landmark inventory or become non-contributing structures if they sustain a substantial loss of
integrity. Instances might include seriously incompatible alteration or occurrences of fire or natural
disaster.
3. What does historic designation mean to owners in terms of what they can and cannot do to improve or
change their properties?
This is a much more complicated question, as each case is dependent upon the proposed alterations and
upon the characteristics of the existing structures. Historic preservation review conforms to widely
accepted preservation principles and set down in the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Guidelines
(available online at www.dchistoric.org and in hard copy at the D.C. Historic Preservation Office). In
general, the guidelines recommend the preservation of historic fabric when possible and direct or
sympathetic replacement or repair when necessary. New additions should be compatible (in mass, scale,
proportion, materials, etc.) with the original building and the character of the historic district. Modern
synthetic replacement materials are generally discouraged, particularly on high visibility sections of the
building.