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Charlottesville Historic Conservation District Design Guidelines Proposed revisions for City Council approval INTRODUCTION The “Historic Conservation District” designation is intended to protect the character and scale of the more modest historic Charlottesville neighborhoods that are facing tear-downs and increased development, without imposing excessive requirements on the current residents who may want to remodel their homes. Therefore, the ordinance regulations and the following guidelines focus on preventing demolitions of historic buildings, and preventing construction of inappropriate new buildings and additions. Modern and sustainable, energy-efficient construction is encouraged when done thoughtfully in concert with older structures. A Historic Conservation District is different from an Architectural Design Control (ADC) District in three main respects: (1) Unlike in an ADC District, where review is required of all exterior changes to existing buildings, in a Historic Conservation District no approval is required from the Board of Architectural Review (BAR) for certain smaller structures, additions, and demolitions that are not in view of a public street; (2) The Historic Conservation District Design Guidelines have been greatly condensed and simplified; and (3) The residents of a Historic Conservation District help identify architectural character-defining features (included in these Design Guidelines) to be referenced and reinforced when applying the Design Guidelines. A map of each designated Historic Conservation District is included in these Design Guidelines, with each structure determined to be either contributing or non-contributing. A non-contributing building or structure does not require BAR approval prior to demolition. Otherwise, both contributing and non-contributing buildings and structures follow the same design review process. The following Design Guidelines offer general recommendations on the design for all new buildings and additions in Charlottesville’s Historic Conservation Districts. The guidelines are flexible enough to both respect the historic past and to embrace the future. The intent of these guidelines is not to be overly specific or to dictate certain designs to owners and designers. The intent is also not to encourage copying or mimicking particular historic styles. These guidelines are intended to provide a general design framework for new construction. Designers can take cues from the traditional architecture of the area and have the freedom to design appropriate new architecture for Charlottesville’s h istoric districts. The Design Guidelines are based on the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, which are intended to assist the long-term preservation of a property’s significance through the preservation of historic materials and feature s.