|  Please follow the links below for information about Loudoun County's Historic and Cultural Conservation Districts.
Are You in a Historic District? To find out, follow the link below to the Loudoun County Online Mapping System. Historic Districts are located under "Boundaries" in the Map Layers under Land Records. Maps of the individual districts are also available on the Historic District Maps page. The Towns of Leesburg, Middleburg, and Purcellville also have locally designated historic districts which are administered by the Town governments. Background Since 1972, Loudoun County has protected its unique historic assets through the designation of local historic districts. There are six Historic and Cultural Conservation Districts in Loudoun County: Aldie, Bluemont, Goose Creek, Oatlands, Taylorstown, and Waterford. The county has also designated one Historic Roadways District. The Beaverdam Historic Roadways District comprises a network of 32 rural roads located in the southwest corner of the county generally bounded by Snickersville Turnpike (Route 734) to the north and John Mosby Highway (Route 50) to the south. Leesburg, Middleburg, and Purcellville comprise historic districts which are under the jurisdiction of their respective towns. All of these districts, with the exception of Beaverdam, are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The Village of Waterford and the surrounding rural area is also a National Historic Landmark, the highest honorary designation bestowed by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The National Historic Landmark boundary is larger than the county-administered district, which is limited to the central village area. Goose Creek is the only rural Historic and Cultural Conservation District. Encompassing over 10,000 acres of land, this district was formed to protect and enhance the rural landscape of the area. The county's existing Historic and Cultural Conservation (HCC) Districts were formed at the request of property owners. The first districts were the Aldie, Oatlands, and Waterford districts, formed in 1972. Residents in these areas recognized the unique historic character of the communities in which they lived and sought to preserve the historic buildings, landscapes and viewsheds. The newest district, the Beaverdam Creek Historic Roads District, was established in 2002 with the intent to protect the historic rural character of a network of roads that evolved from Colonial paths and trails. The Historic District Program enables Loudoun County to be a Certified Local Government. This gives the county standing with the State Preservation Office to comment on nominations of property to the national and state registers and allows the county to apply for grant money specifically allocated for local preservation efforts. Purpose The formation of a district and the addition of land to a district is a zoning action. The Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance allows for the creation of Historic Districts to achieve the following goals: - To protect and enhance areas with special character or historic interest that reflect the County’s cultural, social, economic, political, architectural or archaeological history.
- To foster civic pride
- To maintain and improve property values
- To enhance tourism
- To provide for the public education and general welfare of county residents
The formation of a Historic District requires the consent of a two-thirds majority of property-owners within a proposed district boundary. Historic District Regulation Article 6-1800 of the Loudoun County Zoning Ordinance provides for the protection of historically and culturally significant areas by the creation of Historic Site/Historic and Cultural Conservation/Historic Roadway Overlay Zoning Districts. This means that in addition to land use regulations that apply in a particular area, landowners must comply with architectural guidelines that protect the historic character of the Historical and Cultural Conservation District. A requirement of Article 6-1900 is the Certificate of Appropriateness. Before any alterations to existing structures or construction of new structures or buildings (including fences but excluding farm fences and bona fide farm buildings primarily used or to be used for agriculture or horticultural purposes) and signs can proceed, plans must be presented to and reviewed by the Loudoun County Historic District Review Committee (HDRC). The Zoning Ordinance and more information about the HDRC are available online. For More Information For more information about Loudoun County Historic and Cultural Conservation Districts, please contact Heidi Siebentritt in the Department of Planning at 703-777-0246 or e-mail dop@loudoun.gov. |