Historic District Guidelines
Board of Supervisors Adopts Updated Historic District Guidelines
On December 8, 2008, the Board of Supervisors adopted the proposed zoning ordinance amendment, ZOAM 2008-001, Historic District Guidelines Update. The revised guidelines update the 1987 Loudoun County Historic District Guidelines. Much of the content from the original document, including the general intent of the guidelines, the district histories, and prevalent architectural styles, is relevant today and remains the same. Still, much has changed in Loudoun County over the last two decades. Rapid suburban residential growth and evolving building trends dictated more thorough and illustrative descriptions of the architectural principles of massing, scale, and proportion. The updated guidelines also incorporate new and alternative architectural materials and green building techniques for new construction.
The format of the Historic District Guidelines has also changed. They are now divided into three documents, the Waterford Guidelines, the Goose Creek Guidelines, and the Aldie, Bluemont, Oatlands, and Taylorstown (ABOT) Guidelines. Since the Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District Guidelines were adopted in 2002, they were not updated. The HDRC and Planning Staff are now using the updated guidelines to evaluate all Certificate of Appropriateness (CAPP) applications. CAPP applicants should also refer to the appropriate updated guidelines for guidance.
Copies of Historic District Guidelines
Copies of the Loudoun County Historic District Guidelines are also available for review in the Loudoun County Department of Planning, the Thomas Balch Library, Oatlands Plantation, Lincoln Preservation Society, and The Waterford Foundation. The Department of Planning is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. Please contact the other organizations for availability. Copies may be purchased from the Loudoun County Department of Planning.
The Loudoun County Planning Department coordinated the Historic District Guidelines update through a grant awarded in 2007 by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources through the Certified Local Government program. Frazier & Associates of Staunton, Virginia served as the consultant.
Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District Guidelines
The county has one designated historic roadways district, the Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District, that is guided by its own historic district guidelines. The Beaverdam Historic Roadways District is comprised of a network of 32 rural roads located in the southwestern corner of Loudoun County. The Historic Roadways District guidelines apply to consenting parcels and are limited to 35 feet from the designated roadway centerline. The Beaverdam Creek Historic Roadways District Guidelines are available online: