Chipping away at charm … one brick at a time
What happened there? … a new – or old resident of Purcellville might say.
In recent weeks, well-known local developer Casey Chapman, with Martinsburg Plaza LCC and Loudoun West Investments LLC, presented a rendering of his vision for a major new residential/commercial development on Hatcher Ave. in Purcellville. Most residents would consider Hatcher Ave. to be the start, so-to-speak, of the old part of Town.
The proposal is called Trails End, LLC, and proposes to tear down three homes on Hatcher, replacing them with commercial on the bottom, and dense residential on top of the brick structure.
All three properties – older homes – are official “contributing [historic] structures” through the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and are part of Purcellville’s Historic Overlay District.
Currently, the plan is for one large three-story building to be built on three separate lots. Trails End, LLC will be consolidating the three properties into a single parcel.
This approval process is handled by Town staff. And, that’s where the “chipping away” comes in.
Splitting hairs … or maybe not … Chapman has filed demolition permits for each of three older properties, and as of press time, the permits have not been issued. But, according to staff, since the properties are not included in the Town of Purcellville Historic Corridor Overlay [Zoning] District, the proposed demolition does not require Board of Architectural Review approval, even though the properties are in the Historic Overlay District.
Town of Purcellville Design Guidelines state that the “guidelines are applicable to all non-residential and non-agricultural development within the Town limits of Purcellville as well as historic residential structures in the Historic Overlay District. Scale, orientation, relationship and character of the built environment make up its context. The existing makeup of the Town, its buildings, streetscapes and landscaping, all assist in establishing a frame of reference for context and compatibility. Submissions to the BAR [ Board of Architectural Review] should take the following into consideration: a) Scale, placement and character of proposed buildings or building additions [and] should blend well with its neighboring structures.”
Semantics? Double speak? Details that don’t really matter? Hair splitting? Maybe. But, bit-by-bit, things like this have a way of chipping away at a Town’s charm. They sure do.
The Board of Architectural Review has taken the initial position that there must be a compelling reason to tear down or relocate a significant historic structure in the Town’s Historic Overlay District. It has previously re-emphasized that keeping structures is important to maintaining the scale and character of a neighborhood. If a house is a contributing structure in the Purcellville Historic District, this must be considered.
The newly-adopted Town of Purcellville Comprehensive Plan wants this area to “Limit the bulk of redevelopment and infill in the district to small footprint buildings similar to existing buildings.”
It also wants to “allow single-family homes or residential-style office buildings along the borders of the district as an appropriate transition to existing residential areas.”
Consider the sense of quiet, style, and history you get driving around the area dominated by the old, and well-preserved mill (Magnolia’s restaurant) on 21st street. Somebody did development the right way, there.
The guiding statement in Purcellville’s Comp Plan for this area says, “Any other buildings that are replaced or built as infill should reference the scale, proportion, style, and bulk and massing of the existing buildings …” The section of Hatcher in question is comprised of single-family homes that have a commercial/residential use. The zoning in this area is C-4 (Central Commercial).
Apartments are a permitted use in the C-4 District and there are approximately four on 21st Street and a few on Main and 20th Streets. However, Multi-Family is not a permitted use in this District. “As Acting Zoning Administrator, I struggle to explain the difference between the two terms describing essentially the same use,” wrote Andy Conlon in the Staff Report.
Chapman has filed the Certificate of Design Approval application before submitting a site plan. A site plan would consider traffic impacts, pre- and post-development drainage, permeable and impermeable surfaces, and possibly extending O Street E to Hatcher. Traffic impacts are not considered with a Certificate of Design Approval Application.
The BAR has not issued the Certificate of Design Approval for Trails End, LLC and has asked them to return with a more detailed plan.
Feature photo: The building is designed “to evoke a neo-traditional commercial and row house feel,” according to the staff report.