Board of Architectural Review

The Board of Architectural Review, (B.A.R.) composed of 7 citizen members and one representative each from the Planning Commission and Town Council, meets on the third Monday of every month unless otherwise noted on the published schedule listed below. Meetings are held in the Town Council Chambers on the second floor of the Town Hall and begin at 7:00 P.M. Applications, fee and materials must be submitted by 5:00 P.M. on the day of the deadline. Following BAR approval, construction projects will require a zoning permit from the Leesburg Zoning Office, located on the second floor of the Town Hall and a building permit from Loudoun County (the town does not have a building department - all building inspection is performed by the county). Please note: building permits will not be issued until the applicant has obtained a zoning permit (and BAR approval) from the town. All sign applications require sign permits - even if an existing sign is being relocated to another site.

For assistance with the BAR process, design criteria or historic preservation, please contact Annie McDonald. For information about the permitting process for alterations, demolition, new construction, relocation of buildings/structures and signs, telephone the Leesburg Zoning Office at 703 771-2765.

The B.A.R. administers regulations for two districts: the Old and Historic District (H-1) and the H-2 Corridor District, cited in Articles 2, 3 and 7 in the Leesburg Zoning Ordinance, and is responsible for reviewing Comprehensive Sign Plans for shopping centers cited in Article 15. Both the Historic District and H-2 Corridor District have Design Guidelines that may be obtained from the Planning Department located on the second floor of the Town Hall. The design guidelines can provide valuable assistance about required architectural information as well as policies or criteria that are necessary to meet the town's standards.

The Old and Historic District was established in 1963 along with creating a Board of Architectural Review (BAR) that oversees all exterior changes to buildings and properties located in the Historic District. The BAR also reviews new construction, including sheds and garages, demolition, building relocation, signs, and landscape structures such as paving, lighting, fences, walls and pergolas. The BAR reviews site plans in conjunction with new development but does not review landscaping for individual residential properties, with the exception of screening for new mechanical equipment. Please note: residential building color schemes, driveways, walkways, fences, walls, and light fixtures may be administratively approved but a historic district permit must be issued prior to construction. In addition, demolition proposals require post-demolition plans -see Section 7.5.8 of the Leesburg Zoning Ordinance.

For researching the history of properties in the historic district, property owners may consult building survey forms and historical maps located at the Thomas Balch Library. In addition, some information may be obtained from the walking tour of the Historic District - Exploring Leesburg:guide to history and architecture. The Historic District is also a National Register District, making tax credits available for renovation work on historic buildings. Tax credit information may be obtained from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources at www.dhr.virginia.gov.

The H-2 Corridor District, established in 1990, extends from the boundaries of the Old and Historic District along Routes 15 (north and south) and 7 (east and west) to the town's incorporation lines. The purpose of the H-2 District is to encourage quality design that is consistent with the traditional character of Leesburg; the jurisdiction of the BAR covers exterior building alterations including color schemes, new construction and site plans, lighting, demolition, building relocation, fences or walls and signs.

Board Members

Teresa Minchew, Chair
Dieter Meyer, Vice-Chair
Richard Koochagian
Tracy Coffing
Robert Miller
Ned Kiley
Marilyn Bos
Ted Kalriess, Planning Commission Representative
Ken Reid, Council Representative

Historic Preservation Planner Annie McDonald accepts e-mail on behalf of the Commission.

MEETING SCHEDULE

*Please note the meetings are scheduled for the third Monday of the month unless otherwise noted.

Meetings start at 7:00 p.m. in the town council chambers 2nd floor of Town Hall, 25 West Market Street, Leesburg, Va.
If there is a conflict with another meeting in the Town Council Chambers, the meetings will be held in the lower level meeting room at Town Hall.

BOARD OF ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW
PUBLIC MEETING PROTOCOL

ELECTRONIC PRESENTATIONS
Electronic media used in development applicant or citizen presentations made at town hall must use the following procedure:

Prepare the presentation on a PC formatted CD-ROM (not Macintosh). Please ensure that the disc will be readable in a normal PC CD-ROM drive. NOTE: if the materials are less than 3 megabytes, they may be emailed to jmarcus@leesburgva.gov.
Materials must be delivered to the Clerk of the Board of Architectural Review Board, 2nd floor, Town Hall, by 3:00pm the day of the presentation. Materials will be scanned for viruses and to ensure they will display properly on the Town’s equipment.
In the event of difficulty with the materials, you will be notified by your staff contact.

DEADLINE	MEETING
* Wednesday, January 2, 2007	*Wednesday, January 23, 2008
*Wednesday, January 23, 2008	*Wednesday, February 20, 2008
*Tuesday, February 19, 2008	Monday, March 17, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008	Monday, April 21, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008	Monday, May 19, 2008
Tuesday, May 19, 2008	Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday, June 23, 2008	Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008	Monday, August 18, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008	Monday, September 15, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008	Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008	Monday, November 17, 2008
Monday, November 17, 2008	Monday, December 15, 2008
* Meeting & Deadline moved due to Holiday.
If you have any questions, please call 703-771-2765

Board Members

Links

MEETING SCHEDULE