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Permission to build or remodel must be sought from the city - in this case, the Permit Processing Center of the D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affiars (DCRA). The District, by law, cannot issue a permit until it receives confirmation of project design approval from the D.C. Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts (CFA). The CFA has jurisdiction over projects visible from public space - including from streets, sidewalks, parks, and public alleys. Work that is not visible from public space will only be reviewed by HPRB. The applicant should submit descriptive photographs of the property and architectural drawings, along with an application fee. An appointment may be arranged with a D.C. Historic Preservation Office (HPO) staff member to discuss the proposed project, deadlines for providing the necessary documentation, and information on the monthly public meetings held for the application review. Depending on the scale and complexity of the project, there may be two stages to this review: concept review and permit review. The CFA delegates primary review of Georgetown projects to its Old Georgetown Board (OBG), a three-member panel of architects, although the Commission makes a final determination after having received the OGB recommendation (website: www.cfa.gov). HPO typically weighs in by commenting on projects at the monthly OGB hearing and then approves permits after the CFA has done so. The OGB and HPRB obtain the critical views of Georgetown property owners and neighbors through the Citizens Association of Georgetown (CAG) advocacy and that of Georgetown's elected Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC). The ANC, at the regular monthly meetings on the first Tuesday of each month, considers proposed projects within the Georgetown Historic District and will make recommendations to the appropriate board regarding the merits of a project. At the ANC meeting, the applicant and/or architect should be present to discuss the proposal, and neighbors also have a chance to support or to oppose the project. More ANC information is available at www.anc2e.com, and materials providing guidance on restoring properties in the Georgetown Historic District are available at the CAG website: www.cagtown.org. Construction requires zoning and building code review in addition to preservation and design review. The DCRA performs those functions before issuing permits. Keep in mind that, particularly for new construction and additions, there may be zoning or even building constraints that affect building massing, even window placement, and materials. If you need a zoning variance in order to build a project, you would have to make application to the D.C. Board of Zoning (BZA). Code issues, on the other hand, are usually worked out through consultation with the code officials at DCRA. The historic preservation laws and regulations have been successfully administered for over 50 years in Georgetown. If the points addressed herein are kept in mind, a homeowner's successful completion of the permit and historic review process may be greated expedited. By adhering to the historic preservation guidelines, Georgetown will continue to be the wonderful historic village it is today. |
