Those hoping to save a century-old Arlington school building from the wrecking ball will have to win a game of beat-the-clock.
Or, more likely, beat-the-bulldozer.
A divided Historical Affairs and Landmark Review Board (HALRB) voted June 20 to direct the county’s history-preservation staff to begin compiling information on the former Nelly Custis Elementary School in the Aurora Highlands neighborhood near Crystal City.
That begins a process that could – emphasis on “could” – lead to the site’s designation as a local historic district, which would provide some protections against major exterior changes.
“It’s a textbook case for preservation,” said Stacey Meyer, one of those testifying to move the process forward at the June 20 meeting.
That is not exactly the view of Melwood, the property owner, which has formed a partnership with Wesley Housing to replace the current building (used as a training facility for those with intellectual disabilities) with a mixed-use project that includes affordable housing.
The original school building, which dates to 1923, has been “compromised” through several renovations over time and “has little original [historic] integrity” left, said Cathy Puskar, an attorney with Walsh Colucci Lubely Walsh. The firm is representing Melwood, which plans to retain its programs in the new building, and asked HALRB members to turn down the application for historic status, which came from a member of the public.
Puskar complained that preservation advocates will hold up a “meaningful, financially viable” project that will “support today’s most vulnerable residents.”
Admitting they were caught in between two competing interests, a slim majority of HALRB members in attendance voted that the site at 750 23rd St. South potentially could meet two of the 11 defined historic-preservation criteria in the county’s zoning policy. Two is the rock-bottom minimum required for a determination to move forward.
(Six HALRB members were not in attendance at the meeting.)
In May, County Board members accepted a special, site-specific General Land Use Plan (GLUP) report from county staff, a key step in Melwood’s being able to continue its redevelopment plan. At the time, staff told County Board members that the building’s architectural integrity was “too compromised” to merit full preservation. Staff did suggest retaining the facade of the building as part of the redevelopment.
The mostly single-family-residential Aurora Highlands neighborhood is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the Melwood building named as a contributing resource. Jill Braun, speaking for the Aurora Highlands Civic Association, said the property deserves historic status on its own merits.
“How has this building not already been designated?” she asked.
The ultimate arbiter of historic designation rests with County Board members. While the June 20 action starts the ball rolling on a process, how long it will take to play out remains an unknowable question.
Historic-preservation staff say several other historic-district proposals are in front of it in the queue.
“It’s problematic,” HALRB member Richard Woodruff said of the backlog. “We need more staff. We don’t have enough resources to do what we need to do.”
Were they so inclined, County Board members could tap the brakes on Melwood’s rezoning request to allow the matter to play out. But in recent years, board members invariably have been reluctant to impose historic-district status on a property owner that is opposed to it, allowing one large estate and several churches with historic provenance to fall to the wrecking ball.
If zoning changes and other necessary steps do win speedy approval, Melwood could call in the bulldozers even as an evaluation of the historic provenance was ongoing.
Two vocal preservation advocates, Tom Dickinson and John Reeder, are seeking to avoid that possibility. In a letter to County Manager Mark Schwartz, they wrote that county leaders should let the historic-designation process play out.
“This property may test the county leadership’s commitment,” the duo wrote. “Preservation advocates will be watching closely.”
Earlier this year, the General Assembly approved and Gov. Youngkin signed legislation slightly leveling the playing field between property owners and preservation advocates on historic-district designations. But the author of that measure, Del. Patrick Hope (D-Arlington), told the GazetteLeader the new law, which went into effect July 1, wouldn’t necessarily impact this situation.
“If the County Board decides to issue a permit to raze or demolish an historic building, the law starts a 30-day clock after the County Board makes its final decision before issuing the permit to demolish,” he said of the new law. “But if the building hasn’t been deemed historic by the time the County Board renders its decision, they would not be subject to the 30-day delay.”
