historic district

According to the Altavista Journal, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources will hold a public information hearing Tuesday, Feb. 16, at town hall at 6 p.m. The community is invited to hear the presentations, ask questions and offer input. Comments from the February meeting will be presented to two Virginia Department of Historic Resources boards on March 18. The proposed district takes in about 50 buildings in the heart of downtown, including commercial properties, government and churches, but no single-family residences.  Buildings have to be 50 years old and retain some historical character. A major benefit of the designations would be that contributing properties in the district would be eligible for historic rehabilitation tax credits from the state and federal governments. The designations would not impose restrictions on property owners.

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Today the Daily Progress reported that community leaders in Crozet are taking steps to have part of the town named a historic district.

Although it may be a difficult battle to find the funds to support this project, there are many advantages to business owners and homeowners.

Crozet community leaders say that the advantage of having a historic district would be that eligible businesses would be able to get tax credits that would cover as much as 45 percent of the cost of renovating historic buildings that are more than a half-century old, and homeowners could have as much as 25 percent of renovation costs covered.

"Community leaders say residents would benefit from part of Crozet becoming a historic district, and though the first steps were taken to make that happen, paperwork has been stalled. And uncertainty lingers about when the application will be completed and who’ll pay for it.

Michael Marshall, chairman of the Crozet Community Advisory Council, said that such a request should be filed by Albemarle County, particularly considering that most of the work is already done and part of the expenses were paid by the county. But Margaret Maliszewski, the county’s principal planner for architectural review and historic resources, says that the county doesn’t have the money or staff to finish the work."

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