The Chevy Chase DC Conservancy proposes a
Chevy Chase DC Historic District.
Map of the Proposed Boundary
A Chevy Chase DC Historic District is the most powerful legal tool at our disposal to ensure all new development projects go through a design review and compatibility process.
The proposed historic district will include both commercial and residential sections of the oldest parts of our neighborhood that officially opened in 1907.
Without a historic district, community residents and the ANC are not permitted any oversight over Matter-of-Right building projects. We are limited to reviewing only PUDs, which are heard before the DC Zoning Commission (ZC) and rarely denied. The ZC has no legal mandate to make new development compatible with adjacent lower density residential areas but a historic district does.
An historic district ensures our neighborhood's interests are protected and provides a level of review through the Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Preservation Review Board that can enhance any project and make it more compatible with its surroundings.
While the Chevy Chase Small Area Plan can identify goals, strategic priorities, and recommendations for growth and development, it cannot protect the charm, historic architecture, and affordability of our neighborhood.
If there is no demolition protection for historic homes they will eventually be demolished and replaced with new houses that sell in the millions. This will make the neighborhood more expensive, exclusive and less accessible to those who want to live here.
Change is a fact of life. If we don't choose to manage change, others will be happy to do it for us.
