Historic preservation in the Foxhall Village area and pressure from new development dominated the discussion at the FCCA’s June 20 General Membership meeting.

Paul DonVito, a key actor in establishing Foxhall Village as a Historic District nearly 11 years ago, presented a slide show of Village houses, showing details of how people have accommodated standards for historic preservation in their choices in windows, walkways and basement apartment access features.

Also appearing were Gabriela Gutowski of the D.C. Office of Planning’s Historic Preservation Office, and Nancy MacWood, a longtime Cleveland Park ANC Commissioner and veteran of debates about rules for development.

DonVito said that discussing design plans before they are implemented is important and that conflicts can typically be resolved. ANC Commissioner Conrad Dewitte, a Village resident, seconded the value of getting prior review for designs, noting one resident who had to tear out and redo front yard terracing because it was objectionable and hadn’t been approved.

Gutowski, who came to her D.C. job in 2016 from a similar post in New York City, said permits for renovations go through the city Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs but are reviewed by her office. What’s visible from the street is particularly significant because it represents the “viewshed” of the historic district. She said that many photos are on file that inventory the appearance of the Village,  developed from around 1911 to 1933. “We know what it looked like before,” she said. “We don’t want to freeze your house in time. We just want to have what’s appropriate. It’s case by case.”

There are limits to the reach of the guidelines, with paint color not being regulated, she said. She added that under the city’s “public space” rules, which govern deeper into home sites than property owners might expect, a certain amount of the space in the front yard must be kept as green space.

MacWood took up questions about changes in the works for the city’s regulatory and planning frame. She said that the D.C. Zoning Commission, a five-member board with three mayoral appointees, along with designees of the Architect of the Capitol and the National Park Service, write all the zoning laws and exceptions, in the light of the city Comprehensive Plan, which is developed by the D.C. Council.

She said reconsideration of the guidance has proven controversial and technical. She said that language changes proposed by the Office of Planning, such as shifting from specific characterizations of certain types of communities to using terms like “describe generally but not exclusively”, would loosen the parameters for how those areas can be developed and give the Zoning Commission more leeway to approve projects. In the wake of the uproar about the proposed changes, action by City Council was delayed.

Public Pot Stirring, Truck Spotting

Concerns about public consumption of marijuana and a report of a stolen vehicle were part of the police report at the meeting.

Metropolitan Police Officer Tony McElwee said smoking marijuana in public is illegal and that residents can call police to respond.

McElwee said a vehicle was reported stolen overnight between June 18-19 in the 4400 block of Volta Place. The keys had been left in the vehicle, as had a wallet, which apparently was recovered because it was dropped during the theft. McElwee cautioned people not to leave keys in the car and that sometimes thieves of high-end cars use valet keys that are left in the glove box.

McElwee said a special 5-member team had been formed to enforce traffic laws at Ward Circle, and that action earlier in the day had resulted in two arrests on charges of driving without a license. He also is spot-checking construction truck traffic on MacArthur Boulevard, for example, making sure tires are in proper condition.