A huge swath of southern Albemarle County has been nominated for inclusion in two historical area lists. The 83,627 acres proposed—which lie between the Rivanna and James rivers—would be the largest historic district in Virginia, and the third largest east of the Mississippi.
 This swath of 83,627 acres in southern Albemarle is under consideration to become a rural historic district. If approved, it would be the largest such district in Virginia, allowing many homeowners to get tax credits for renovation work. |
Roughly 50 property owners within and adjacent to the proposed district showed up for a May 3 meeting held by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources at the Albemarle County Office Building. The nomination, now in a one-month comment period, is coming to fruition after a three-year planning period. When one speaker asked for a hand-count of those who supported the nomination, all but one attendee raised a hand.
The process started when residents living near Monticello, who believed their land was in a historic area, discovered it was not. Being listed in the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historical Places will impede any federally funded project, according to Jennifer Hallock of Arcadia Preservation LLC, the historical consulting firm that composed the nomination. “For example, if the government decided to put an interstate through the district,” Hallock said by e-mail, “they would have to show that all efforts to not impact the historically designated area were explored.”
Landowners within the acreage will not be under any obligation to restore property, nor will it limit the use of the property. Those with historic homes will also be eligible for Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits. The time period being considered in the nomination is between 1729 and 1955, marking the decline of agriculture as a major activity in southern Albemarle County.
After the comment period, the nomination will be submitted to the Virginia Board of Historic Resources and the Virginia State Review Board. Both boards use historical significance, association with important individuals, architecture and archeology within a certain time frame as criteria for inclusion on the lists.
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