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Larchmont area may get historic status
By HARRY MINIUM, The Virginian-Pilot
© January 4, 2004
NORFOLK — As home values soar in Larchmont and Edgewater,
developers have turned to the wrecking ball. Humble Cape Cods
are being replaced with multistory mansions, and some lots are
being carved up.
Alarmed by the trend, the Larchmont/Edgewater Civic League has
asked the city to consider designating the area a local historic
district, like historic districts the city has established in
Ghent, Freemason and downtown.
That would place restrictions on demolitions, renovations and
some simple repairs. If approved, the change would affect nearly
6,000 people living in 2,400 homes. The exact restrictions have
not yet been determined.
In Ghent’s historic district, a homeowner who wants to replace
a fence or siding must get approval from the Design Review Committee.
Currently, if a Larchmont or Edgewater homeowner wants to replace
wood siding with vinyl or tear down a home and build a larger
one, the city has no control, as long as the project meets zoning
rules.
Supporters of a historic district say it would prevent high-density
development from surging through the neighborhood. Opponents say
it would infringe on their private property rights.
Meanwhile, city officials are pushing zoning changes to prevent
high-density development in other parts of the city, including
Ocean View and Coleman Place.
That proposal has sparked an emotional debate about property
rights.
Critics of recent developments in Larchmont and Edgewater say
the most egregious example is at Monroe Place and Cambridge Crescent,
where a builder tore down one house and is replacing it with three.
“I wouldn’t say they’re destroying the nature
of the neighborhood, but developers are definitely changing the
nature of the neighborhood,” said David O’Dell, civic
league president. “The architecture isn’t in keeping
with the neighborhood. I don’t like what I see happening.’’
The civic league voted 58-4 in May to request the historic district
designation. Collins Gooch, a Larchmont resident, is among those
opposed. “To me, this is an overreaction,” he said.
“A developer is not going to build a $50,000 cracker box
in Larchmont. He’s going to build a home that will sell.”
Opponents say civic-league activists represent a minority of
residents. O’Dell responded that the civic league passed
out fliers to every household describing the basics of what changes
an historic district would bring, but few opponents showed up
for the meeting.
Stuart Kirkham Cole, an engineer and a longtime Larchmont resident,
said he believes that few residents understand the full ramifications
of the changes. “I don’t believe most residents have
been notified of the impact and potential costs of this proposal,”
he said.
Resident Rob Turner, an attorney, argued: “If they zone
this an historic district, it is a taking of property rights.
I’m not in favor of vinyl siding. But if you want to do that,
you should be allowed to without having to traipse down to City
Hall to get a certificate of appropriateness.”
O’Dell said requirements for new siding or fences “would
be more flexible” than rules applied in Ghent. He said many
repairs could be approved by the city’s planning department
without going before the Design Review Committee.
“We would want the restrictions to be applied with a very
broad brush,’’ he said. “There would be many acceptable
alternatives.”
The area counts some of the city’s most influential people
among its residents, including Mayor Paul D. Fraim and W. Sheppard
Miller III, chairman of the Norfolk Redevelopment and Housing
Authority.
Real-estate agents say it is one of the hottest markets in Hampton
Roads. “There is a waiting list of folks who are looking
for moderately priced houses in the neighborhood,” Fraim
said.
City Assessor Wayne Trout said homes sold and resold in 2003
appreciated by an average of 30 percent. One house, purchased
less than two years ago for $143,300, sold for $259,900 just 19
months later, Trout said.
Larchmont and Edgewater are desirable because they adjoin Old
Dominion University, are minutes from downtown and the Norfolk
Naval Base, have hundreds of waterfront homes, and have neighborhood
public schools with high test scores.
The area offers a mosaic of architectural styles that resulted
from its beginnings in 1908 as a Norfolk County suburb.
Because the area was once rural, it took decades to build it
out.
Some homes close to ODU are modest and have sold for slightly
more than $100,000.
Some waterfront homes approach $1 million.
Turner said the many architectural styles in Larchmont make it
an unlikely candidate for a historic designation. “George
Washington didn’t sleep here, and the Ghent Treaty wasn’t
signed here,” he said. “It’s just a suburb of downtown.”
But Mary Miller, a city planner working with the civic league,
said the area does meet the requirements of a local historic district,
which call for a neighborhood to be at least 50 years old and
of “local significance.”
“Ultimately, it will come down to whether a majority of
people want this or don’t want this for their neighborhood,”
she said.
Miller said there will be several public hearings over the next
six months or so before a decision is made by the City Council.
O’Dell said a vast majority of residents are in favor of
a historic designation. “Nearly everyone I’ve spoken
to believes this is the right thing for our neighborhood,”
he said.
“But if it turns out the neighborhood isn’t behind
it, that’s the position the civic league will take.”
Fraim, who lives in Edgewater, said he hasn’t made up his
mind. “People have real concerns about their neighborhood,
and people have real concerns about their property rights,”
he said. “And they are both genuine points of view.
“This isn’t just a Larchmont issue. If you look around
the city, a lot of residents are voicing the same concerns about
development,” the mayor said. “The city needs to take
a look at what controls we have, and right now we have very little.”
Reach Harry Minium at 446-2371 or harry.minium@pilotonline.com
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