Voting Rights

You deserve representation

It takes 75% of a neighborhoods signatures to get your speed bumps evaluated. Why can the Historic Preservation Review Board take away your home ownership rights without even asking? A mail-in vote of 2/3+ should confirm that a neighborhood supports designation.

Read How Bloomingdale Had No Say

Require Local Support

Anyone can elect your neighborhood

Right now any organization can nominate your neighborhood for Historic Preservation and the preservation review board almost always accepts it. We demand that only elected ANC commissioners should be able to nominate the neighborhood they represent.

 

Greater Transparency

No more Misinformation

Repairing a historically designated home simply costs more and takes more time. City Preservation representatives routinely downplay the added costs & time, and misinform neighbors about their rights in the process.

See How Much It Can Cost

Reduced Costs

Residents need more help

The costs of Historic Designation for low-income neighbors should be offset by reductions in your city taxes for elderly low/middle income families, not through an underfunded grant program.

Read How Other States Support Preservation

Coming To A Neighborhood Near You

Washington DC already has 2x as many

historically designated neighborhoods as any other state.

 
Legend_sm.jpg
 
 

We aren’t just making all this up.

Here’s a little light reading to get your started.

 
DoorReplacement.PNG

Door Replacement Guidelines

Grab a warm mug of tea and settle down to 26 pages of DC’s page turner the “Door Repair and Replacement Guidelines”. If this doesn’t make your nervous, you’re not paying attention.

adventure-city-country-240834.jpg

A critical view of restrictive zoning

Learn how Historical Designation follows in a long line of restrictive covenants that displace low-income residents. It’s a new form of exclusionary zoning that undermines the poor while still giving the wealthy that warm and fuzzy feeling.

GeorgetownGentri.PNG

The Sordid history of Georgetown

How did Georgetown become an exclusive playground for the rich? Learn how lawmakers used restrictive covenants to remove low-income residents from Georgetown in the 1930s.

You know nimby, what’s a yimby?

Don’t let “not in my backyard” ruin our city. Learn how homeowners are organizing around the US to help increase the supply of housing and therefore keep our city more affordable for all.

HPRP flowchart.PNG

‘Simple’ home repair process

According to the HPRB, getting your historically designated home repair or updated is “easy” and “convenient” and places “no significant burden on home owners”. Their own flow diagram tells another story.

nopopup.png

We Hate ugly popups too

We know most communities signed up for HD because of popups. Good news! Since 2015 zoning laws have made it impossible to build higher than 35 feet in almost all residential areas. That is three above ground stories at max!

preservation.jpg

See How HD affects your neighborhood.

See how HD is affecting rent and affordable housing in your neighborhood. Census data shows us that designated neighborhoods are whiter, richer, and more expensive than surrounding areas.

 

HD causes displacement!

Its literally in the book!

Learn how to fight displacement in its aptly titled section “Strategies for Resisting Displacement from Historic Preservation!” Or learn that the National Commission on Neighborhoods in 1979 found that HD came “at the expense of low and moderate income residents”.

Problems with Public Review

Read a report by our member Adam Beebe (former Executive Director ANC 2F) as he reflects on his experiences.  In particular he is concerned by the lack of a consistent and predictable process for public engagement during cases of “substantial alterations” to homes.

You can help change the process