Historic Overlay District Protections Approved For Hollin Hills

HYBLA VALLEY, VA — A historic overlay district for Hollin Hills was approved by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Tuesday, adding more protections for the mid-century modern community.

Hollin Hills, designed by architect Charles Goodman, was one of the first planned communities with mid-century modern architecture in the DC region. Developed between 1949 and 1971, Hollin Hills features 492 properties generally east side of Fort Hunt Road, south of Paul Spring Road and Devonshire Road, and north of Sherwood Hall Lane. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and Fairfax County Inventory of Historic Sites.

Historic overlay districts set regulations over the normal zoning regulations to protect areas, sites and buildings that have historic, architectural or archeological value. The Hollin Hills community had requested the process for a historic overlay district, according to a newsletter from Mount Venron District Supervisor Dan Storck. In 2017, Storck and county staff began conversations with residents and polled all households to gauge support for a historic overlay district.

The Board of Supervisors had asked county staff in 2018 to evaluate a potential historic overlay district for Hollin Hills due to its architectural significance. A few examples of current historic overlay districts are Huntley, Wellington at River Farm and Woodlawn Plantation & Pope-Leighey House.

Patrick Kelly, president of the Civil Association of Hollin Hills, told the board there have been occasional cases of residents proposing renovations that aren't compatible with the community's design guidelines. In rare cases, the association would take legal action.

"We come to you asking for your support so that at least for permitted work for exterior renovations, the county can help us enforce the aesthetics, the architectural and historic integrity of our community," said Kelly.

The historic overlay district comes with zoning ordinance text amendments to set regulations. Property owners in Hollin Hills would need Architectural Review Board approval of new structures or additions that require a building permit. In addition, the building height of single-family homes and other "principal structures" would be limited to 35 feet. A comprehensive plan amendment was also included to update language and figures in the plan.

With the historic overlay district, the board approved a grandfathering clause to "grandfather" any building permits or site-related plans already under review or in process of being approved. While Hollin Hills has 492 properties, 454 properties were designated as contributing to the historic overlay district, and 38 were designated as non-contributing.

"I am very pleased that we were able to work closely with the Hollin Hills residents to add this additional protection to preserve the history, heritage and agricultural character of this unique neighborhood," wrote Storck in the newsletter.

The next step is the Architectural Review Board considering proposed Hollin Hills historic overlay district design guidelines. The board will review guidelines on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.