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Topic
Description:
The historic
area of Fauquier County known as the Springs Valley includes
a number of historic structures, pristine rolling farmland
and boasts a rich and varied history. The Board of
Supervisors has been approached by a group of landowners in
the Springs Valley and other residents requesting that the
County be the applicant for an amended Springs Valley Rural
Historic District nomination for inclusion on the Virginia
Landmarks and the National Register of Historic Properties.
Fauquier
County Government has placed its emphasis on the nomination
of town, village and settlement nominations over the past
six years. Thirteen (13) community historic areas now have
been included on both the Virginia Landmarks the National
Register. The County typically has not focused its efforts
on Rural Historic Areas due to their cost and the staff
effort required. However, the inventory work and most of the
remaining tasks for the Springs Valley Rural Historic
District have already been completed. County staff can
certainly complete the final steps: the public notice and
Department of Historic Resources public hearing steps.
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As a result
of the “Final Report for Survey Update of Historic
Properties in Fauquier County, Virginia (March 20, 2002)”,
the County embarked on a multi-year program to document
approximately twenty-one villages and towns that were deemed
eligible for listing on the Virginia Landmarks and National
Registers. Over half of these eligible areas are now listed
on both registers, and include historic districts within the
following communities with strong resident property owner
support: Ashville, Atoka, Casanova, Delaplane, Markham,
Marshall, Morgantown, New Baltimore, Paris, Rectortown,
Hume, Catlett, and the Town of Remington.
This
National Register designation has no connection with
additional regulatory oversight in Fauquier County. Being
listed on either the Virginia Landmarks or National Register
of Historic Places only conveys an honor and recognition of
a property’s historic significance; it does not place any
constraints on the property owner. Being listed on either
register does not restrict or prevent an owner from
altering, tearing down or otherwise disposing of the
property.
National
Register listing does, however, provide the homeowner access
to state and federal rehabilitation tax credits.
As
customary, once a date for a hearing at the Virginia
Department of Historic Resources (VDHR) is established, all
property owners and adjacent property owners will be
properly notified regarding this application and invited to
a series of public hearings to obtain more information about
the implications of this nomination. The original Springs
Valley Rural Historic District nomination is currently being
amended to address some of the concerns raised at public
hearings in 2007.
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