Historical Review Board

Meeting Notification

The Historical Review Board meets on the third Wednesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. at the Department of Planning and Community Development Conference Room located at 2875 Sabre Street, Suite 500. Persons wishing to speak on any agenda item may register by calling Elizabeth Nowak at 757-385-3066 or emailing  PreserveVB@vbgov.com at least 30 minutes in advance of the scheduled meeting time.

Historical Review Board

 CapeHenryLighthouseThe Historical Review Board (HRB) is an 8-member body, appointed by the City Council, responsible for the review of requests for new development and exterior building changes within the Historic and Cultural Districts of the City of Virginia Beach.

The Board determines when to issue a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA), which is required before a permit can be issued. The Historical Review Board evaluates the development proposal's compatibility in terms of design and materials. An application for a Certificate of Appropriateness must be completed and submitted on or before the 10th of each month. The application submittal consists of (1) a completed Application Form and (2) a Disclosure Statement Form, which are provided on the right side of this webpage under Related Information. (There are separate application forms for different projects. Choose the one that best fits your project to complete and submit. For example, if you are constructing a new building, use the New Construction application.)There are no fees for applications for a COA.

 
​Meeting​​​Location​Date​Time
HearingPlanning Department Large Conference Room ​3rd Wednesday of every month4:00 p.m.

For detailed information on Historic and Cultural District regulations, see the ordinance on the right side of this webpage under Related Information. 

 Design Guidelines

In the design review process in Virginia Beach, owners of properties located in designated Historic and Cultural Districts must get approval from the Historical Review Board for major exterior alterations/repairs/maintenance, additions, new construction, signs, and demolition. Board approval is in the form of a "Certificate of Appropriateness." 

Design Guidelines have been developed for the City of Virginia Beach's Historic and Cultural Districts. The Design Guidelines provide helpful, interpretive, explanatory recommendations for appropriate design elements and materials for consideration when property owners are planning projects. These guidelines are written with graphic information in a printed, book format (available digitally) that focuses on each district's historic characteristics. The Design Guidelines provide the key support materials for administering design review and assist the Historical Review Board in managing a consistent review process. The final draft of the Design Guidelines is available under Related Information on this web page. A print friendly version is also available under Related Information if printed copies of pages or sections are desired. 

The Design Guidelines are currently going through the approval process. Amendments to the Article 13 of the Zoning Ordinance and to the Comprehensive Plan will be considered by the Planning Commission at their January 12, 2022 meeting.  The amendments will then be considered by City Council. 

The Design Standards and Review Guidelines project was partially funded by a Certified Local Government (CLG) grant from the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. The funding for CLG grants is from the federal Historic Preservation Fund. As a CLG, Virginia Beach is required to identify standards for review.

 Historical Review Board Members

​Members​Contact Information
​Bernice Pope
​cbfay2@gmail.com
Hayden DuBayhdubay@dubayproperties.com
Charles “Lynn” Hightowerlhigh8@cox.net
Steve McNaughtonsbm@mcnaughtonarch.com
Richard “Dick” Poole - Vice Chairmanrgpoolearch@gmail.com
Mary Ann Schmidtmaschmidt64@cox.net
Damian Seitz - Chairmandseitz@clarknexsen.com
Jim Vachonjim.vachon@yahoo.com

 2023 Agendas/Minutes

​Hearing Date
​Agenda
Minutes
​Janaury 18, 2023


​February 15, 2023


​March 15, 2023


​April 19 2023


​May 17, 2023


​June 14, 2023


​July 19, 2023


​August 16, 2023


​September 20, 2023


​October 18, 2023


​November 15, 2023

​December 20, 2023




 2022 Agenda/Minutes

​Hearing Date
​Agenda
Minutes
​Janaury 19, 2022


​February 16, 2022

CANCELLED
​March 16, 2022


​April 20, 2022

​CANCELLED
​May 18, 2022


​June 15, 2022


​July 20, 2022

​CANCELLED
​August 17, 2022


​September 8. 2022


​September 21, 2022


​October 19, 2022


​November 16, 2022

​December 21, 2022



 2021 Agenda/Minutes

​Hearing Date​Agenda​Minutes
​January 20, 2021- Cancelled
​February 17, 2021
​March 17, 2021
​April 21, 2021
​May 19, 2021
​June 23, 2021
​July 21, 2021 - Cancelled
​August 18, 2021

​September 15, 2021

​October 20, 2021
​November 17, 2021


​December 15, 2021

 2020 Agenda/Minutes

​2020

​Hearing Date​Agenda​Minutes
​January 15, 2020
​February 19, 2020 - Cancelled
​March 18, 2020 - Cancelled
​April 15, 2020 - Cancelled
​May 20, 2020 - Cancelled
​June 15, 2020 - Cancelled
​July 15, 2020
​August 19, 2020 -Cancelled
​September 16, 2020 - Cancelled
​October 21, 2020 - Cancelled
​November 18, 2020 - Cancelled
​December 16, 2020

 2019 Agendas/Minutes

2019

​Hearing Date​Agenda​Minutes
​January 16, 2019 - CANCELLED
​February 20, 2019
​March 20, 2019
​April 17, 2019 - CANCELLED
​May 15, 2019
​June 19, 2019 - CANCELLED
​July 17, 2019  - CANCELLED
​August 21, 2019
​September 18, 2019 - CANCELLED
​October 16, 2019
​November 20, 2019
​December 18, 2019