The town preservationist position on Historic Preservation Review Board will give advice on how to complete projects within the historic district. Photo by Reena Singh.
A seat on the town’s Heritage Preservation Review Board has been vacant for most of the year.
The town is seeking a historic preservationist with three to five years of education and experience as soon as possible to give advice on preserving Herndon’s small town charm.
“It’s always the hardest position to fill,” said town Development Program Planner Ray Ocel.
He said it’s the only position on the board that can be filled by a person outside of Herndon. To qualify, he said, the applicant should have both work experience and education in fields like architectural history, art history or preservation. Someone with an educational background is preferable, said town planner Bryce Perry, because the position will be to provide advice to the town on zoning issues within the historic area
“It’s not a big part of the town, but it’s the downtown area and several of the older neighborhoods,” he said.
In total, the HPRB is in charge of the zoning for approximately 200 properties within Herndon, he said.
The last two big projects approved by the board include replacing the downtown fire station and a 17-lot single family subdivision that is currently under construction.
“They review a number of single family homes as well,” said Ocel.
The last historic preservationist, Kirstin Falk, left because she moved out of the area, he said, and served the position for years. A term for a resident is three years while the term for a nonresident is one year.
“We’d like to fill the position as soon as possible,” said Ocel. “It’s a seven member board, and we have six members serving now. Fortunately, right now, we don’t have any big projects, so we have some time.”
Board members are paid $100 per month.
The person appointed is obligated only to the time during HPRB meetings, but Perry said more time to gather information and ask questions about the properties are welcome.
“The time commitment is minimal, but they are committed to two meetings a month,” he said.
Applications can be found online at http://herndon-va.gov/ or at the town clerk’s office located at the Herndon Municipal Center. For more information about the position, contact the town clerk at 703-435-6804.