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Leesburg preservation staff urges dark-sky rules and reuse of mothballed town house at 16 Wirtz St.
Summary
Town preservation staff asked the Environmental Advisory Committee to back dark-sky measures and sustainable-preservation tools in the zoning rewrite and urged reuse or deconstruction of a town-owned, mothballed house at 16 Wirtz Street to preserve materials and avoid demolition-by-neglect.
Heather, a preservation staff liaison to the Board of Architectural Review, told the Leesburg Environmental Advisory Committee that the town should adopt “dark sky” practices for the historic district and promote sustainable preservation practices, including deconstruction and materials reuse, in ongoing zoning ordinance revisions.
Heather said dark-sky guidance aims to limit upward light pollution and protect nocturnal wildlife and building character, and that the zoning rewrite already includes language on lower color temperatures and a points-based sustainable-building incentive. “Dark sky is the idea that there's no light pollution upward,” she said. She asked the committee to coordinate with the Board of Architectural Review and support a joint public outreach effort before dark-sky proclamation month in March.
Why it matters: committee members said the proposals could affect downtown character, wildlife, and energy use and could give the town new educational and enforcement tools. Heather described changes already proposed in the zoning rewrite — for example, townwide color-temperature targets (she cited 2,700 K as an example) and lower caps in the historic district — and said those provisions would be harder to enforce outside the historic district without supporting language and staff coordination.
The session also focused on a town-owned house, referred to as 16 Wirtz Street, which Heather described as “mothballed” (windows and doors sealed, utilities partially disconnected) and at risk of demolition-by-neglect if unused. She urged the committee to solicit community ideas for reuse — as an education center, office space for preservation staff, or a community “third space” — and to press for rehabilitation where feasible. If rehabilitation is not possible, Heather proposed deconstruction to salvage 100‑plus–year‑old lumber and other historic materials that could be documented and re-used or donated to a nonprofit.
Heather noted practical constraints: the building does not meet ADA standards and contains lead and asbestos that would require remediation; the town’s capital-improvement plan shows a placeholder funding cap (she referenced roughly a $975,000–$1,000,000 ceiling) but no immediate project schedule. She also said the town can donate salvaged materials to nonprofits after deconstruction.
Committee members suggested potential uses, including a community education site, trades-training space for younger people to learn historic crafts, and a modest rental/meeting space to serve downtown businesses. Several members pressed for clearer cost estimates and asked staff to incorporate public feedback into a short community survey and into future budget requests.
The committee did not adopt any formal policy at the meeting; Heather said she would draft outreach materials and a webpage and return with a more developed proposal before dark-sky proclamation season.
