Fredericksburg Historic Review Board presses enforcement on ‘demolition by neglect,’ approves seven COAs with site conditions

The Fredericksburg Historic Review Board on Nov. 12 pressed city staff to step up enforcement against properties it considers at risk of demolition by neglect while approving seven certificate-of-appropriateness (COA) applications, several with site-specific conditions.

Chair David Bulli opened the meeting by reminding members of the board’s advisory role and the COA process. City staff reported they are coordinating with code enforcement and evaluating ordinances to address “demolition by neglect” and other repeat violations; staff said pursuing injunctive relief in court is under consideration but would carry substantial cost to the city. “We are working with the code enforcement folks and we are evaluating the ordinances to see how this move forward in terms of addressing demo by neglects,” staff told the board.

Board members, including Bulli and others, said the board has repeatedly recommended legal steps and urged the mayor and council to budget for enforcement. Bulli said the board has a multi-step procedure and that it had reached the point of recommending legal action months earlier: “We made the recommendation to start moving legally. We haven't done it.” Several members emphasized the need for…