On a basic level, Joy Crump observed Tuesday night, neighborhood conservation districts protect buildings.
But they also serve to preserve narratives.
“They tell the stories of what it was like to live in Fredericksburg in 1820, to raise a family in 1940, to afford your first home in 1968, to walk to the neighborhood bar in 1984 or to have a neighborhood business in 2025,” Crump said. “They are a snapshot to ‘then’ and a guide to what we want to bring into our future.”
Crump, a business owner and candidate for the Ward 2 seat on city council this November, was among several residents at Tuesday’s Fredericksburg City Council meeting who spoke in favor of an ordinance creating neighborhood conservation districts (NCDs) in the city.
Helen Ross, the chair of the city’s Architectural Review Board (ARB), explained that neighborhood conservation districts established by local governments provide a “softer touch,” compared to historic districts, which are administered at the state level. College Terrace residents have been pursuing such a designation for more than a year, said resident Clint Schemmer.
City staff first mentioned conservation districts in the 2015 comprehensive plan, according to Historic Fredericksburg Foundation, Inc. (HFFI) staff conservationist Danae Peckler. Peckler also noted that conservation districts have been adopted by neighboring localities of all sizes, including Arlington, Alexandria, and the City of Charlottesville.
“HFFI hopes that the process by which staff and local leaders may craft this ordinance is as collaborative and grassroots as the spirit that has brought the issue before you this evening,” Peckler said.
“I think you heard a little bit about what the special sauce of Fredericksburg is,” said Ward 2 Councilor Jon Gerlach, who has led the charge for NCDs on city council.
Three councilors expressed reservations about NCDs. Vice Mayor Chuck Frye Jr. (Ward 4) said that while he appreciates the initiative, he wants to revisit how the neighborhoods themselves are defined.
While Councilor Will Mackintosh (at-large) acknowledged the “laudable goals” of an NCD ordinance, he shared concerns about effects on the local housing market, sentiments that were also echoed by Councilor Jason Graham (Ward 1).
“One person’s increasing property values is another person’s housing affordability crisis,” said Mackintosh, who said that scholarship has shown a “causal relationship” between NCDs and affordability. “For me, the data does seem to suggest that conservation districts aren’t great for affordability. The houses might stay small, but the evidence suggests that they don’t stay cheap.”
Gerlach, who noted that 286 city residents have signed a petition in favor of NCDs, ultimately succeeded in gaining his peers’ approval to direct city staff to draft an ordinance. City council will discuss the draft ordinance at a future work session.
In other business, councilors voted 7-0 to hear an appeal of the Planning Commission’s decision on a proposed Gateway data center on Sept. 9, effectively denying an extension request from the applicant that would’ve pushed a hearing to Dec. 9.
Longtime city clerk Lacey honored at final meetingÂ
The numbers told the story.
Four hundred and eleven city council meetings; 452 work sessions; 797 FOIA requests; and 7,617 pages of city council minutes written into the official record.
“That’s it?” someone quipped, prompting laughter in council chambers Tuesday evening.
Tonya Lacey served at her final City Council meeting on Tuesday night. (Photo courtesy of Fredericksburg City Government)
Tonya B. Lacey racked up those gaudy statistics during her 16-year tenure as Fredericksburg’s Clerk of Council — and 33 years of service overall with the city government. At the start of Tuesday’s meeting, Mayor Kerry Devine read a proclamation honoring Lacey, who is retiring on Sept. 1.
“It has truly been an honor to serve this community, the community I grew up in,” said Lacey, a James Monroe High School graduate who is the first Black woman to serve as clerk of council.
She was hired in 1992, originally working as a receptionist and serving in a number of roles before taking over as clerk in 2009.
Lacey also received a commendation in the congressional record from Rep. Eugene Vindman (D-Fredericksburg).
