The Town of Washington Grove is an historic district on the National Register of Historic Places. In November 2001, Washington Grove established a Historic Preservation Commission (HPC).

The purpose of the HPC building permit review is to encourage the preservation, where applicable, of the exterior architectural features found in the Town and encourage compatibility with neighboring contributing structures. The HPC has five members - all Town residents.

HPC reviews are advisory in nature. Only the Planning Commission has the authority to approve or disapprove the submittal. If at all possible, the HPC encourages you to be present when we review your project.

The HPC encourages both Early Consultations and Preliminary Reviews before residents submit a building permit application.

1. Early Consultation can take the form of informal discussion of a tentative design. You may submit material anytime, which can consist of sketches, photos, written descriptions, dreams. No application is necessary, but you should contact the Town Clerk or the HPC to be added to the agenda for the next meeting. Such Early Consultations may help in the preparation of formal architectural drawings. Ideas or suggestions at this stage may enhance compatibility as well as save time and money in developing your architectural plans.
2. Preliminary Written Review. When requesting a Preliminary Written Review from the HPC please include floor plans, elevations, and descriptions of exterior building materials. Drawings should clearly show the existing structure and proposed changes. It is very helpful, especially if altering the existing structure, to include photographs and/or architectural models to convey proposed changes.

The information submitted should include the following:

• The scale of the construction in relation to the existing and surrounding structures.
• Type of exterior materials such as siding, and design elements including windows, doors, and decorative details.
• Accurate depiction of roof design including pitch, ridgeline orientation, dormers, and eave treatments.

If an applicant elects to adopt the HPC's recommendations from a Preliminary Written Review then the HPC should be able to expedite its review of the building permit application. When the applicant later files an application for a building permit with the Town, the material submitted with the application will be compared with the earlier Preliminary Review. If it shows sufficient attention to the HPC recommendations, it will be forwarded directly to the Planning Commission. If the final design is not in accord with the Preliminary Review, the application may be added to the agenda of the next HPC meeting for formal review.