Want your Staunton neighborhood to become a historic district? Here's what's got to happen.

STAUNTON — The city's five original historic districts were created in the 1970s and 80s. Historic Staunton Foundation hasn't made a single district since, so if people want to have another one, say in one of the Black communities that were left out, they will have to initiate.

Frank Strassler, executive director of Historic Staunton Foundation, said it's a lengthy process.

"This is not a fill out a one page form on the internet and get approved," he said. "But it's worth it for the communities to do this."

Being listed as a historic district can be as honorary or as strict as locals want it to be. Staunton adopted a zoning ordinance decades ago that stipulates that homeowners must maintain the historic integrity of their property, but without the zoning ordinance, homeowners could bulldoze their house tomorrow if they wanted to.

Here's how to create a historic district, per the Virginia Department of Historic Resources.

Step 1: gauge community support

Before investing countless hours into the nomination process, the Department of Historic Resources recommends people interested in creating a historic district should connect with the community and figure out if that's what the majority wants.

In order to form a historic district, the majority of property owners within the proposed district must support the nomination or it cannot proceed. If the majority of the neighborhood approves, the nomination process may begin as long as the nominee keeps the community up-to-date with information on the process.

Step 2: fill out the preliminary information form

After gaining approval from proposed district residents, you may begin filling out the preliminary information form.

The applicant must attach 4x6 glossy color photos of the proposed district's general landscape; the photos must be submitted in a digital version, too, like on a CD. Only exterior photos are required for a historic district form, along with historically significant sites. Larger proposed districts will require more photos. When taking photos, make sure to capture streetscapes and architectural elements of buildings.

For more information on the photos aspect, visit the Department of Historic Resources website.

There must also be two maps submitted with the form: one that uses a program like Google Maps that shows street names and basic geography of the proposed district; the second should be a sketched map that shows the proposed district's lines.

The preliminary information forms asks about the following aspects of the proposed district.

• General information like district name and main streets

• Physical aspects like acreage and setting

• Architectural/physical description of the area

• History and significance

• Property ownership

Applicants are encouraged to call a regional representative before beginning the application process. Staunton is located in the northern region for the department of historic resources, and the phone number is 540-868-7029. By speaking with a representative, they can help guide you through the process before you begin and they will also be a resource throughout the application process.

Step 3: Form evaluation

After submitting the preliminary information form, your regional staff member will present the findings to the architecture or archaeology evaluation team, whichever is more appropriate for your area. The teams are made up of historians, architectural historians and archaeologists who are employed by the department of historic resources.

After the team's evaluation, the regional staffer will contact you and share the group's recommendation on whether or not to continue with the nomination process. If you are recommended to continue with the process, the regional representative will present your application to the Virginia State Review Board.

You will receive a letter detailing the meeting time and place at least 20 days before the meeting. The State Review Board will provide feedback on your application and recommend whether you should continue with the process. Some areas may not be eligible to continue with the process because of lack of historic findings. Sometimes the State Review Board opinion differs from the evaluation team, and if that happens with your application, the state's recommendation will be followed.

Strassler said it's crucial when applying to become a historic district that you are as thorough as possible.

"They do deny people all the time,” he said. “If you get denied you can go back again.”

Step 4: Work on the nomination packet

If you get the green light from the State Review Board, you are able to move onto the next step: filling out the nomination packet. You can view the form here. Once you make it to this phase, the regional office will not be able to assist you as much.

"Regional Staff can provide technical assistance to complete this form, but cannot be expected to prepare the form for you," according to the Department of Historic Resources.

When filling out the form, all nominations have to be meet state and federal regulations, be factually accurate and meet scholarly standards. Upon completing the form, you will submit it to a regional staff member, who will review the application. If it meets all criteria, it will be submitted to the Register Program staff in Richmond, Virginia.

The Register Program staff will send edits to the regional staff member, who will relay them to you. After completing the edits and resubmitting the application to the regional staffer, or if you weren't given any edits, your nomination will go on the agenda for one of the Virginia State Review Board and the Board of Historic Resources quarterly joint meetings.

The Department of Historic Resources will announce a formal notification and pubic hearing after the nomination presentation has been scheduled with both boards.

Before beginning the process, make sure to review the checklist for creating a historic district.

— Katelyn Waltemyer (she/her) is the government watchdog reporter for The News Leader. Have a news tip on local government? Or a good feature? You can reach Katelyn at kwaltemyer@newsleader.com. Follow her on Twitter @Kate_Waltemyer.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Want your neighborhood to become a historic district? Here's what's got to happen.