Tag: housing

HPC Supports Reynolds House Historic Designation

Sandra L. Youla

June 5, 2026

Thanks to everyone who testified and submitted letters of support to the Historic Preservation Commission for historic designation of the Reynolds House. And thanks to those of you who showed up at the HPC meeting in support.

All your help was very effective! On Wednesday 5.27.2026, the HPC, in a unanimous vote,

  • found that the Edwin and Julia Reynolds House satisfies three designation criteria as outlined inf Sec. 24 A-3(b), Historic Resources Preservation, Montgomery County Code, and
  • agreed to advise the Planning Board to recommend that the County Council amend the Master Plan for Historic Preservation to add the Edwin and Julia Roberts House as a Master Plan Historic Site as part of the Friendship Heights Sector Plan.

In other words, the HPC agreed that the Edwin and Julia Reynolds House should be designated on tn the Master Plan for Historic Preservation, agreeing with the HPC Staff’s excellent Designation Report that the house met criteria 1.A, 1D, and 2. See Designation Report at https://montgomeryplanning.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/III.A-Edwin-and-Julia-Reynolds-House-Chevy-Chase.pdf

But this is not the end of the process–we still have to go through the Planning Board and County Council processes before designation happens. The County Council makes the final decision. I will keep you informed of upcoming public hearings and worksessions in which we should participate via written comments, oral testimony, and our attendance. We may also need to lobby decision makers and perhaps invite them on a site visit with us.

Note that the Parks Department, which owns the property, testified to the HPC in opposition to designation, so we will have to make a convincing case to the Planning Board and the County Council that the Reynolds House not only meets criteria for designation but that designation is iu the public interest.

Cheers, and I look forward to working with you to make the historic designation of the Reynolds House a reality.

Sandra Youla

youlatoy@msn.com