Emil Attanasi former Chairman of Planning Commission

As far back as 1991, there were known problems with the Vienna Historic District by Town Officials. Emil Attanasi, Chairman Planning Commission, stated in 1991:

"The Review Board should have standards by which it can make judgements so that personalities are not an issue and homeowners know what to expect."

In 1992 Attanasi, while Chair of the Planning Commission writes to the Vienna Town Council:

"While the minutes of the Commission reflect issues discussed and positions taken by individual Commissioners, there was a general consensus that the new Board must either be given standards or develop a formal set of features of new construction or modifications are appropriate for the District. Homeowners in the District still have not been given guidelines that indicate either the historical period or nature of architecture that is to be preserved in the District. One Commissioner suggested that the Council charge the new board with the development of such standards as its first order of business."

Guess what? None of this was ever done.

7 years later, Fred Skaer serving on the Windover Heights Board of Review denied a man the ability to build his dream home by stating:

"One of the challenges in harmonizing with the neighborhood is there are a number of properties that post date the period of historical significance, but predate the ordinance. So you do get a variety of colonial styles or belong on a plantation down south somewhere and others that are very much what was in vogue in the 1960's. So it is tough to say what harmonizes and what doesn't. I feel like other styles would fit much better with the neighborhood, but where we as a Board should draw the line I am having a tough time with that. Tonight's discussion has helped a little, but not a whole lot."

To this day, we have no idea what Skaer was talking about, but he surely ignored Attanasi's wisdom.