Raleigh Historic Development Commission

More Information

The Raleigh Historic Development Commission serves as the City Council's official historic preservation advisory body to identify, preserve, protect, and promote Raleigh's historic resources. The RHDC consists of twelve members, appointed by City Council to overlapping two-year terms. Members have a demonstrated interest or training in fields related to historic preservation and reside within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction (at least one-quarter must live or own property in designated historic overlay districts or historic landmarks).

Predecessor organization established by Mayor Dec. 18, 1961; historic districts commission established by Ordinance No. (1973) 484, Revised by Ordinance (1992) 66 TC 399 - 12 Members.

RHDC Business Meeting

Agendas - BoardDocs

Meetings
The Commission typically meets on the second Wednesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. Meeting agendas are added to the BoardDocs agenda management portal. To watch meetings live or view select past meetings, visit our video services page.

Location
Council Chamber
Raleigh Municipal Building
222 West Hargett Street
Raleigh, NC 27601

Meeting dates and deadlines

Meeting Minutes
Recent Minutes

Public Participation

In Person. Sign-up is not required.
Leave a public comment remotely via voicemail (855-925-2801). To leave a public comment for the Raleigh Historic Development Commission, call 855-925-2801 and enter code 1887. Voicemails are accepted between 9:30 a.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. Tuesday before a Wednesday RHDC meeting. 1 per person per meeting. The limit for these public comments is 3 minutes. All public comments remotely submitted will be transcribed and become part of public record. Comments will be posted to BoardDocs 30 minutes prior to the RHDC Meeting.

Commission and committee meetings are open to the public. Note that meetings can be subject to change, following public notice of at least 48 hours.

Some meeting dates may differ from the following times due to holidays; check with commission staff to verify a particular meeting time and place if you are planning to attend.

Powers and Duties

The commission's significant powers and duties include:

Inventory historically-significant properties
Make recommendations to City Council regarding the designation of historic landmarks or districts, changes to ordinances affecting historic preservation, ways in which community preservation efforts may be coordinated and strengthened, acquisition of properties by the city, and revisions to the historic preservation element of the City's Comprehensive Plan
Review and act on proposals for exterior changes to historic landmarks and properties in historic districts
Issue Certificates of Appropriateness
Restore, preserve, operate, or own historic properties
Conduct educational programs
Provide design review assistance on minor work proposals (staff).
Publish books and periodicals relative to the City's historic preservation program such as:

"A Primer for Property Owners & Residents of Raleigh Historic Districts"
"Culture Town: Life in Raleigh's African American Communities"
"Early Raleigh Neighborhoods: Boylan Heights, Cameron Park, Downtown, Glenwood"

Certificate of Appropriateness Committee

Exterior changes to property within a Raleigh Historic Overlay District or to a Raleigh Historic Landmark require a Certificate of Appropriateness (COA). The COA Committee decides on major work COA applications by an evidentiary hearing at their monthly meeting. COA application process information and COA meeting participation instructions are available on the Certificate of Appropriateness page.

Committees

Research Committee
The Research Committee meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 8:30 a.m. in conference room 809, of the One Exchange Plaza building. The current Research Committee agenda can be found on BoardDocs.

Community Awareness Committee
The Community Awareness Committee meets on the first Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m. in conference room 809 of the One Exchange Plaza building. The current Community Awareness Committee agenda can be found on BoardDocs.

Nominations Committee
From January to May, the Nominations Committee meets on the second Tuesday of the month at 4:00 p.m. in conference room 809, of the One Exchange Plaza building. The current Nominations Committee agenda can be found on BoardDocs.