Donnelly Associates, Ltd. Partnership v. District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board
District of Columbia Court of Appeals · 1987-01-14 · cited 26×
In this case, petitioner Donnelly Associates challenged a decision by the District of Columbia Historic Preservation Review Board to designate two properties it owned as historic landmarks under the D.C. Historic Landmark and Historic District Preservation Act, which restricts demolition or alteration without a permit. The Review Board had acted on an application from a preservation group after Donnelly had contracted to purchase the properties with plans to demolish them for new construction. The court held that it lacked jurisdiction to review the designation decision itself and dismissed the petition. The core reasoning was that the Act provides for judicial review only of the Mayor's subsequent decisions on permit applications following a public hearing under the D.C. Administrative Procedure Act, not of the Review Board's initial landmark designations.