* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:02] I'M BEN HEIM, THE CHAIR [CALL TO ORDER] OF THE HISTORIC LANDMARKS COMMISSION, AND THIS IS OUR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2ND, 2024 MEETING AT CITY HALL. AND I WILL CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER. UH, LET'S START WITH A CALL OF ROLE, UH, SAM. HOWDY, FOLKS. UH, COMMISSIONER HEIM S PRESENT COMMISSIONER WHIT FEATHERSTON. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER KEVIN COOK, PRESENT. COMMISSIONER CARL LAROCHE. PRESENT, COMMISSIONER TREY MCR, PRESENT, COMMISSIONER HARMONY GROGAN PRESENT. COMMISSIONER JAIME ALVAREZ IS ABSENT TODAY. COMMISSIONER ROXANNE EVANS, PRESENT. COMMISSIONER RAYMOND CASTILLO. PRESENT, COMMISSIONER JUAN RAYMOND RUBIO. PRESENT. COMMISSIONER TARA DUDLEY IS ABSENT TONIGHT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, WE'LL BEGIN WITH A READ THROUGH OF THE AGENDA AND, UH, AT THE TIME WE READ, WE'LL ALSO NOTE THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE VARIOUS ACTIONS AND I WILL TURN THIS OVER TO, UH, CALLEN. THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, NUMBER ONE ON OUR AGENDA, THE SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2024 MINUTES. UH, THIS ITEM IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT. NUMBER TWO, HISTORIC ZONING FOR 9 0 27. ANN ANDROY BUTLER BIKE TRAIL CASE NUMBER C 14 H 20 24 1 2. THIS IS AN APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT THAT IS A COMMISSION, UH, TO NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024. NUMBER THREE C 14 H 20 24 0 1 0 3 13 0 8 SPRINGDALE ROAD. THIS IS ANOTHER APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024. NUMBER FOUR, CASE NUMBER PR 20 24 0 2 6 6 9 0 AT 900 SPENCE STREET. UH, THIS IS A COMMISSION INITIATED HISTORIC ZONING LAST MONTH. UH, THIS WILL BE A DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER FIVE, PR 20 24 0 4 2 2 7 4 AT 1205 COTTON STREET. THIS WAS ANOTHER COMMISSION INITIATED HISTORIC ZONING. I END, THIS WILL BE A DISCUSSION ITEM AS WELL. ITEM SIX, PR 20 24 0 2 1 1 4 5 AT 7 3 4 KNOX LANE IS AN APPLICANT POSTPONEMENT TO THE NOVEMBER 6TH MEETING. ITEM SEVEN C 14 H 20 24 0 1 23 AT 43 10 AVENUE H IS ANOTHER APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH ON OUR CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS THIS EVENING. NUMBER EIGHT, HR 20 24 0 4 0 2 9 1 AT 1807 EAST CESAR CHAVEZ STREET IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH, NUMBER NINE, HR 20 24 0 9 5 1 4 2 AT 25 0 4. BRIDAL PATH IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH, NUMBER 10, HR 20 24 0 9 5 2 1 4 AT 7 0 1 BAYLOR STREET WILL BE A DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 11, HR 20 24 1 1 1 3 5 2 AT 1003 EAST EIGHTH STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT. NUMBER 12, HR 2024. 1 2 2 0 1 1 AT 1901 CLIFF STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT. NUMBER 13, HR 20 24 1 2 1 9 8 8 AT TWO GREEN LANES IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024. MOVING ON TO OUR NATIONAL REGISTER, HISTORIC DISTRICT APPLICATIONS, WE HAVE NUMBER 14, SB 20 24 1 0 4 4 5 1. THIS IS A SIGN APPLICATION AT THREE 12 AND A HALF CONGRESS AVENUE, UM, AS WELL AS NUMBER 15 SB 20 24 1 4 4 6 4. ALSO AT THREE 12 CONGRESS AVENUE. THESE ARE BOTH DISCUSSION ITEMS AND A MOTION WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE THESE ITEMS TOGETHER. NUMBER 16, HR 20 24 0 9 7 6 4 AT 1703. NEW IS A DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 17 DA 20 24 0 8 9 5 2 2 AT EIGHT 10 WEST 11TH STREET IS A DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 18, HR 20 24 2 9 5 8 AT 1703 WEST 32ND STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT. NUMBER 19, HR 20 24 1, 1 1 3 3 2 AT 25 10 WILDRIDGE DRIVE IS ALSO OFFERED FOR CONSENT. NUMBER 20, HR 20 24 1 6 5 0 3 AT 1106 TRAVIS HEIGHTS BOULEVARD, UH, HAS BEEN PULLED FORWARD. DISCUSSION 21, HR TWO TWENTY FOUR ONE HUNDRED TEN SEVEN FIVE NINE AT 1106 ELM STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT NUMBER 22, HR 20 24 0 5 5 6 1 8 AT 1607 KENWOOD AVENUE WILL BE A DISCUSSION ITEM THIS EVENING. 23 HR 20 24 1 1 4 4 4 5 AT 1116 WEST SIXTH STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT. NUMBER 24, HR 20 24 1 0 9 6 9 1 [00:05:02] AT 11 0 5 TO STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT NUMBER 25 PR 20 24 1 0 8 9 0 5 AT 1407 GASTON AVENUE IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT. AND FINALLY, NUMBER 26, HR 20 24 103 6 85 AT 1611 TRAVIS HEIGHTS BOULEVARD IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT FOR DEMOLITION AND RELOCATION PERMITS WE HAVE NUMBER 27 PR 20 24 0 2 2 9 5 7 AT 4,700 SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE BUILDING NUMBER 10. THIS IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024. NUMBER 28, 20 24 OR PR 20 24 0 4 3 0 3 5 AT 1702 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. BOULEVARD IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH, NUMBER 29 PR 20 24 0 4 3 8 4 4 AT 1704 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BOULEVARD IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT TO NOVEMBER 6TH AND NUMBER 30 PR 20 24 0 9 6 3 4 3 AT 5 3 0 3 SAMUEL HOUSTON AVENUE IS OFFERED FOR DISCUSSION. WE HAVE ONE COMMISSION ITEM THIS EVENING, NUMBER 31, UH, WHICH IS A VOTE TO RECOMMEND THAT COUNCIL REVIEW AND ADOPT THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN. AND A MOTION WILL BE REQUIRED TO TAKE THIS ITEM OUT OF ORDER. THAT CONCLUDES YOUR AGENDA. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND WE HAVE ONE MORE THAT WAS NOT ON THE SUMMARY SHEET, THE, UH, DISCUSSION OF THE PROPOSED LITTLE LETTER TO COUNCIL ABOUT THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACQUISITION FUND AND THAT WILL ALSO BE A DISCUSSION ITEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH STAFF. AND, UH, I, I'M NOTICING THAT WE WENT AHEAD WITH THE REVIEW BEFORE WE ASK IF THERE'S ANY PUBLIC COMMUNICATION. SO LEMME GO AHEAD AND ASK THAT RIGHT NOW AND WE CAN GET THAT OUT OF THE WAY. WE DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP FOR PUBLIC COMMUNICATION TONIGHT. ALRIGHT. THAT MAKES IT EASY. OKAY. SO, UH, AT THIS POINT ARE [Consent Agenda] THERE ANY COMMISSIONERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO PULL ANY ITEMS FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA? YES, CHAIR. I'D LIKE TO PULL NUMBER 18, 19 21 AND 25. NUMBER 18, 19 21 AND 25 18, 19 21 AND 25. ALRIGHT, ANYONE ELSE IS THAT TO SPEAK? UH, YOU DON'T NEED TO BE REGISTERED TO SPEAK IF THERE IS A CONSENT ITEM THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK ON. YOU CAN JUST GET OUR ATTENTION AND WE WILL GO AHEAD AND, AND, UH, IT WILL, WE'LL, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND HAVE A DISCUSSION ON IT. IT IS NUMBER 23, BUT THANK YOU. NUMBER 23 IS THAT ONE 16 WEST SIXTH STREET. OKAY. AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON TONIGHT? I HOPE TO, YES. OKAY. SO THAT'LL BE A DISCUSSION ITEM. THAT WILL NOT BE A CONSENT. OKAY. IS THERE ANY, ANY OTHER ITEM THAT ANYBODY HERE HEARD IS A CONSENT ITEM THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A DISCUSSION INSTEAD? OKAY. I'M GONNA GO THROUGH ONE MORE TIME ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT ARE PROPOSED FOR THE CONSENT, THE REMAINING ITEMS THAT ARE PROPOSED FOR CONSENT. AND ONCE AGAIN, IF ANY OF YOU WOULD LIKE TO HAVE THAT AS A DISCUSSION, LET US KNOW. BUT ONCE THE CONSENT ITEMS THAT WE READ OUT ARE PASSED, THEN WE HAVE ACTUALLY MADE APPROVALS OR WHATEVER THE RECOMMENDATION IS AND THAT ITEM IS COMPLETED. SO JUST BE AWARE, UM, IF YOU HAVE AN, IF YOU HAVE AN ITEM IN FRONT OF US, UM, WE WILL, WE WILL PROCEED RIGHT AWAY. NOW WITH THE CONSENT AGENDA, ITEM NUMBER ONE, UH, IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT. THAT IS THE, UM, THAT, THAT IS THE MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 24TH MEETING. UH, THE NEXT CONSENT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER 10. NOPE, NOPE, NO. 11. UH, THAT IS, UH, ONE, UH, 0 0 3 EAST EIGHTH STREET. UH, AND THIS IS, UH, AMONG THE, UM, LET'S SEE THE CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS REQUESTS. SO, UH, THAT IS NEW CONSTRUCTION OF A REAR UNIT THAT'S OFFERED FOR CONSENT. ITEM NUMBER 12, WHICH IS 1901 CLIFF STREET. UH, THAT IS A PROPOSED DECK AND INSTALLATION AND REPLACEMENT ITEM NUMBER 23, NOPE, 23 DIDN'T MAKE IT. 24, THAT'S 1105 TOY STREET. UH, THIS IS IN THE CLARKSVILLE NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT. AND THIS IS A ADDITION THAT'S OFFERED FOR CONSENT. ITEM NUMBER 26 16 11 TRAVIS HEIGHTS BOULEVARD. UH, THIS IS NEW CONSTRUCTION OF, UH, REAR UNITS AND A NEW POOL. AND [00:10:02] THAT IS ALL OF THE CONSENT ITEMS. SO I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. YES, CHAIR. MOVE TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND. OKAY. UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER, UM, MCW. AND ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND ALL THOSE OPPOSED, IT PASSES. AGAIN, ALL OF THOSE ITEMS THAT WERE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA HAVE NOW BEEN APPROVED AS PER STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION. THE NEXT ITEMS ARE THOSE POSTED FOR POSTPONEMENT. AND THESE ARE EITHER PROPOSED BY THE APPLICANT AND A FEW CASES BY STAFF. AND IF THERE'S ANY REASON WHY THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE TO COMMISSIONERS OR MEMBERS HERE, PLEASE GET MY ATTENTION. THE FIRST ITEM FOR POSTPONEMENT TO OUR NOVEMBER MEETING IS ITEM NUMBER TWO, AND THAT'S 9 0 3 7 ANN AND ROY BUTLER, HY AND BIKE TRAIL. AND, UH, THIS ITEM, UH, WE'LL NEED MORE INFORMATION. SO, UH, WE'LL HAVE THAT AT OUR NEXT, HOPEFULLY WE'VE POSTPONED IT SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THAT WILL HAPPEN FOR OUR NEXT, UH, NOVEMBER MEETING. ITEM NUMBER THREE 1300, UH, SPRINGDALE ROAD. UH, THAT ALSO IS, UH, A, UH, PAR PROJECT THAT WE'VE POSTPONED SEVERAL TIMES AND WE'LL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR NEXT MEETING. UH, THE NEXT POSTPONEMENT IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT. THAT'S, UH, ITEM NUMBER 6 7 3 0 4 KNOX LANE. THE NEXT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER 7 43 10 AVENUE H. ITEM NUMBER 8 18 0 7 EAST CESAR CHAVEZ STREET. ITEM NUMBER 9 25 0 4 BRIDAL PATH ITEM NUMBER 13, UH, TWO GREEN LANES. UH, THAT'S THE GRAVES HOUSE. ITEM NUMBER 27. UH, THIS IS 4,700 SOUTH CONGRESS AVENUE, NUMBER 10. AND ITEM NUMBER 28 17 0 4 EAST MLK. AND ITEM NUMBER 29 17 0 4, UH, EAST MLK, UH, BOULEVARD. SO THOSE ARE THE POSTPONED ITEMS. UH, ALL RECOMMENDED FOR POSTPONEMENT TO OUR NOVEMBER MEETING. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. SO MOVED. MOVE COMMISSIONER WARD. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LAROCHE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, RAISE YOUR HAND. OKAY. ANY OPPOSED? AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. AND SO THOSE ITEMS HAVE BEEN POSTPONED. UH, COMMISSIONERS, WE'VE HAD A REQUEST FOR A, UH, COMMISSION INITIATED ITEM, ITEM NUMBER 31. [31. Recommend that Council adopt the Equity-Based Preservation Plan] UH, THIS IS THE, UH, RECOMMENDATION FOR THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN. WE HAD A PRESENTATION ON THAT AT OUR LAST MEETING. THE PRESERVATION PLAN, UH, COMMITTEE MET AND WENT IN MORE DETAIL DEPTH WITH THE, UH, LETTER THAT YOU SEE, THE RESOLUTION THAT YOU SEE IN OUR, IN THE BACKUP. AND AT THIS POINT, I WILL, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO TAKE THAT OUT OF ORDER SO THAT WE CAN, UH, HEAR A QUICK SYNOPSIS AND BE ABLE TO TAKE A POST-IT FOR ACTION. SO, UM, RAY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO, UM, MAKE THE MOTION TO TAKE THAT OUT ORDER? I WAS GONNA SAY I'LL, YEAH, I'LL MOVE TO, TO, UM, UM, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE LANGUAGE I SHOULD USE ON THIS TO, TO GO AHEAD AND TAKE THIS ITEM UP FOR CONSIDERATION OUT OF ORDER? YES, I WILL, UH, UH, I MOVE TO TAKE THIS, UH, CONSIDERATION OUT OF ORDER. UM, I DO WANNA SAY, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS APPROPRIATE AT THIS POINT, BUT, UM, WELL, LET'S LET, LET'S MAKE SURE THE MOTION PASSES. LET'S MAKE SURE THE MOTION PASSES AND THEN YOU HAVE OKAY. PLENTY OF TIME TO TALK ABOUT. OKAY. AND I SAW A SECOND FROM COMMISSIONER LAROCHE, IS THAT CORRECT? THERE WE GO. ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF POST, OF TAKING THIS OUT OF ORDER AND, UH, INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. ALL RIGHT. SO THAT WILL BE THE FIRST ITEM UP. UH, KARA, ARE YOU HERE? DID YOU, WERE YOU GONNA MAKE A PRESENTATION? OH, OKAY. NO. ALRIGHT, THEN, UH, LET'S SAY, UH, MEMBERS OF THE, UH, PRESERVATION PLAN COMMITTEE, UH, RAY, GO AHEAD. UH, WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND GIVE US A QUICK OVERVIEW. WELL, I WAS JUST GONNA SAY THAT, UM, UH, KARA AND GREG, UH, THEY'VE, THEY'VE WORKED REALLY HARD ON THIS. UM, AND THE COORDINATION BEHIND THIS HAS BEEN UNBELIEVABLE. SO I'M, I'M JUST, UH, I'M HAPPY TO SEE WHERE IT IS NOW. UM, AND I HOPE THAT EVERYONE'S HAD A CHANCE TO, UH, REVIEW [00:15:01] THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE SO FAR. UM, BECAUSE OUR LAST MEETING, UM, WAS REALLY, UH, I THINK THE EDITING WE DID TO THE DOCUMENT WAS REALLY, UM, UH, IT, IT WAS JUST A GOOD THING. SO, UM, I'M, I'M EXCITED TO SEE WHERE THIS THING IS, THIS IS GOING. AND, UM, I I HOPE THAT EVERYONE REALLY HAS HAD A CHANCE TO REVIEW AND, AND, UM, AND, AND GIVE SOME INPUT INTO IT. 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S, UH, I THINK IT'S A GREAT STEP, UM, MOVING FORWARD. SO, RIGHT. AND COMMISSIONER EVANS, DID YOU WANT TO ADD ANYTHING? I AGREE WITH WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER CASTILE SAID IT, A TREMENDOUS STAFF EFFORT KEEPING EVERYTHING MOVING AND ON SCHEDULE AND ON TRACK. AND, UH, I'M VERY PROUD OF ALL THE WORK THAT WENT INTO IT. SO I'M ANXIOUS TO, UH, UNVEIL IT AND LET THE COMMUNITY, UH, SEE OUR, SEE OUR WORK AND SEE THE STAFF WORK. AND OF COURSE, JUST AS A REMINDER, UH, THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVEN'T BEEN FOLLOWING, WE, UH, HAVE THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN, WHICH IS UNDER CONSIDERATION BY THE CITY COUNCIL. IT IS MAKING ITS ROUNDS WITH BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS CURRENTLY, UH, BUT IT REPRESENTS MANY, MANY HUNDREDS OF HOURS OF WORK, OF MANY, MANY VOLUNTEERS. AND IT'S UPDATING OUR 1983 PRESERVATION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN. THERE'S A LOT OF REASONS WHY IT NEEDS TO BE UPDATED. UM, THIS RESOLUTION IS ACTUALLY A LETTER TO COUNSEL WITH SPECIFIC LANGUAGE THAT, UH, I REALLY HAVE TO SAY HATS OFF AGAIN TO COMMISSIONER CASTILLO AND COMMISSIONER EVANS AND TO THE ASSISTANCE WE HAD FROM STAFF. UH, WE WERE ABLE TO, I THINK IF YOU JUST READ THE RESOLUTION, UH, GET A GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE PRESERVATION PLAN'S ALL ABOUT, UH, I THINK IT, IT READS LIKE A SUMMARY, UH, BUT ALSO MAKES A VERY GOOD CASE FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF ALL THIS, THIS WORK THAT'S GOING IN IN FRONT OF THE COUNCIL. SO, UH, I'M, I'M ALSO VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN PART OF ADDING THIS TO OUR PRESENTATION TONIGHT. SO COUNSEL, UH, COMMISSION MEMBERS, UH, IF THERE'S ANY QUESTIONS OR IF THERE'S ANY, ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS, UH, BUT OTHERWISE I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ACCEPT THE, UH, UH, PRESERVATION PLAN RECOMMENDATION AS PRESENTED BY THE EQUITY BY THE PRESERVATION PLAN COMMITTEE. OR RAY, WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE THAT MOTION? YES, I, I MOVE TO, UH, BRING THIS, UH, THE PRESERVATION PLAN TO THE PRESERVATION PLAN, OR ACTUALLY TO THE, THE HISTORICAL LAND, UH, COMMISSION WITH, BASED ON THE, THE, WITH A, WITH A RESOLUTION THAT WE ARE PRESENTING, YOU WANNA APPROVE THE RESOLUTION SO THAT, THAT THAT CAN BE HAPPENING. OKAY. . OKAY. I'M SORRY. THAT SOUNDS LIKE THERE SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD MOTION. , AND COMMISSIONER EVANS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SECOND THAT MOTION? YES, I SECOND THAT MOTION. TERRIFIC. UH, AND ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION. ALRIGHT. JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY THAT IT'S A RECOMMENDATION, NOT A RESOLUTION. THERE'S A, IS A RECOMMENDATION TO COUNSEL, UH, THAT THEY ADOPT THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN, BUT IS IT'S WRITTEN IN, UM, THE, WHEREAS LANGUAGE OF, OF A, OF A RESOLUTION TO MAKE IT EASY FOR EVERYBODY. SO, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. AND ANY OPPOSED, CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. UH, WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK STILL TO COME, BUT, UH, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MILESTONE. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, WELL, LET'S GO [4. PR-2024-026690 – 900 Spence St. ] PROCEED WITH OUR CASES. AND THE FIRST ITEM UNDER, UH, ZONING APPLICATIONS, UH, WILL BE ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UH, 900 SPENT STREET. AND THIS WAS AN ITEM THAT WAS POSTPONED FROM OUR SEPTEMBER MEETING. THANK YOU CHAIR. ITEM NUMBER FOUR, THE ROMO JOHNSON HOUSE AT 900 SPENCE STREET IS A HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION INITIATED AND OWNER OPPOSED HISTORIC ZONING APPLICATION. UM, THIS PROPERTY CAME BEFORE Y'ALL BACK IN MAY AS A TOTAL DEMOLITION AND WAS INITIATED LAST WEEK, UM, OR LAST MONTH. THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO CONSIDER HISTORIC ZONING, ALTERNATELY POSTPONE THE PUBLIC HEARING TO NOVEMBER 6TH, 2024 TO INVITE THE APPLICANT TO THE NEXT MEETING OF THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE TO DISCUSS ALTERNATIVES TO DEMOLITION. UH, THE LAST MEETING AT WHICH THIS CASE MAY BE HEARD, UH, IS NOVEMBER 6TH. SO WE HAVE ONE MORE MEETING. THE 2016 EAST AUSTIN HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY, UH, RECOMMENDS THE BUILDING IS ELIGIBLE FOR DESIGNATION AS A LOCAL LANDMARK CONTRIBUTING TO A POTENTIAL LOCAL [00:20:01] HISTORIC DISTRICT AND INDIVIDUALLY ELIGIBLE FOR LISTING IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES. THE SURVEY NOTES THAT IT IS SIGNIFICANT AS AN EXEMPLAR OF AUSTIN'S RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT AT THE START OF THE 20TH CENTURY. THOUGH THE PROPERTY DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUALS AND THE HOUSE'S OCCUPANCY HISTORY IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE OVERALL SETTLEMENT PATTERNS OF THE DISTRICT. THE SURVEY IDENTIFIES THIS PROPERTY AS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE NATIONAL FOLK STYLE, UM, AND THE BUILDING IS ALSO A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE OVERARCHING DEMOGRAPHIC THEMES OF 20TH CENTURY WILLOW SPENCE. THE HOUSE IS ORIGINALLY ADDRESSED AS EIGHT 10 SPENCE, AND IT WAS BUILT IN 1915 BY ALFRED AND CAROLINE JOHNSON. FAST NEGATIVES, BERNARD DIENER CA ROMO AND SANTO S ROMO PURCHASED THE HOUSE IN 1957. THE ROMO FAMILY HAD EIGHT CHILDREN. THEY RETAINED OWNERSHIP TOGETHER UNTIL BERNARDINO ROMO'S DEATH AT AGE 97 IN 2017. AND SANTOS ROMO KEPT THE HOUSE UNTIL HER DEATH IN 2021. THE EAST AUSTIN HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY IDENTIFIES THE BUILDING'S OCCUPANCY HISTORY AS A SIGNIFICANT LOOK INTO THE, THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGES THAT FORMED THE PREDOMINANT RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT PATTERNS OF THE WILLOW SPENCE NEIGHBORHOOD DURING THE 20TH CENTURY. THOUGH THE PROPERTY DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT INDIVIDUALS, THE HOUSE'S OVERALL OCCUPANCY HISTORY IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE OVERALL SETTLEMENT PATTERNS OF THE DISTRICT. THE BUILDING RETAINS HIGH INTEGRITY, THOSE SCREENS HAVE BEEN REPLACED AND SOME ELEMENTS ARE MISSING. UM, AND THE BUILDING DOES CURRENTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE WILLOW SP NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT. THANK YOU STAFF. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, THIS IS NOW POSTED AS A ZONING APPLICATION BASED ON THE, UM, ACTIONS OF THE, OF THE COMMISSION. SO IS THERE ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE, UM, THE INITIATION OF HISTORIC ZONING? OKAY, HEARING NONE. UH, I'M ASSUMING THAT THE ORIGINAL APPLICANT WHO IS ASKING FOR DEMOLITION IS HERE, AND I'M ASSUMING THAT THEY ARE OPPOSED AND WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK AGAINST. UH, YOU'RE WELCOME TO DO SO AT THIS TIME. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? ALRIGHT, AND I DON'T SEE THAT WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP. SO, UH, COMMISSIONERS, I WILL, UH, ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO MOVED. SECOND. OKAY. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. AND OPPOSED? THERE ARE NO OPPOSED, THAT'S UNANIMOUS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. COMMISSIONERS, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE? UH, WE ARE NOTING THAT THIS IS NOT TIMED OUT YET. WE WOULD STILL HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, UH, AFTER OUR NOVEMBER MEETING. SO, UH, WE DO HAVE THE OPTION OF POSTPONING THIS ONE MORE TIME. I MOVE TO REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND RECOMMEND HISTORIC ZONING ON THE BASIS OF ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION. SECOND. OKAY. IT'S BEEN MOVED. AND BY, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, UM, JUAN RAYMOND. AND, UH, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER COOK. UH, COMMISSIONER, WOULD YOU, UH, WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR, UM, TO YOUR MOTION? YEAH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE FOLLOWING THE EAST AUSTIN HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY BY, UH, RECOMMENDING THIS FOR INDIVIDUAL LISTING AS A LOCAL LANDMARK. I THINK, YOU KNOW, I I, I'VE SAID IT MANY, MANY TIMES UP HERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S HARD FOR ME TO BE AGAINST ANY CONTRIBUTING RESOURCE BUILDING THAT HAS BEEN DETERMINED NATIONALLY SIGNIFICANT. AND SO, UH, THIS IS NOT ONE THAT WE SHOULD JUST BE LETTING GO, UH, WITHOUT A SMALL BATTLE. AND OBVIOUSLY THE OWNER HAS NOT SHOWN UP. UH, BUT I THINK WE DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE IN FOLLOWING THE SURVEY, UH, ACKNOWLEDGING THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE, THOSE ASSOCIATIONS. YOU KNOW, THERE MAY NOT BE AS LOOSE AS WE THINK. UM, THE FACT THAT THE ROMO FAMILY HAD THIS FOR SO LONG WAS ABLE TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY IN THE 1950S. UM, YOU KNOW, I KNOW MY OWN FAMILY, UH, HOW THEY, YOU KNOW, MIGRATED IN THIS AREA AND WHAT THEY WERE OWNING AT THAT TIME. AND IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT AN EASY FEAT. SO I THINK, UH, TO, TO SEE HOW, UH, THIS FAMILY WAS ALSO INCORPORATED WITH THE PALM SCHOOL. YOU KNOW, I READ THAT IN, IN THE BACKUP INFORMATION AS WELL AS A PTA. UH, THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT WERE LOSING THE HISTORY AND I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO WORTH, UH, AT LEAST SENDING UP TO PLANNING COMMISSION COMMISSIONER COOK. YEAH, I AGREE WITH ALL THOSE COMMENTS. UH, THE OWNER SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED. IT WAS RECOMMENDED IN THE SURVEY, UM, WHEN THEY PURCHASED THIS. UM, THIS LOOKS LIKE A PERFECT OPPORTUNITY WITH THIS LOT TO KEEP THE HISTORIC HOUSE, WHICH APPEARS TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION. THERE'S BEEN NO INFORMATION TO THE CONTRARY. THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM, NO TREE COVER. TO ADD A SECOND STRUCTURE, WE COULD ADD DENSITY. WE COULD KEEP AN AFFORDABLE HISTORIC HOUSE. THIS IS A NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT. WHILE NO ONE WAS HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR, WE HAVE HAD ONE NEIGHBOR WHO'S COME TO, I THINK AT LEAST TWO OR THREE CASES IN, IN THIS DISTRICT, UH, BEGGING US TO DO WHAT WE CAN. AND ALTHOUGH THE PERSON [00:25:01] WHO HAD SPOKEN IN THE PAST WAS, WAS NOT FULLY AWARE OF THE PROCESSES AND KNEW WHAT WE COULD AND COULDN'T DO, THIS IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO IN A VERY RARE NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT IN AN UNDERSERVED EAST AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD. I HAD HALFWAY CONSIDERED ADDING COMMUNITY VALUE TO IT FOR ITS UNIQUE LOCATION AT THE, THE GATEWAY TO THE ENTRANCE. I'M NOT QUITE SURE IF THE HOUSE NEXT TO IT IS GONNA SURVIVE THE I 35 EXPANSION, BUT JUST FOR PEOPLE PASSING THROUGH TOWN AND GLANCING INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AS THEY'RE PASSING BY AT 10 MILES AN HOUR OR 55 MILES AN HOUR, UH, IT GIVES THEM A GLANCE OF WHAT THE REST OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEYOND LOOKS LIKE. I I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S WARRANTED TO, TO ADD COMMUNITY VALUE FOR THAT UNIQUE LOCATION BEING IN A NA IN NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT AT A, UH, HIGH TRAFFIC END TO THAT PROPERTY. UM, BUT IT, IT HAD OCCURRED TO ME. BUT YEAH, THERE SH THERE SHOULD BE NO SURPRISES. UM, THIS, THIS WAS IS SPECULATION, UH, ON A PROPERTY AND, UM, ALTHOUGH IT'S NOT GERMANE TO THE POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE SIDE BENEFITS OF KEEPING THESE HISTORIC HOUSES AS WAS PROVEN IN A UT STUDY IN AUSTIN ITSELF IS THESE DO OFFER AFFORDABLE HOUSING EXISTING HOUSES. AND, UM, I THINK IT'S A REAL OPPORTUNITY FOR A WIN-WIN THERE. THERE'S NO REASON NOT TO KEEP THIS HOUSE. THANK YOU. UM, ANYBODY, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION COMMISSIONERS? I, I'M NOTING, UM, FROM THE ARCHITECTURE POINT OF VIEW, IT IS MORE OF A GENERIC BUNGALOW. UH, IT, NOTHING ABOUT IT IS OVERLY DISTINCTIVE, BUT I THINK STAFF MADE A GOOD POINT THAT IT'S REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS TYPE OF GENERIC BUILDING. AND I'M ALSO STRUCK BY THE HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPH THAT'S INCLUDED, UH, HOW THE, THE BUILDING ACTUALLY HAS QUITE CONSISTENT WITH THIS HISTORIC PRECEDENT. IT'S IN, IT'S A HIGH LEVEL OF INTEGRITY AND I KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD VERY WELL. UH, THE ABSENCE OF THIS WOULD BE A MORE THAN JUST A MISSING TOOTH. I THINK ITS LOCATION IS VERY GERMANE TO THIS CONVERSATION. SO I WILL ALSO BE SUPPORTING THE MOTION. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER CONVERSATION? OTHERWISE I'LL CALL THE QUESTION. ALRIGHT. THE MOTION WE HAVE IS TO, UM, MAKE THE RECOMMENDATION FOR HISTORIC ZONING ON THIS PROPERTY. AND, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT, ALL THOSE OPPOSED AND IT IS UNANIMOUS. WE HAVE TWO ABSENCES. SO THAT IS A NINE VOTE. UM, AND I BELIEVE THAT MEETS THE THRESHOLD FOR THE SUPER MAJORITY REQUIRED. ALRIGHT. AND WE'LL HOPE, HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE THE SAME, UH, RESPONSE THAT AT THE PLANNING COMMISSION. ALRIGHT, ITEM NUMBER FIVE [5. PR-2024-042274 – 1205 Cotton St.] IS, UH, ALSO POSTPONED FROM OUR SEPTEMBER MEETING. UH, THIS IS A, UH, 1205 COTTON STREET. THANK YOU CHAIR. ITEM FIVE AT 1205 COTTON STREET IS ANOTHER COMMISSION INITIATED A HISTORIC ZONING APPLICATION. UH, THIS IS OWNER OPPOSED. THIS IS THE EFFY LER YEARWOOD HOUSE. UH, STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO RECOMMEND THE PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE, UM, FROM SF THREE TO SF THREE H, OR EXCUSE ME, SF THREE NP TO SF THREE HNP SHOULD THE COMMISSION DECIDE AGAINST RECOMMENDATION OF HISTORIC ZONING TO PLANNING COMMISSION AND COUNCIL STAFF RECOMMENDS, UH, THAT YOU STRONGLY ENCOURAGE REHABILITATION AND ADAPTIVE REUSE, THEN RELOCATION OVER DEMOLITION AND RELEASE OF THE DEMOLITION PERMIT ONLY UPON COMPLETION OF A CITY OF AUSTIN DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE. THE EAST AUSTIN HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY LISTS THIS PROPERTY AS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR INDIVIDUAL, LOCAL, OR NATIONAL DESIGNATION. HOWEVER, NO OCCUPANCY RESEARCH WAS COMPLETED FOR THE PROPERTY AT THE TIME. AND THE ASSOCIATION WITH MRS. YEARWOOD WAS NOT EVALUATED. THOUGH THE SURVEY NOTES THAT THE BUILDING DOES NOT APPEAR TO CONVEY ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE. IT IS AN INTACT EXAMPLE OF A MODEST BUNGALOW THAT RETAINS THE DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CRAFTSMAN STYLE. THE PROPERTY IS ASSOCIATED WITH MRS. EEE YEARWOOD EDUCATOR AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE AUSTIN RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION TREASURER OF THE ALPHA KAPPA ALPHA SORORITY, AND 51 YEAR VETERAN SECRETARY AND CHARTER MEMBER OF THE LETTY MADISON CHAPTER OF THE ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR. THE HOUSE WAS ORIGINALLY ADDRESSED AS 1203 COTTON AND WAS LIKELY CONSTRUCTED SOMETIME BETWEEN 1923 AND 1932. ACCORDING TO SANDBORN MAPS DEED RECORDS, THOUGH THE PROPERTY'S LONGEST TERM OCCUPANTS PURCHASED THE LOT SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE HENRY PETERS SOLD THE PROPERTY TO EDWARD T AND FE ESLER WHITE YEARWOOD IN DECEMBER OF 1912. AND THE NEWLYW YEARWOOD WERE BOTH EDUCATORS. PROFESSOR ET YEARWOOD WAS THE PRINCIPAL OF WEST AUSTIN SCHOOL. AND MRS. FEE YEARWOOD WAS A HISTORY TEACHER AT ELSIE ANDERSON. PROFESSOR [00:30:01] YEARWOOD DIED IN 1917 AND F YEARWOOD CONSTRUCTED A NEW HOUSE IN PLACE OF THE ORIGINAL DWELLING ON THE LOT IN 1923. MECHANICS LIEN DISCHARGED IN 1932 SUGGESTS THE BUILDING'S AGE AFTER BEGINNING HER TEACHING CAREER IN 1910. F YEARWOOD TAUGHT AT LC ANDERSON FROM 1917 UNTIL 1954 WHEN THE DISPARITIES BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE SCHOOLS AND SEGREGATED AUSTIN WERE GLARING. IN 1952, SHE BECAME ONE OF THE CHARTER MEMBERS OF THE AUSTIN RETIRED TEACHERS ASSOCIATION, WHICH PREDATED THE STATEWIDE ASSOCIATION BY A YEARWOOD. SERVED, UH, FOR 51 YEARS AS SECRETARY AND FOUNDING MEMBER OF THE LETTY MADISON CHAPTER OF THE ORDER OF THE EASTERN STAR AND A SECRETARY OF THE COMMUNITY WELFARE ASSOCIATION ALONGSIDE BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESIDENT AND FELLOW ELSIE ANDERSON. TEACHER MADDIE DURDEN YEARWOOD WAS ALSO AN EARLY OFFICER OF THE AKA SORORITY. SHE REMAINED AT 1205 COTTON UNTIL HER DEATH IN 1977. HER CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANDERSON HIGH, THE AKAS AT THE COMMUNITY WELFARE ASSOCIATION AND THE A RTA HAD SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO THE TEACHERS OF AUSTIN BLACK PROFESSIONAL WOMEN AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN EAST AUSTIN. THE PORCH PIERS HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON THIS HOUSE AND COVERED WITH CONCRETE. THOUGH THEIR ORIGINAL SHAPE IS LIKELY UNCHANGED. THE NON HISTORIC REAR ADDITIONS DO NOT APPEAR TO COMPROMISE THE BUILDING'S, THE BUILDING'S ABILITY TO CONVEY ITS ORIGINAL FORM AND THEIR REMOVAL WOULD NOT ENDANGER THE INTEGRITY OF THE MAIN HOUSE. UM, THERE WAS A HOUSE FROM 1203 COTTON STREET NEXT DOOR THAT WAS MOVED ONTO THE BACK OF THE LOT IN 1950 BY MRS. YARWOOD, BUT THAT BUILDING IS NO LONGER EXTENT. ALRIGHT, THAT CONCLUDES THE STAFF PRESENTATION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT. UH, ONCE AGAIN, UH, THIS IS A INITIATION BASED ON THE, UH, OWNER APPLYING FOR DEMOLITION PERMIT. BUT, UH, THE MOTION IS FOR A, OR THE, THE, IT IS POSTED FOR A ZONING CHANGE. IS THERE ANYONE HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE ZONING CHANGE THE, THE PRESERVATION OF THIS HOUSE? YES. WE HAVE MEGAN KING, WHO'S IN FAVOR OF HISTORIC ZONING. MS. KING, PLEASE COME AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. I'M MEGAN KING, POLICY AND OUTREACH PLANNER FOR PRESERVATION AUSTIN. I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS PRESERVATION AUSTIN'S SUPPORT FOR HISTORIC ZONING OF 1205 COTTON STREET. AS YOU HEARD IN THE STAFF PRESENTATION, THE HOUSE HAS DEMONSTRABLE ASSOCIATIONS WITH MRS. F EWOOD, AN EDUCATOR AND CIVIC LEADER WHO SERVED EAST AUSTIN'S BLACK COMMUNITY. DURING THE JIM CROW ERA, MRS. YEARWOOD TAUGHT ELSIE ANDERSON, AUSTIN'S ONLY SCHOOL FOR BLACK, SORRY, ONLY HIGH SCHOOL FOR BLACK STUDENTS FOR 34 YEARS, OVERCOMING SYSTEMIC BARRIERS THAT DENIED BLACK TEACHERS AND STUDENTS OPPORTUNITIES TO LEARN AND THRIVE. AFTER HER HUSBAND'S PASSING, SHE REDEVELOPED THE PROPERTY HERSELF, THE BUILDING WE SEE TODAY IN HER LA IN HER LATER YEARS, MRS. YEARWOOD DISPLAYED REMARKABLE RESILIENCE, TRANSFORMING HER PROPERTY INTO A SOURCE OF INCOME BY ADDING AN ADDITION TO THE HOME AND CONVERTING IT INTO A RENTAL UNIT. A LEADER IN VARIOUS CHARITABLE AND CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS. MRS. YR'S INFLUENCE OVER SPECIFIC LIFE OF EAST AUSTIN EXTENDED FAR BEYOND THE CLASSROOM AS DEMOLITIONS IN EAST AUSTIN CONTINUED TO DISPLACE ITS HISTORIC BLACK COMMUNITIES TO A FIVE COTTON STREET EMBODIES THE RESILIENCE OF BLACK AUSTINITES IN THE FACE OF SEGREGATION AND THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF BLACK WOMEN TO OUR CITY'S CIVIC LIFE. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT STORY OF AUSTIN'S RACIAL PAST THAT WE BELIEVE MUST BE PRESERVED. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYONE ELSE HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR? OKAY. AGAIN, THE OWNER INITIALLY, UH, APPLIED FOR A DEMOLITION, AND SO I ASSUME THE OWNER IS HERE AND WE WILL CALL UP ANYBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK AGAINST HISTORIC ZONING. YES, WE HAVE THE APPLICANT TEAM HERE. WE HAVE MS. HOLLY ARTHUR, AND MS. SARAH DE DINI. PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS HOLLY ARTHUR. THANKS AGAIN FOR MEETING WITH US. UM, YES, WE'RE HERE TO, UM, TO TALK ABOUT 1205 COTTON AND, UH, IT'S, UH, SIGNIFICANCE. UM, IN, IN THE REPORT, THE, UH, THE THREE MAIN THINGS THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT UP ARE THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE IN TERMS OF ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, COMMUNITY VALUE, AND OF COURSE OF MISS, UH, YEARWOOD. UH, THE TWO THAT WE DO WANT TO, UM, SPEAK MORE TO IS, UM, THE ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE IS ONE. SAM, WOULD YOU MIND PULLING UP THE PRESENTATION? THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INDICATES THAT THIS PROPERTY DOES NOT MEET THE CRITERIA FOR LOCAL OR NATIONAL DESIGNATION. AS WE HAVE, UM, HEARD FROM CALLAN, UH, WITH THE 2016 SURVEY, THE EXTENSIVE ALTERATIONS TO THIS HOME HAVE MADE, UH, HAVE COMPROMISED [00:35:01] THE STRUCTURE SEVERELY, UM, IN TERMS OF ITS ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY. THERE'S, UM, MANY MATERIALS THAT HAVE BEEN CHANGED AS AGAIN, UM, CALLAN HAS STATED THE PORCH PIERS, UM, DO NOT APPEAR TO BE ORIGINAL. UM, AND MANY THINGS HAVE BEEN ALTERED. UH, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND GOING TO SLIDE FOUR TO FIVE, THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. UM, ADDITIONALLY, THE PROPERTY DOES NOT REPRESENT A RARE OR UNIQUE EXAMPLE OF THE CRAFTSMAN STYLE WITHIN THIS CITY, UH, WHICH FURTHER DIMINISHES ITS ARCHITECTURAL RELEVANCE. YOU CAN SEE HERE, UM, WE HAVE INDICATED PICTURES OF THOSE PORCH COLUMNS THAT ARE CLEARLY BUILT OF PLYWOOD. UM, AND YOU CAN SEE ALSO THERE HAVE BEEN SOME WINDOW REPLACEMENTS, UM, SHOWING ALUMINUM WINDOWS AS WELL. UM, AND IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND GOING TO THE NEXT SLIDE, SAM, YOU CAN SEE, UM, UNDERNEATH THE PORCH THAT THE TOP LEFT PICTURE IS INDICATING THERE HAS BEEN SOME CHANGES TO THE MATERIAL INSIDE THE PORCH, WHICH LEADS US TO BELIEVE THAT THAT PORCH HAS BEEN REBUILT AND IS NOT ORIGINAL. UM, SO IT'S REALLY HARD FOR US TO SAY WHAT WAS ORIGINAL THERE. UM, TYPICALLY THE INTERIOR OF THESE PORCH BEAM MATCH THE EXTERIOR, UM, MATERIAL. AND AS INDICATED ON, IN THE PICTURE ON THE TOP LEFT, THIS IS INSIDE THE REAR OF THE HOME. AGAIN, A DIFFERENT MATERIAL THAT'S BEING EXPOSED, UM, LEADING US TO QUESTION WHAT THE ORIGINAL MATERIAL OF THE HOUSE IS. UM, THE OTHER, UH, ARGUMENT THAT WE WANT TO SPEAK TO IS THE COMMUNITY VALUE. UM, FROM A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE, THE PROPERTY LACKS A DISTINCT CULTURAL IDENTITY THAT CONTRIBUTES MEANINGFULLY TO THE HISTORIC NARRATIVE. UM, THE LOCATION IS NOT UNIQUE. ITS SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY TRANSFORMED WITH ADJACENT PROPERTIES. UM, AS SHOWN ON SLIDE 11, EITHER EXTENSIVELY REMODELED OR COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED. UM, THE LOSS OF HISTORICAL CONTEXT WEAKENS ANY CLAIM TO THE PROPERTY'S SIGNIFICANCE WITH THE BROADER CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF THE CITY. IN CONCLUSION, BOTH ITS DIMINISHED ARCHITECTURAL AND INTEGRITY AND LACK OF COMMUNITY SIGNIFICANCE SUPPORT THE ARGUMENT AGAINST THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE HOME AT 1204 COTTON, THESE, SORRY, 1205 COTTON, THE, WITHOUT THESE ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES, THE PROPERTY FAILS TO WARRANT RECOGNITION AS A SIGNIFICANT HISTORICAL SITE. UM, FURTHER, UM, ON SLIDE 12, THERE IS NEIGHBOR SUPPORT FOR DEMO. AND ON THE LAST SLIDE, THERE ARE THE SANDBORNE MAPS HERE THAT WE'VE PREVIOUSLY SHOWN. AND YOU CAN SEE THAT IT IS SHOWING A DIFFERENT FRONT PORCH CONFIGURATION, WHICH AGAIN, LEADS US TO BELIEVE THAT THE FRONT PORCH IS NOT ORIGINAL. AND WE QUESTION WHAT IS ACTUALLY ORIGINAL TO THIS HOUSE. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? MRS. ANY QUESTIONS OF THE, UH, I, I ASSUME YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE OWNER, IS THAT CORRECT? NO, I'M REPRESENTING SARAH AND ERICA, THE OWNERS WHO ARE HERE. OKAY. THE, THE OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE? YES. IS, UM, ANY, ANY QUESTIONS? UM, I, I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. THE, UM, STAFF REPORT AND YOUR PRESENTATION ALSO MAKES IT VERY CLEAR THAT THE ADDITIONS ON THE BACK ARE NOT PART OF THE HISTORIC PROPERTY. AND YES. THOSE MODIFICATIONS CORRECT. UM, IF THEY WERE REMOVED, IT'S STILL A FAIRLY LARGE LOT. WOULD THERE BE A, I MEAN, IF, IF, IF THIS WAS A HISTORIC PROPERTY, THERE WOULD STILL BE OPPORTUNITIES TO DO QUITE A BIT WITH THE REST OF IT, SO LONG AS IT WAS RELATED TO, OR CONNECTED TO, UH, THE EXISTING STRUCTURE, WHICH OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, WOULD BE, WOULD, WOULD BE WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO PRESERVE? YES. AND THAT'S A FAIR QUESTION. THERE'S, YOU CONSIDERED, HAS THE OWNERS CONSIDERED THAT THERE HAS BEEN CONSIDERATION? UM, THE, THE, THE, SOME OF THE REPORTS, SOME OF THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE'VE PROVIDED ALSO SHOW SOME EXTENSIVE RESEARCH THROUGH, UM, STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS AND INSPECTORS SHOWING THE DETERIORATION, IN FACT, UM, UNSOUND STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE HOUSE. UM, AND SO THEREFORE THE CLIENTS ARE, UH, WARY OF WORKING WITH THIS HOUSE, UH, KNOWING THAT THE ENTIRE ROOF WOULD NEED TO BE BUILT, REBUILT. THE ENTIRE FOUNDATION WOULD NEED TO BE REBUILT. UM, AND THAT IS NOT AN EASY FEAT AS YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE REBUILDING THE ENTIRE FOUNDATION, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE FLOOR, THROUGH THE ROOF, UM, TO GET, UM, YOU KNOW, CONCRETE POURED IN THERE [00:40:01] THROUGH A CRANE. UM, MANY OF THE WALLS ARE SKEWED, WHICH MEANS THAT WE WOULD NEED TO REFRAME MANY OF THOSE WALLS. THE WINDOWS ARE IN DISREPAIR. THEY'RE, UM, THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEM, UH, ARE ROTTING. UM, SO THERE'S JUST, THERE'S EXTENSIVE ROT AND REPAIR NEEDED THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE. OKAY, THANK YOU. YES. IS THERE ANOTHER SPEAKER? PLEASE COME FORWARD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. HI COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS SARAH DINE. I'M THE OWNER OF THE PROPERTY ALONG WITH ERICA AGAIN, I'M JUST HERE TO REITERATE THAT WHEN WE BOUGHT THIS PROPERTY IN OUR DUE DILIGENCE, WE SAW THAT IT IS NOT ON THE HISTORIC SURVEY, THE 2016 SURVEY, IT WAS NOT ELIGIBLE. UM, WE'VE SINCE LEARNED THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO FOLLOW THAT RECOMMENDATION. THE, THE HOUSE HAS BEEN CHANGED SIGNIFICANTLY. UH, THE FRONT WE KNOW DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE THE ORIGINAL FRONT. THE SANBORN MAPS CLEARLY SHOW THAT, UM, TO THE EXTENT THAT THIS WERE TO BE, YOU KNOW, HISTORICAL, UM, WE HAVE A STRUCTURAL REPORT. AND, AND AGAIN, WE STARTED THIS JOURNEY WITH YOU IN APRIL OR MAY, WE WENT TO THE ARC COMMITTEE. WE HAVE SPENT EXTENSIVE TIME AND RESOURCES ON CONSIDERING ALL THE OPTIONS. WE HAVE HAD THIS PROPERTY EVALUATED 16 WAYS TO SUNDAY, AND WE HAVE A STRUCTURAL REPORT THAT STATES THAT THIS THING WILL BE NEEDED, TOOK DOWN COMPLETELY, NOT EVEN TO THE STUDS. WE ARE REDOING THE FOUNDATION COMPLETELY. WE ARE TAKING DOWN WALLS. THERE'S NOTHING THAT CAN STRUCTURALLY BE PRESERVED HERE, AND WE WILL BE RECONSTRUCTING A NEW HOME. ADDITIONALLY, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE SEEN THAT THE, THE FRONT MATERIALS, UM, WE KNOW THAT SOME OF THEM ARE NOT ORIGINAL. WE'RE NOT CLEAR WHAT IS ORIGINAL. UM, AND AND FURTHERMORE, ALL OF IT IS ROTTED. IT WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED AT THIS POINT. WE ARE, WE ARE REBUILDING A HOME. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, TO, TO TOP IT OFF, IT, IT'S JUST, IT'S THE STRUCTURAL REPORT. HOPEFULLY YOU'VE READ IT STATES THAT THEY WOULD NOT, THEY WOULD NOT BASICALLY SEAL THE DRAWINGS BECAUSE THE STRUCTURE SHOWS EXTENSIVE EXTENSIVE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. AND THEY HIGHLY, HIGHLY, HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT THIS THING BE TORN DOWN. UM, WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO FROM THERE, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. SO THAT'S IT. ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, COMMISSIONERS? ANY QUESTIONS OF THE OWNER? ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE, THE STRUCTURAL REPORT? I, I WOULD WOULD'VE LOVED TO HAVE SEEN MORE SPECIFIC, UM, EITHER PHOTOGRAPHS OR SPECIFIC REFERENCES. I MEAN, THERE WAS A MORE GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE STATE OF THE BUILDING, UH, AND THEY DID MAKE A DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE BACK ADDITION AND THE FRONT. BUT, UM, I, I, I WOULD'VE, I WOULD'VE LIKED TO HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN MORE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OR PHOTOGRAPHS. UH, BUT I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WERE TRYING TO CONVEY. YEAH. AND, AND APOLO, HAD I KNOWN THAT IN THESE SERIES OF MEETINGS, UM, WE WOULD'VE PROVIDED THAT I WAS, YOU KNOW, TOLD WE NEED STRUCTURAL, WE ACTUALLY NEED TO SEE THE STRUCTURAL REPORT. WE NEED TO SEE THE INSPECTION REPORT. YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, BASICALLY, THIS IS INHA INHABITABLE. IN ADDITION, YOU'LL SEE THAT IN THE REPORTS THAT THERE, THERE ARE SAFETY CONCERNS IN THIS HOME. SO THIS THING HAS NOT BEEN OCCUPIED FOR SINCE OUR OWNERSHIP IN JANUARY. AND NOT SURE HOW LONG BEFORE THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANOTHER YES, GO AHEAD. UH, COMMISSIONER LAROCHE MAY HAVE A QUESTION FOR YOU. HI, GO AHEAD. NO, I, I, I JUST WANNA HAVE A, WITH FRANK DISCUSSION WITH YOU ABOUT YOUR STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING REPORT. YOU, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S A WOOD FRAMED HOME ON P BE FOUNDATION AND TO SUGGEST THAT, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE OUT LEVEL CAN'T BE CORRECTED. THAT, THAT THOSE THINGS ARE DISINGENUOUS. I, I GET IT. YOU WANNA, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA MAKE YOUR CASE FOR DEMOLITION, BUT, AND I'M SENSITIVE TO THAT. I REALLY AM. I JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S A SIMPLE WOOD FRAME STRUCTURE. LIKE ALL OF THESE THINGS CAN BE REPAIRED QUITE EASILY AND, YOU KNOW, THE ENGINEER MAKES IT SOUND LIKE IT'S GONNA FALL OVER, WHICH IS FAR FROM THE CASE. SO, I, I, I, I DON'T MEAN TO, I WOULD JUST SAY THAT I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ALL THE NUANCES OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING, BUT I'M TELLING YOU THE, THE, THE HOME IS FAR CATASTROPHIC. [00:45:01] AND, YOU KNOW, I LET MY OTHER COLLEAGUES OF PINE, BUT THAT, THAT, YOU KNOW, OUT ABOVE FLOORS, THINGS LIKE THAT, THAT'S BE EXPECTED FROM OLDER PB CONSTRUCTION. THAT'S JUST PART OF WHAT'S REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN THE HOMES. YEAH. I, YOU KNOW, IF THERE WERE ROT, UH, CITED SPECIFICALLY, OR, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FOUNDATION THAT WAS EITHER MISSING OR SOMEHOW HAD BEEN COMPROMISED, AND WE COULD SEE IT DOCUMENTED. BUT I, I THINK THAT, BUT GO AHEAD. UM, WHAT, WHAT WERE YOU, WHAT, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND TO COMMISSIONER LAROCHE? OH, A AGAIN, THE, THE, THE HOUSE IS TILTED. THIS, THE, THE, THE STRUCTURAL REPORT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THIS THING CAN BE REPAIRED TO REPAIR IT. YOU ARE RECONSTRUCTING IT. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO FROM THERE. THAT IS, WE ARE TAKING THIS THING DOWN AND REDOING IT BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S TILTING, THE WALLS ARE TILTING THE ROOF, THE RIDGE LINE, IT'S COMING APART. SO THE ROOF NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY RESTRUCTURED, UH, RECONSTRUCTED. UM, IT, YOU CAN FIX IT, IT, BUT FIXING IT FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, AND WE'VE ALSO HAD COUNTLESS BUILDERS THERE TO FIX IT. YOU ARE, YOU ARE REDOING IT. AND, AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M NOT A PARTICULAR BUILDER, BUT I'VE MET WITH SEVERAL OF THEM. I'VE MET WITH SEVERAL ARCHITECTS, I'VE MET WITH SEVERAL STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, AND THEY'RE ALL SAYING THE SAME THING. THIS NEED, THIS THING NEEDS TO BE REDONE. AND THEY'VE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SOME OF THE ALTERATIONS HAVE COMPROMISED THE STRUCTURE. SO I APPRECIATE THAT. GENERALLY SPEAKING, A STICK FRAMED HOME IS EASILY, EASILY REPAIRABLE. BUT IN THIS INSTANCE, THE WAY THE ADDITIONS WERE DONE AND THE CHANGES TO THE FRONT AND THE CHIMNEY IS ATTACHED, AND IT'S LEANING, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T GET INTO THE TECHNICALITIES WITH YOU 'CAUSE YOU KNOW, I'M NOT WELL VERSED IN THAT. BUT CLEARLY THIS THING IS STRUCTURALLY COMPROMISED AND, AND I'M, I'M, WE HAVE SPENT THE LAST SIX MONTHS WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM. YOU KNOW, WE WENT TO THE ARC COMMITTEE, WE TOOK WHAT THEY SAID TO HEART. WE WENT AND MET WITH ARCHITECT. WE HIRED AN ARCHITECT FINALLY WHO IS, WHO IS, YOU KNOW, KNOWN FOR REHABILITATING BEAUTIFUL PROJECTS. WE WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING HERE. IT'S JUST, IT'S, IT'S, THE WRITING IS ON THE WALL. AND, YOU KNOW, I, I APPRECIATE, WE APPRECIATE THE HISTORIC NA NATURE OF AUSTIN AND WHAT YOU GUYS DO THAT IS NOT LOST ON US. WE WILL NOT BE BUILDING ANYTHING ATROCIOUS HERE. IT'S NOT IN OUR DNA, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING. I HAVE A QUESTION. WITH ALL THESE BUILDERS AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE COME TO THE SITE, AM I MISSING SOMETHING OR DO WE NOT HAVE ANY NUMBERS OR COST ESTIMATE FOR WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO ACTUALLY FIX THIS BUILDING VERSUS NEW CONSTRUCTION? WELL, YOU'VE ASKED ME THAT QUESTION BEFORE, AND EVERY BUILDER I TALKED TO SAYS, WE NEED TO SEE FULL BLOWN PLANS OF WHAT YOU WANNA DO. SO THAT'S WHEN WE GOT THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER INVOLVED, AND THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER TOLD US, YOU ARE RECONSTRUCTING THIS HOME. THERE'S NO WAY TO MODIFY IT. SO THEN WE GO BACK TO THE BUILDERS AND SAY, WE'RE GONNA BE RECONSTRUCTING THE HOME. OKAY, WELL, WE NEED PLANS TO SEE THAT. AND IT'S THIS, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S LEADING US TO CHASE OUR TAILS CANDIDLY. YEAH, NO, I HEAR THAT. BUT ANY, ANY QUALIFIED CONTRACTOR AND EVEN A QUALIFIED ARCHITECT SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO A COST PER SQUARE FOOTAGE FOR YOU. SO IT'S, UH, WELL, THE, I THINK THAT'S A, A, I GUESS, A FRUSTRATION FOR OUR PROFESSION, I GUESS. BUT I HEAR YOU, UH, CANDIDLY, UH, COMMISSIONER RUBIO, IN THE ARC MEETING, I MENTIONED THAT WE HAD MET WITH PEOPLE. I MENTIONED PRELIMINARY NUMBERS THAT WAS IN THAT PRESENTATION, AND I WAS TOLD THAT THAT IS NOT RELEVANT TO THE CASE. SO WHAT WAS RELEVANT, WHAT I WAS TOLD IS STRUCTURALLY GO FIGURE OUT THE INTEGRITY OF THIS THING. AND THAT'S WHAT I DID. I MEAN, WE HAVE SPENT MONTHS AND MONTHS AND MONTHS DOING WHAT WE THOUGHT WE WERE ASKED. AND HAD I KNOWN THAT WAS RELEVANT, WE WOULD'VE DONE THAT BECAUSE WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING YOU'VE ASKED. WELL, AND, AND LET ME CLARIFY, UM, IT IS, IT IS HELPFUL AS A REFERENCE JUST TO KNOW WHAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH AND WHAT OPTIONS YOU'VE CONSIDERED. BUT WHETHER OR NOT SOMETHING COSTS MORE OR LESS IS NOT PART OF OUR HISTORIC DESIGNATION. RIGHT. SO IN THAT, IN THAT REGARD, THAT IS CORRECT. RIGHT. BUT IT, IT, IT CAN BE USEFUL AT TIMES, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS OF REPLACEMENT VERSUS, UM, RESTORATION OR, OR PRESERVATION. UM, YEAH, I, I, I MEAN, THIS IS ONE THAT CLEARLY YOU ALL HAVE GIVEN IT A LOT OF THOUGHT. WE REALLY HAVE. IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT ORIGINALLY INDICATED, UH, AS A, UH, WITHIN THE REPORTS, THEN, I KNOW THIS IS PROBABLY COMING SOMEWHAT AS A SURPRISE. MM-HMM. [00:50:01] . UM, BUT AT THE SAME TIME AS, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, ONCE, ONCE THESE HISTORIC RESOURCES ARE GONE, WE CAN'T REPLACE THEM. SO I THINK COMMISSIONER, I HAD A QUESTION AS WELL. YEAH, GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER. UM, ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS WE OFTEN SEE IS STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS AND ARCHITECTS WHO HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH RENOVATING HISTORIC HOMES AND ARE REALLY GROUND UP PEOPLE AND PRESENTED WITH THIS. OBVIOUSLY, I THINK THEY WOULD PREFER TO TEAR IT DOWN. YOU MENTIONED HAVING WORKED WITH AN ARCHITECT WITH EXPERIENCE RENOVATING OLDER HOMES. CAN, CAN YOU SHARE WHO THAT WAS? HOLLY, WHO JUST SPOKE TO YOU AND, AND HONESTLY, WHEN HOLLY FIRST MET AGAIN, THIS WAS AFTER THE ARC MEETING, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW DO WE PRESERVE THIS HOME. AND THAT'S WHEN WE STARTED TO DIG IN. YOU KNOW, SHE, SHE IS DONE PRESERVATION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, SO WE CAN BRING HER BACK UP IF THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL. OKAY. COMMISSIONER COOK, DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS OF, UH, MS. HOLLY ARTHUR, THE ARCHITECT? YEAH. CAN YOU NAME A FEW OF THE, UH, PROJECTS OR ADDRESSES YOU'D WORKED ON IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE YOU PRESERVED THE HOUSE AND MAYBE ADDED ON TO THE REAR? SURE. THE MOST RECENT ONE IS SEVEN, UH, 1617 NEW YORK AVENUE, UM, WHICH WE MET AND DISCUSSED ACTUALLY. UM, AND THAT ONE WAS IN MUCH BETTER CONDITION. IT WAS STILL, YOU KNOW, QUITE THE STRUGGLE, UM, GETTING IT SOUND AND SQUARE. AND, UM, THIS HOUSE THOUGH, I MEAN, I, I HAVE LOOKED AT SARAH AND ERICA'S HOUSE, UM, AND SEEN, YOU KNOW, THE ATTIC AND SEEING THE STRUCTURE THAT IS LITERALLY COMING, BEING SEPARATED FROM THE RIDGE BEAMS. UM, SO THE RAFTERS ARE SEPARATING FROM THE RIDGE BEAMS. AGAIN, ALL OF THE PIERS NEED TO BE REPLACED. THEY'RE EITHER CEDAR PIERS OR UM, CMU BLOCKS. UM, AND THAT IS NOT AN EASY FEAT TO DO. UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE, ALL THE WINDOWS NEED TO BE REPLACED AND TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT MEANS ALL THE SIDING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. UM, AGAIN, WE'RE JUST, IT, IT'S KIND OF SNOWBALLING INTO, UH, LACK OF HISTORIC MATERIAL REALLY, IS WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT. UM, I KNOW, I KNOW. IT'S NOT WHAT, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS ARE HERE OR, AND WANT TO HEAR. RIGHT. UM, BUT THIS IS, THIS IS WHAT I SEE FROM MY, YOU KNOW, PERSPECTIVE. IT'S, IT, IT IS GREATLY DETERIORATED AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S UNFORTUNATE. BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I SEE HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SURE. AND IF I COULD ADD, WE, WE FOCUSED ON THIS ON ONE OF THE MEETINGS, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER WHICH ONE IT IS THE FRONT OF THE HOME, AND I KNOW WE BREEZED THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, THE FRONT OF THE HOME, A GOOD CHUNK OF IT IS PLYWOOD THAT'S ROTTED. UM, AND WE DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS ORIGINAL, BUT AGAIN, THE ARC, AND I'M NOT AN ARCHITECT, BUT YOU KNOW, THE MATERIALS THAT ARE CURRENTLY ON THAT HOME, THEY'RE, THEY'RE THERE. THE, SOME OF 'EM ARE, YOU KNOW, OF MODEST MATERIAL. AND I APPRECIATE THAT THIS WOULD'VE BEEN A REPRESENTATION OF A MODEST BUNGALOW. BUT THERE IS PLYWOOD ROTTING, SO ALL OF THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE EXISTING SIDING IS ROTTING, THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE'S TERMITE DAMAGE. UM, IT'S, IT'S STRUCTURALLY ON SOUND. IT'S ARCHITECTURALLY, YOU KNOW, GOING TO NEED TO BE COMPLETELY REDONE AS WELL. IT'S, WE REALLY WOULD BE TAKING THIS, I THINK WE WOULD REALLY BE RECONSTRUCTING THIS HOME. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR HOLLY. UM, I, I UNDERSTAND THE ATTIC, I MEAN, PLENTY OF WOOD FRAME STRUCTURES THAT NEED REINFORCEMENT AT THE ATTIC LEVEL. UM, I, I HEAR THE COMMENTS ON THE PIERS AS WELL THAT NEED TO BE REPLACED. CAN YOU EXPLAIN A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE WINDOWS? 'CAUSE I, I HEARD YOU SAY THAT THEY ALL NEED TO BE REPLACED. I LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS. I, I SEE MAYBE ONE OR TWO WINDOW SASHES THAT LOOK LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH PAINT, AND THEY'VE BEEN EXPOSED FOR THAT LONG. I, I DON'T, I'VE SEEN MUCH WORSE WOOD WOULD ROT. AND SO WHEN I'M HEARING THESE THINGS, THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT GIVES US DOUBT, YOU KNOW? SO IF, IF YOU WERE TO GO TO THE SITE AND LIKE, PRESS ON THE WINDOWS, THEY'RE LITERALLY ROTTING. YOU CAN PUSH YOUR FINGER INTO THEM. AND, YOU KNOW, JUST FROM MY EXTENSIVE RESEARCH OR RECENT RESEARCH INTO RESTORING WINDOWS VERSUS REPLACEMENT, THAT'S AT LEAST 20% MORE. IT'S SO EXPENSIVE TO RESTORE WINDOWS. AND YOU KNOW, AS, AS MUCH AS, YOU KNOW, I LOVE, I LOVE OLD THINGS, RIGHT? BUT IT'S, IT IS EXPENSIVE. UM, IT, THESE WOULD HAVE TO BE, ALL OF THEM WOULD HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY, THERE'S WINDOWS THAT ARE BEING HELD UP BY NAILS, UM, WHICH MEANS THAT THE PULLEYS, LIKE THE WEIGHTS AND THE WALLS ARE NOT WORKING. UM, SO THAT HAS TO BE OPENED UP AND REDONE. IT'S SO THAT MEANS, AND THE FRAME'S ALSO ROTTED? OR JUST THE SASHES? IT'S A MIX. IT'S A MIX, YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. WELL, AND [00:55:01] I WOULD THINK THAT IF YOU'RE GONNA REPLACE A SYSTEM, YOU, YOU REPLACE A SYSTEM, NOT JUST TWO OR THREE, YOU KNOW, UNITS, UH, YOU KNOW, TWO OR THREE WINDOWS. IF YOU'RE GONNA REPLACE 'EM, JUST REPLACE, YOU KNOW, THE FULL LOT. THAT'S, I DON'T KNOW, THAT'S JUST THE WORLD I COME FROM IN, IN CONSTRUCTION. SO , I'M IN THE OTHER WORLD WHERE WE NEED A WINDOW SURVEY, AND YOU'RE GONNA SAVE EVERY SINGLE PIECE OF HISTORIC WOOD THAT NEEDS TO STAY IN THAT BUILDING. SO WE'RE VERY, WE'RE OPPOSITE ENDS. COMMISSIONER. YEAH. I, BUT I, I, I TH THIS IS, AS YOU CAN, YOU KNOW, THE OWNER, YOU CAN APPRECIATE, YOU'VE BEEN THERE, YOU'VE LIVED WITH THIS, YOU'RE USING WAYS TO CONVEY SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS THAT, UM, OFTENTIMES ARE PRESENTED. NOT SO MUCH AS A WAY OF, YOU KNOW, LETTING US REALLY INTO WHAT YOU'VE EXPERIENCED, BUT JUST AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR GETTING RID OF, AS COMMISSIONERS HAVE SAID, JUST GETTING RID OF THE THING. 'CAUSE IT'S A PROBLEM THING AND IT'S IN THE WAY. AND OF COURSE, WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO REALLY EVALUATE WHAT ARE WE BEING TOLD? WHAT IS THE VALUE? OBVIOUSLY THERE ARE OTHER CONSIDERATIONS, NOT JUST THE CONDITION OF THE HOUSE TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT, UH, THAT WOULD, WOULD INDICATE ITS VALUE, AND THEREFORE THE IMPORTANCE OF FOLLOWING THROUGH WITH THIS IN INITIATION OF THE HISTORIC ZONING. MM-HMM. , UH, THERE ARE MANY ADVANTAGES TO HAVING A HOUSE THAT IS HISTORICALLY ZONED, BUT YOU ARE WORKING WITH THE HISTORIC MATERIALS AND YOU ARE GOING TO BE KEEPING THEM UP, UH, AND REPLACING AS IN KIND OR WITH APPROPRIATE REPLACEMENT MATERIALS. SO DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN THE WINDOWS HAVE TO BE COMPLETELY RESTORED. THAT WOULD BE OUR PREFERENCE. BUT THERE ARE MODERN WINDOWS THAT WE CAN ACCEPT UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, UH, AS REPLACEMENTS. BUT THAT, THAT'S THE KIND OF DISCUSSION WE HAVE AFTER YOU'VE GONE PAST THIS FIRST EVALUATION WHERE YOU'VE DETERMINED THAT IT HAS TO BE TORN DOWN. UM, SO I'M, I'M, YOU CAN SEE WHAT WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH. MM-HMM. . ARE THERE OTHER SPEAKERS WHO NEED TO BE HEARD TONIGHT? ANYBODY ELSE TO SPEAK? SORRY. BUT DID, DID YOU BRING MORE, MORE SPEAKERS TO, TO PRESENT AS WELL? NO. CAN I, UM, JUST ASK THAT, WERE YOU ABLE TO READ THE STRUCTURAL REPORT? I HAVE IT RIGHT HERE. OKAY. YOU DO? YEAH. OKAY. MM-HMM. . THANK YOU. JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE. ALRIGHT, WELL, UM, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER SPEAKERS, UH, THANK MR. IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? UH, EXCUSE ME. THE, THE ORIGINAL, UH, THE OWNER ORIGINALLY APPLIED FOR A DEMOLITION PERMIT. I THINK THERE'S ONE. I HAVE A QUESTION. OH, YES. UM, COMMISSIONER EVANS. YES. I'D LIKE MY MEMORY REFRESHED ON HOW LONG THE CURRENT OWNERS HAVE OWNED THE PROPERTY SINCE JANUARY OF THIS YEAR IS WHEN WE CLOSED. THANK YOU. YEAH. OKAY. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? ALRIGHT. AND WE THANK YOU FOR COMING TO THE MICROPHONE. THANK AND COMMISSIONERS, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ALRIGHT. IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER RUBIO. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER RICK WATERER. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT. ALL RIGHT. THE PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. COMMISSIONER, I'LL COMMISSIONERS, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON THIS AND IF WE POSTPONE, UM, IT NEEDS ACTIONS TONIGHT, IT WOULD, IT WOULD TIME OUT. UM, I'M GONNA CONTINUE. ACTION. MOVE TO REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND RECOMMEND HISTORIC ZONING ON THE CRITERIA FOR ARCHITECTURE, COMMUNITY VALUE, AND HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS. IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND THAT. UM, THIS IS TOUGH. THIS WAS A, THIS WAS A TOUGH ONE. WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF TOUGH ONES LIKE THIS RECENTLY. UM, I, I, I DON'T FEEL I'VE PERSONALLY BEEN SWAYED, UH, UM, THAT THIS IS NOT SALVAGEABLE. I'VE WORKED ON PLENTY OF OTHER BUILDINGS FROM 1850S AND SIXTIES, AND YES, THEY'RE GONNA LEAN, YES, THEY'RE GONNA BE CREAKY, YOU KNOW? YES. THEY NEED REINFORCEMENT. NEW FOUNDATIONS, WE KNOW THAT. UM, SO I HAVEN'T BEEN SWAYED. ON THE FLIP SIDE, I HEAR THE, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT ARCHITECTURE. WE'VE DISCUSSED THAT AT LINKS IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS THAT MS. YEARWOOD, YOU KNOW, SHE PUT IN THE MONEY THAT SHE HAD TO FIX THIS BUILDING, AND SHE KEPT A NICE PROPERTY AS LONG AS SHE COULD UNTIL SHE DIED. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE HISTORY THERE SPEAKS FOR ITSELF. FAR TOO OFTEN. WE DON'T HAVE ENOUGH, UH, LANDMARKS IN, IN EAST AUSTIN THAT ARE BLACK OR BROWN ASSOCIATED, LET ALONE BLACK WOMEN. UH, AND SO I, BEYOND A POLITICIAN THAT HALF OF US COULD PROBABLY NAME IN THIS ROOM, HOW MANY OF US KNOW OF BLACK WOMEN WHO HAVE MADE A CONTRIBUTION TO THIS CITY AND THOSE BLACK WOMEN, WE'RE GONNA LOSE THOSE HISTORIES. SO, UH, THAT TO ME IS, IS IMPORTANT AND THAT'S WHY I RECOMMEND HISTORIC ZONING. [01:00:01] OKAY. COMMISSIONER EVANS? YES, I ALSO, UH, I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT THIS PROPERTY IS BEYOND REDEMPTION AND IN TERMS OF THE COMMUNITY VALUE AND THE ASSOCIATION, UH, THE VALUE TO THE COMMUNITY IS SIGNIFICANT IN, IN PROPERTIES SUCH AS THIS. AND IN TERMS OF ASSOCIATION, THE YEARWOOD FAMILY, THEIR ROOTS GO VERY DEEP. UH, I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF KNOWING SOME OF THEIR DESCENDANTS AND THE WORK THEY'VE DONE IN EAST AUSTIN, AND I DON'T THINK THAT CAN JUST BE DISCOUNTED, UH, BECAUSE THE PROPERTY IS IN DISREPAIR. SO I'M IN SUPPORT OF MOVING FORWARD WITH HISTORIC DESIGNATION. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? UH, YES. COMMISSIONER ROCHE? YES, I, I'M GOING TO OPPOSE THE MOTION. I AM SYMPATHETIC WITH THE OWNER AND ARCHITECTURALS CONCERNS, AND I WANT TO CAVEAT THAT BY SAYING THAT I CONTINUE TO BE DISAPPOINTED BY THE LEVEL OF DETAIL PROVIDED IN THE PROFESSIONAL REPORTS. AND SO I WOULD OFFER BY SERVICES CHAIR TO WORK WITH STAFF TO MAYBE REFINE SOME OF THE CRITERIA THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IN THOSE DOCUMENTS THAT WOULD BETTER GUIDE US IN THESE ISSUES. AND SO, UM, THAT WOULD BE MY POSITION ON THIS PARTICULAR MOTION COMM COM. COMMISSIONER, YOUR, YOUR VOLUNTEERING HAS BEEN NOTED AND I DO BELIEVE IS APROPOS TO AT LEAST ONE, IF NOT TWO, OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE EQUITY-BASED RESERVATION PLAN. SO CONSIDER YOUR, YOUR, YOUR DOOR WILL BE KNOCKED ON AT SOME TIME SHORTLY. . THANK YOU. UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION THOUGH REGARDING THE MOTION? YEAH, I, I, I HAVE A QUESTION. WHEN, UH, MR. MOS, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE, THE REPORT, THE PROFESSIONAL REPORTS, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING REPORTS? IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT? YES, SIR. OKAY. THEY CAN, THEY TAKE LIBERTY WITH THAT. UH, COMMISSIONER CASTILLO, THEY, THEY GO BEYOND, YOU KNOW, THEY TALK ABOUT THE ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING AND, AND, AND OTHER ITEMS, BUT THEY, THERE'S NO, UH, SUBSTANCE BEHIND. THAT'S JUST A CONJECTURE IN MANY OF THOSE, UH, OKAY. IN THE NARRATIVES. OKAY, I UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. YEAH. COMMISSIONER COOK, IF I MAY, MAY CLARIFY. COMMISSIONER RO, YOU'RE GONNA VOTE AGAINST THE MOTION TO RECOMMEND. THAT'S, THAT'S PERFECT. OKAY. I, I'M SYMPATHETIC WITH THE OWNER IN THE ARCHITECTURE IN THIS CASE, AND I, I, I DON'T KNOW THAT WE'VE ABSOLUTELY MADE, UH, MADE THE REQUIREMENTS CLEAR. AND I DO THINK THAT THERE OF OUR PRETTY SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE OF SUBSTANTIAL ALTERATIONS AS WELL. OKAY. COMMISSIONER COOK, DID YOU WANT TO? NO, UM, I'M ALSO PROBABLY GOING TO UNFORTUNATELY VOTE AGAINST THE MOTION. I'M NOT EASILY SWAYED BY THESE AS WELL. UM, BUT THERE ARE INTEGRITY ISSUES WITH, YOU KNOW, IT'S A VERY SIMPLE BUILDING. SOME OF THE KEY ELEMENTS WOULD BE THAT PORCH. AND ALTHOUGH IT'S IN THE SAME FORM, IT'S NOT THE ORIGINAL PIERS OBVIOUSLY. UM, AND, UH, I DO SEE ISSUES WITH THAT. UH, WITH, WITH THAT PORCH. I, THE SIDING DOES SEEM TO BE, YOU KNOW, IN BAD SHAPE THAT THAT WATERFALL TEARDROP IS REALLY HARD TO, TO GET STRAIGHTENED BACK UP. UH, ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ADDING ONTO THE BACK, THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SOMETHING THAT'S LEANING AND PROMOTING, ADDING SOMETHING NEW TO THE BACK. AND THAT GETS REALLY COMPLICATED. I WAS PARTICULARLY MOVED, UH, BY THE INCLUSION OF AN ARCHITECT THAT DOES HAVE HISTORIC EXPERIENCE AND, AND CAN SPEAK TO ALL THIS. AND IT SHOWED THAT THERE WAS A, UM, AT AT LEAST SOME ATTEMPT TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT COULD BE DONE WITH THIS IT FROM THE BEGINNING. THIS JUST SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING THAT COULD BE A, A WIN-WIN WHERE YOU JUST SAY THE FACADES AND SO MUCH OF IT HAS BEEN ALTERED TO THE BACK AND IT'S NOT ORIGINAL. JUST SAY THE FRONT PART AND DO WHATEVER YOU WANT IN THE BACK. BUT I COULD SEE HOW THAT WOULD GET REALLY COMPLICATED. THE ROOF WOULD NEED TO BE REBUILT. UH, THE ELECTRICAL WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE FOUNDATION WOULD NEED TO BE LEVELED AND SHIMMED. IT WOULD BE A WHOLE LOT OF WORK. AND YOU MIGHT SAVE THE FRONT 15 FEET OF THE HOUSE. AND THAT WOULD COME DOWN TO IS PROBABLY THE WINDOWS REPLACED AND THE PORCH REPLACED. AND , YOU KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHAT ARE YOU SAVING HERE? SO, UH, I, I FEEL REALLY STRONGLY ABOUT THE HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS AND THAT THEY ARE GOOD, BUT THE CONDITION, THE ARCHITECTURE, UM, THE INTEGRITY AND THE FACT THAT IT WASN'T LISTED IN THE 2016 SURVEY GIVES ME SOME PAUSE. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE TO LEAVE WINDOWS OPEN, ESPECIALLY IN THESE COMMUNITIES WHERE PEOPLE AREN'T RECORDED. YOU HAVE TO DIG DEEP TO, TO FIND THE HISTORIES HERE. SO, UH, I'M, I'M GONNA VOTE AGAINST IT. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS, ANY MORE DISCUSSION? ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? AND I, I'VE BEEN TORN [01:05:01] ON THIS ONE. UM, I'M HAVE A LOT OF CONCERN WHEN WE'RE DEALING WITH A MODEST STRUCTURE OF THIS KIND, WHEN THE HISTORIC INTEGRITY IS NOT INTACT, AND THE QUESTION ABOUT WHAT THAT PORCH IS, WHAT IT WAS BEFORE, UH, EVEN THE CONDITION THAT IT'S CURRENTLY IN. UH, AND THEN I WOULD SAY I SHARE COMMISSIONER ROCHE'S FRUSTRATION WITH GENERALITIES, UH, IN AN ENGINEER'S REPORT, PARTICULARLY WHEN THEY'RE COMPARED TO MODERN STANDARDS. UH, THE CODES HAVE A WHOLE DIFFERENT WAY OF DEALING WITH HISTORIC BUILDINGS AND MAINTAINING THEIR HISTORIC INTEGRITY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO COMPARE THEM TO MODERN STANDARDS, AND THEY CAN STILL BE PER CODE. SO THAT IS ALREADY A RED HERRING FOR US. PLEASE USE STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS OUT THERE. DON'T TELL US THAT THE OLD BUILDING COMPARED TO CURRENT CODES IS SUBSTANDARD. WE KNOW THAT THEY AREN'T THE SAME. THAT'S APPLES TO ORANGES AND IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING TO SEE THAT IN THE REPORT OF THIS KIND. SO, I, I WOULD SAY, HOWEVER, THE PROFESSIONALS HERE AND THE RATHER EXTENSIVE WORK THAT THE OWNERS HAVE PUT IN, I DO BELIEVE SINCERELY THAT THEY HAVE, THEY'VE EXPLORED EVERY OPTION. I THINK WHEN YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU HAVE RAFTER BEAMS THAT ARE PULLING AWAY FROM THE RIDGE, THAT'S NOT MENTIONED SPECIFICALLY IN THE REPORT, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN. UH, THE LEANING WALLS, THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE FACT THAT YOU HAVE A SUBSTANDARD FOUNDATION. SO, UH, I THINK THAT THERE IS ENOUGH CONCERN IN MY MIND ABOUT THE INTEGRITY OF THE BUILDING, BOTH ITS HISTORIC FABRIC AND TO A CERTAIN DEGREE THE STRUCTURE AS IT'S BEEN PRESENTED TO US, UH, THAT I, I I BELIEVE THAT, UM, FOR US TO VOTE IN FAVOR, WE WILL BE HAVING AN OPPONENT, UH, OF THIS OWNER. WE WILL HAVE, AS PEOPLE ARE AWARE, UH, MAYBE THE AUDIENCE IS NOT, UH, THERE'S BEEN A RECENT STATE LAW THAT IF AN OWNER OPPOSES OUR HISTORIC ZONING, THEN NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE TO HAVE A SUPER MAJORITY, BUT SO THE PLANNING COMMISSION AND OR THE CITY COUNCIL WILL HAVE TO BEFORE THAT'S ENACTED. IT'S A VERY HIGH BAR. I DON'T BELIEVE WE'VE EVER HAD ONE WHERE IT'S ACTUALLY GONE THROUGH OR MAYBE WE'VE HAD ONE. BUT, UM, UH, I'M VERY HESITANT TO SEND UP A PROPERTY THAT WE AREN'T A HUNDRED PERCENT CERTAIN ABOUT. SO, UH, FOR THAT REASON AS WELL, UH, I WILL VOTE AGAINST THIS MOTION. SO AT THIS POINT, IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALL THE, UM, CALL THE QUESTION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION FOR HISTORIC ZONING, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. AND WE HAVE TWO IN FAVOR. ALL THOSE OPPOSED, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. RIGHT. THE MOTION FOR HISTORIC ZONING HAS FAILED AND AT THIS POINT WE CAN ENTERTAIN A ANOTHER MOTION. THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION WAS FOR A DEMOLITION PERMIT. AND IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE, UH, EVEN THOUGH IT'S POSTED AS A ZONING CASE, UH, STAFF, WE'RE STILL ABLE TO, UH, TAKE THAT ACTION, UH, TO RELEASE THE DEMOLITION PERMIT. IF THAT IS A POTENTIAL MOTION, UH, THOUGH IT WOULD BE PENDING THE, UM, REQUIREMENTS FOR HISTORIC DOCUMENTATION. SO YES, WELL, WE GOT, LET'S GET THAT CLARIFIED FROM SAM IN ORDER, UH, FOR US TO GET THE DEMOLITION PACKET OR THE, UH, DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE. UM, WHEN THE PROPERTY IS DEMOLISHED, WE NEED A MOTION ON THE CASE FOR THAT. I BEG YOUR PARDON? SPEAKING. WE NEED A MOTION FOR THE DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE. YES. UM, IN ORDER TO STILL GET THAT AFTER, UH, THE RECOMMENDATION OF HISTORIC ZONING HAS FAILED. SO YES, WE DO NEED MOTION. OKAY. SO THAT WOULD BE AP THAT WOULD BE APP APPLICABLE HERE. OKAY. SO, UH, DID I HEAR A MOTION? UH, YOU DID. I I THOUGHT THAT WAS INCLUDED IN STAFF RECOMMENDATION. I APOLOGIZE THAT ON THE OVERSIGHT OF MY PART, I WOULD LIKE, UH, APPROVAL UPON, UH, RELEASE OF DEMOLITION UPON THE INCLUSION OF THE DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE AS PER STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION. OKAY. PRIOR. THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME. YOU GOT IT? IS THERE A SECOND TO THE MOTION? OKAY. COMMISSIONER COOK. SECONDED. UH, COMMISSIONER ROCHE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? NO, I THINK THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION SOMETHING UP. COMMISSIONER COOK? YEAH, I JUST WANNA NOTE, UM, IN THE PRESERVATION PLAN, ONE OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS IS TO FOCUS ON THE STORIES. AND AT THE VERY LEAST, THIS PROCESS BROUGHT UP AN UNKNOWN STORY, UH, OR AN UNDERAPPRECIATED STORY. AND THAT HOPEFULLY IN THE FUTURE, UH, MS. SHERWOOD'S NAME WILL BE INCLUDED IN A CANNON OF STORIES OF EAST AUSTIN THAT MAY NOT HAVE BUILDINGS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS BUILDING PARTICULARLY LI, LIVED UP TO THE CALIBER OF, OF THE HISTORY AND HOPEFULLY HER NAME CAN BE [01:10:01] CELEBRATED, UM, IN SOME OTHER WAY IN THE FUTURE. OKAY. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, I'M GONNA CALL THE QUESTION THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO RELEASE THE DEMOLITION UPON THE COMPLETION OF A CITY OF AUSTIN DOCUMENTATION PACKET. PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. OKAY. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? AND WHO OPPOSED THE MOTION PASSES. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU COMMISSIONERS AS WELL, UH, THAT THOSE ARE ALWAYS DIFFICULT CASES. UH, WE ARE ON ITEM NUMBER 10 IS THE NEXT DISCUSSION ITEM. UM, CHAIR BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO ITEM 10. [23. HR-2024-114445 – 1116 W 6th St. ] UM, WE HAVE HEARD FROM THE SPEAKER IN OPPOSITION, UM, TO ITEM NUMBER, LET'S SEE, 23 AT 1116 WEST SIXTH STREET, UH, THAT SPEAKER WISHES TO RESCIND, UH, THEIR OPPOSITION. OKAY, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON ITEM 23? ? SO THAT WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED FOR CONSENT. WE PULLED IT BECAUSE OF THE SPEAKER WHO NOW IS NO LONGER WISHING TO SPEAK. SO WOULD IT STILL BE APPROPRIATE, WE CAN ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO HAVE THAT APPROVED ON CONSENT. I'LL ENTERTAIN SUCH A MOTION FOR ITEM NUMBER 23. OKAY. UH, THAT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HORTER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LA ROCHE. UH, WE DON'T NEED A DISCUSSION ON THIS 'CAUSE IT'S A CONSENT ITEM. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND EVERYONE HERE, UH, PASSES AND WITH WIT OFF THE DA. SO THAT WOULD BE A, UM, THIS'LL STILL BE PASS, UH, UNANIMOUSLY. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANK. OKAY, THAT GETS US NOW [10. HR-2024-095214 – 701 Baylor St] TO ITEM NUMBER 10. THIS IS 7 0 1 BAYLOR STREET. MM-HMM, . AND THIS IS IN THE CASTLE HILL LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT. THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, THE PROPERTY IS 7 0 1 BAYLOR STREET. UH, THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A SECOND FLOOR ADDITION AT THE CENTER TO REAR OF THE HOUSE PROJECTING ABOVE THE EXISTING ROOF LINE. UH, THE BUILDING IS AN ASYMMETRICAL BUNGALOW AT 7 0 1 BAYLOR STREET. IT APPEARS TO BE A ONE STORY FROM THE FRONT OF THE PROPERTY, BUT DUE TO SLOW SLIPPING ELEVATION AT THE REAR, THERE'S A FULL LOWER FLOOR THAT COULD BE ACCESSED FROM THE SIDE AND REAR. THE HOUSE FEATURES AN AMPLE FRONT GABLE WITH A SMALLER INSECT GABLE, UH, SERVING AS COVER OVER THE FRONT PORCH, WHICH IS SUPPORTED BY THREE AMPLE BRICK AND WOOD SUPPORT POSTS. THE, THIS PORCH EXTENDS ALONG THE SOUTHERN TWO THIRDS OF THE FRONT FACADE. UH, FOUR LARGE WINDOWS ARE ALSO PRESENT, TWO IN EACH SIDE OF THE FRONT DOOR. UH, SLENDER CHIMNEY IS LOCATED AT THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE, WHICH EXTENDS ABOVE THE MODERATELY PITCHED ROOF. THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE FACING AN ALLEY FEATURES A PRIVACY WALL CONSTRUCTED OF STONE BRICK CERAMIC TILE, AND IS CAPPED WITH SALVAGED BOWLING BALLS. THE CASTLE HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT, UH, DESIGN STANDARDS ARE USED TO EVALUATE PROJECTS WITHIN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. UM, AND THE PROJECT MEETS SOME OF THE APPLICABLE STANDARDS. UM, THIS PROPERTY CONTRIBUTES TO THE CASTLE HILL LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT. UM, PROPERTIES MUST MEET TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION. STAFF HAS VALUE EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINED THAT DOES NOT MEET TWO UH, CRITERIA. THIS PROJECT CAME BEFORE THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE, UM, AND FEEDBACK WAS TO ALTER THE CLADDING MATERIAL AT THE ADDITIONAL FLOOR. CONSIDER LIMITING THE SIZE OF THE ADDITION AND REDUCE VISIBILITY FROM THE NORTH SIDE OF THE STREET. UH, BRING THE DESIGN TO SOMETHING COMPATIBLE, YET DISTINCT FROM THE HISTORIC. AND THE DESIGN AS IS PROPOSED, IS TOO STYLISTIC OF A CHANGE FROM THE MAIN HOUSE. UM, STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO COME OUT ON PLANS AND GET UPDATE FROM THE APPLICANT. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? ALRIGHT. SO IS THE APPLICANT HERE? CAN WE HEAR FROM THEM? PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. HI, I'M LINDA SULLIVAN. I'M HERE REPRESENTING THE OWNER, DR. CONNO MAYOR AND THE PROJECT MANAGER, MS. DONNA BOYER. UM, SO THE ARCHITECT IS NOT HERE THIS EVENING. HE DID MEET WITH THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE AND TOOK THEIR SUGGESTIONS, UH, TO HEART. AND WE THEN MADE SOME ALTERATIONS TO THE DESIGN THAT ARE NOT YET REFLECTED IN THE PLAN BECAUSE WE NEED TO HAVE SOME UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THIS ROOF NEEDS TO SATISFY ALL THOSE INVOLVED. SO THE, UH, WE THEN MET WITH ANA. ANA ISSUED A LETTER OF SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT WITH THE ROOF, THE SHED ROOF AS IT IS DESIGNED. SO THE, SOME OF THE CONCERNS OF THE A RC WERE THAT THEY JUST DIDN'T LIKE THE SHED ROOF, THAT IT DIDN'T MATCH EXISTING. HOWEVER, THERE WERE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT FALSE HISTORICISM INITIALLY DURING THE, UM, DESIGN PHASE. AND CLEARLY THAT WAS NOT APPRECIATED BY A RC IN THE SAME WAY THAT WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. SO ANA DID ISSUE SUPPORT FOR THIS. WHEN WE MET WITH THEM, THEY SAID THEY, THEY LIKED THE SHED ROOF. THERE [01:15:01] WERE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE PITCH OF THE SHED ROOF AS WELL, THAT IF IT WAS GOING TO BE A SHED ROOF, THAT IT SHOULD MATCH THE PITCH OF THE GABLE. PART OF WHY IT WAS DESIGNED, THE WAY IT WAS DESIGNED WAS TO ALLOW THE TREES TO KEEP ALL OF THEIR BRANCHES. THERE ARE SOME PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL OAKS ON THIS LOT THAT HAVE BEEN CARED FOR VERY WELL BY THE, UH, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT FOR THE PROJECT. AND THIS SHED ALLOWS THOSE TREE BRANCHES TO HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO GROW. SO THAT WAS THE MAIN REASON WHY THE SHED WAS PITCHED THE WAY IT WAS. ADDITIONALLY, IF THE SHED ROOF IS PITCHED HIGHER TO MATCH THE GABLE ROOF, IT WOULD BE MORE VISIBLE FROM THE STREET. SO IT WAS AN ATTEMPT TO KEEP IT BACK AND LESS VISIBLE FROM THE STREET LEVEL. UM, SOME OTHER CONCERNS OF THE IRC WAS THAT THE, THE ADDITION WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE FRONT, BUT IT IS ACTUALLY MORE THAN IS REQUIRED BEHIND THAT FASCIA, BEHIND THAT, THAT FACADE, THE FRONT WALL FACADE. UM, THERE WERE, THERE WAS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT THE GUARDRAILS. THERE WAS A GUARDRAIL ON THE BACK AND THE PLANS THAT APPEARED TO BE GLASS, THAT'S NOT THE INTENTION. THE, THE ARCHITECT SAID, OH, I'M SO SORRY. THAT'S NOT WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK LIKE. THE, THE INTENTION IS FOR ALL OF THE RAILINGS TO BE WOOD TO MATCH WHAT IS EXISTING. UM, THE, THERE WAS CONCERNS ABOUT THE, IN THE PLANTS THAT YOU CAN SEE THERE'S VERTICAL VERSUS HORIZONTAL. UH, FOR THE SIDING, THAT PLAN HAS CHANGED. THE OWNER HAS DECIDED TO GO WITH THE HORIZONTAL SIDING ALL THE WAY ALONG THAT FIRST FLOOR. AND IF ACCEPTED, HAVE VERTICAL SIDING ONLY ABOVE THE ROOF LINE FOR THAT SMALL AREA ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HOUSE, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE ADDITION ABOVE THAT ROOF LINE. ADDITIONALLY, ON THAT NORTH SIDE THERE WAS, ON THE ORIGINAL PLAN, IT SHOWS THAT THERE WILL BE A NEW WINDOW THERE WHERE THERE'S AN ORIGINAL WINDOW. THAT ORIGINAL CRAFTSMAN WINDOW IS GONNA BE REUSED AND, AND RE AND USED INSTEAD OF THE MODERN STYLE WINDOWS. UM, SO THAT WINDOW WILL THEN BE SURROUNDED BY THE HORIZONTAL SIDING. SO THE, THAT, THAT WALL WILL NOT CHANGE DRASTICALLY FROM WHAT IT IS NOW. UM, THERE WAS THEN ALSO SOME CONCERNS ABOUT MAYBE THERE WAS TOO MUCH GLAZING, TOO MANY WINDOWS, AND THAT IS STILL UP FOR DISCUSSION. THERE MAY BE FEWER WINDOWS, BUT STILL THE INTENTION IS TO HAVE THIS PRIMARY BEDROOM THAT WILL BE ADDED ON THIS SECOND STORY TO FEEL MUCH LIKE A TREE HOUSE AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE TREES THAT SURROUND THIS PROPERTY. UM, AND I THINK THOSE WERE THE MAJORITY OF THE A RCI DON'T SEE ANY OTHER CONCERNS FROM THE A RC MEETING. UM, AND THE ONE THING THAT WAS TALKED ABOUT IN THE PROJECT SPECIFICATIONS IN THE DOCUMENTATION WAS THE CONCERNS ABOUT REMOVING THAT SIDE GABLE ROOF. THROUGH OUR RESEARCH, THE ARCHITECT'S RESEARCH, IT APPEARED THAT THAT SIDE GABLE ROOF IS NOT ORIGINAL AND WAS ADDED SOMETIME IN THE SEVENTIES, POSSIBLY SIXTIES. IT'S, IT DOESN'T SHOW TO BE A GABLE ROOF ON THE SANDBORN MAPS, IT WAS AN OPEN DECK THAT WAS THEN ENCLOSED POSSIBLY TO BE A SLEEPING PORCH AT ONE POINT. AND THEN MAYBE ENCLOSED, WELL, DEFINITELY ENCLOSED 'CAUSE IT IS NOW FULLY ENCLOSED AND CONDITIONED AREA. BUT WHEN YOU'RE INSIDE THE HOUSE, THERE'S A STEP DOWN AND THERE'S CLEARLY EXTERIOR SIDING INSIDE OF THAT PORTION. SO THAT SMALL SIDE GABLE ON THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE WAS NOT ORIGINAL, THAT THAT FRONT GABLE WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE BACK OF THE PROPERTY. UM, AND THEN THE DECK WOULD BE REPAIRED AND REPLACED, WHICH IS WHERE THE SEED OF THIS PROJECT STARTED. THAT DECK IS, WAS NOT ORIGINALLY ATTACHED TO THE STRUCTURE . SO IT WAS SINCE ATTACHED TO THE STRUCTURE, BUT IT IS PEELING AWAY. IT'S HAS NOT BEEN MAINTAINED PROPERLY. AND, UH, DR. MAYER WOULD REALLY LIKE TO UPDATE THAT DECK. WE HAD A TREE, NAOMI AND SEBASTIAN FROM TREE REVIEW, COME OUT AND MEET ON THE SITE. THEY WERE VERY IMPRESSED WITH HOW THE TREES HAD BEEN MAINTAINED. AND IN FACT A LOT OF DIRT HAD BEEN PULLED AWAY FROM THAT FRONT YARD OVER THE YEARS TO, TO CREATE A MORE ACCOMMODATING ENVIRONMENT FOR THOSE TREES TO GROW AND THRIVE. WE KNOW THAT THE A RC DID SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, THESE TREES THAT ARE SORT OF HIDING AND CAMOUFLAGING THIS ADDITION WON'T BE THERE FOREVER. BUT I MEAN, THOSE TREES CAN LAST 250 TO 500 YEARS. SO WE'RE HOPING TO KEEP THEM GOING. OKAY. THAT'S, THAT'S YOUR TIME. OKAY. ALRIGHT. DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? WE'RE HERE COMMISSIONERS. ANY QUESTION? COMMISSIONER COOK? YES. CAN YOU CONFIRM I COULDN'T FIND THE BACKUP IN THE ARCS. IS THIS THE CASE WHERE THERE WAS THE 3D PRINTED MODEL SHOWN TO US? YES. OKAY. AND WASN'T THAT ALL THAT WAS PRESENTED AT THE TIME? I DON'T BELIEVE THERE WERE DRAWINGS AT THE TIME. IT WAS JUST THE MODEL. THERE WERE DRAWINGS. THE PROJECT WAS SUBMITTED FOR REVIEW TO, TO RESIDENTIAL REVIEW. SO THE DRAWINGS ARE IN, IN THE SYSTEM. I DON'T, I WAS NOT AT THE A RC MEETING. THE ARCHITECT TOOK THAT MEETING, SO I'M NOT SURE WHAT HE PRESENTED SPECIFICALLY, BUT I DO KNOW HE TOOK THE MODELS. OKAY. YEAH, A LOT OF TIMES THEY SHOW UP WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, LARGELY BECAUSE IT'S SO SOON AFTER OUR MEETING, BUT WITHOUT, UH, FULL BACKUP AND THE BACKUP'S NOT ON THE RECORD AND WE GET HANDED PAPERS AND THEN, YOU KNOW, LOT OF PAPERS COME SURE. BEFORE OUR EYES AND IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER 'EM ALL. BUT I, I DO REMEMBER THAT 3D PRINTED MODEL. UH, SO [01:20:01] THANK YOU. YES, IT WAS THAT PROJECT. ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS? NO, JUST THANKS FOR SUMMARIZING THAT FOR US. 'CAUSE WE DO FORGET, I FORGET . I APPRECIATE THAT. YEAH. LET, LET ME CLARIFY WHEN YOU SAID THE STEP BACK OF THE NEW ADDITION IS MORE THAN REQUIRED. UH, WE HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT HOW FAR THE SETBACK IS, BUT IT'S, IT'S STILL A JUDGMENT CALL. UM, GOT IT. YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS APPROPRIATE IN ONE PLACE MAY, YOU KNOW, THAT MINIMUM MAY NOT REALLY FIT IN ANOTHER. SO I'M, I'M LOOKING AT THE ELEVATIONS AND I DON'T SEE A DIMENSION. DO YOU KNOW HOW FAR BACK? I BELIEVE IT'S 15 FEET, FOUR INCHES, BUT I WOULD HAVE TO CHECK. OKAY. BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ACTUALLY APPROPRIATELY PLACED, AT LEAST THE, THE SECOND WINDOW IS MAINTAINED, UH, NEXT TO THE, TO THE FIREPLACE. YES. THAT WINDOW WILL BE, THE WINDOW ON THE PLANS IS SHOWN TO BE NEW, BUT THAT WILL BE UPDATED WHEN WE SUBMIT UPDATES. SO I UNDERSTAND YOU CAN'T APPROVE THE PLANS THAT ARE IN FRONT OF YOU THAT WE WOULD NEED TO UPDATE THE PLANS. SO YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE WHAT CHANGES WILL BE MADE, BUT THAT WINDOW WILL BE SAVED. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT OR THE SPEAKER? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR? HEARING NONE. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK OPPOSED? THIS IS 7 0 1 BAYLOR STREET. ANYBODY SPEAKING OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. UH, THERE'S NO FURTHER PUBLIC INPUT THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. IT'S SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, COOK, COMMISSIONER MWATER. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND IS UNANIMOUS. SO, UH, BUT WE SHOULD NOTE THAT COMMISSIONER FEATHERSTONE IS, UH, UH, HE'S LEFT, HE'S NO LONGER ON THE, ON THE CALL. IS THAT RIGHT? OKAY. ALRIGHT. SO WITH ALL ALL PRESENT UNANIMOUS COMMISSIONERS, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON THIS ITEM. NUMBER 10, I'LL MOVE TO APPROVE THE DESIGN AS, AS CURRENTLY POSTED OR WITH THE UPDATES AS DESCRIBED, WITH THE UPDATES AS DESCRIBED. ALRIGHT, UH, IS THERE A SECOND? OKAY. UH, COMMISSIONER HORTER, UH, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? YEAH, I APPRECIATE, UH, THE LETTER'S RECOMMENDATION, ESPECIALLY FROM ALANA AND, UH, TALKING TO THE NEIGHBORS. UH, ALWAYS GO TO THE LETTER OF THE DESIGN STANDARDS. UH, THE SETBACK. IT SHOULD BE 15 FEET OR ONE THIRD OF THE DEPTH OF THE BUILDING, EXCLUDING THE PORCH, WHICH IT APPEARS TO BE, UH, IT, THE DESIGN STANDARDS SPECIFICALLY ALLOW FOR CONTEMPORARY ADDITIONS AS LONG AS IT, UH, DOES NOT IMPACT THE STREET FACING HISTORIC FACADE, UH, SO THAT IT COULD BE REVERSIBLE. AND IT, UH, IN TERMS OF THE ROOF SLOPE, IT, YOU KNOW, UH, THE CONTEMPORARY DESIGN, I COULD SEE THAT SHED ROOF IS PART OF THE CONTEMPORARY DESIGN. THE ROOF SLOPE SAYS NEW ROOF FORMS MUST MATCH THE PITCH OF THE ROOF ON THE EXISTING HOUSE TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. AND WITH THE REASON GIVING TO AVOID THE TREES, WHICH ARE GREAT THERE, UH, I THINK IT'S DONE. SO, UH, THAT TO BE MORE WOULD IMPACT THE TREES. SO IT, IT SEEMS TO MEET THE, THE LETTER OF THE STANDARDS TO ME AND, AND ALSO APPRECIATE THE, UH, THE SUPPORT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. OKAY, MR. MCW. ALRIGHT, ANY MORE DISCUSSION? COMMISSIONERS? UH, IT'S NOT A PERFECT DESIGN, BUT I WILL SUPPORT THIS BECAUSE I, I I THINK IT'S, UM, I THINK IT'S A GREAT DESIGN. UM, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T DO EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, RESPECTFUL TO THE BUILDING, BUT THAT'S OKAY. UM, BUT I JUST REALLY APPRECIATE THE OWNER HIRING AND ARCHITECT THAT IS QUALIFIED TO WORK, UH, WITHIN THESE GUIDELINES. I REALLY APPRECIATE HIM COMING TO A RC, SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING. ALRIGHT, ANY MORE DISCUSSION? UH, WHAT I'M SEEING, I THINK WILL ACTUALLY BE QUITE A SATISFACTORY PROJECT. UH, YES, IN A PERFECT WORLD, UM, YOU KNOW, AS, AS SOMETIMES WE ARCHITECTS ON THE COMMISSION HAVE SAY, YOU KNOW, IF WE, IF WE WERE DESIGN IT OURSELVES, WHAT WOULD WE DO? AND THAT'S NOT APROPOS TO OUR CONVERSATION. UH, IT DOESN'T MEET THE STANDARDS. UM, I, I DO BELIEVE THERE IS A PLACE FOR A CONTEMPORARY ADDITION SO LONG AS IT DOESN'T OVERSCALE OR, UM, COMPETE WITH THE ORIGINAL BUILDING. AND I THINK THIS ONE WILL ACTUALLY BLEND IN QUITE WELL. UH, AND WE'LL INTRODUCE SOME VERY DYNAMIC ELEMENTS, UH, ON THE SITE BECAUSE IT'S SO PROMINENT WITH THE SIDE ELEVATION ON THE ALLEY. UM, IT, IT, IT WOULD APPEAL TO ME TO DO SOMETHING WITH THE, UH, HARKING BACK TO THE, THAT PITCH GABLE ON THE SIDE. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, UH, I THINK THE BIG THING TO DO IS HERE IS THE PRESERVATION OF THE EXISTING HISTORIC PORCH, THE FRONT FACADE, THOSE INTEGRITY OF THE VOLUME OF THE HISTORIC BUILDING IS ALL INTACT BY THE TIME THIS PROJECT IS FINISHED. AND I THINK IT'LL BE A, A, A GOOD CONTRIBUTION [01:25:01] TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO I, I'LL VOTE IN FAVOR AS WELL. ALRIGHT, ANY MORE DISCUSSION THEN I'LL CALL THE QUESTION. THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE APPROVING OF THE REQUEST WITH THE, UH, UPDATES AS INDICATED FROM THE OWNER, UH, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT, AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. NONE OPPOSED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE, UH, ALL THE EFFORT. ALRIGHT, THAT'S, UH, THE NEXT DISCUSSION [Items 14 & 15] ITEM, I BELIEVE IS ITEM NUMBER 14. AND THIS, ALONG WITH ITEM 15, HAVE TO DO WITH, UH, SIGNAGE IN THE, UH, CONGRESS AVENUE AREA, THE NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. SO WE WILL REQUIRE A MOTION TO TAKE BOTH TOGETHER, BOTH ITEMS TOGETHER. MAY COMMISSIONER HORTER, IS THERE A SECOND? UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, BROGAN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND I SEE IT AS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. SO, UH, STAFF, WOULD YOU LIKE TO PRESENT ON BOTH ITEMS 14 AND 1530? UH, THREE 12 AND A HALF CONGRESS AVENUE? YES, THANK YOU CHAIR. UH, THE PROPOSAL HERE IS TO INSTALL SEVERAL TYPES OF SIGNAGE ON A CONTRIBUTING BUILDING, UM, TO THE CONGRESS AVENUE HISTORIC DISTRICT, INCLUDING, UH, CABINET SIGN ABOVE, UH, THE GROUND FLOOR IN BETWEEN MEDALLIONS, A BLADE SIGN OF GROUND LEVEL VINYL SIGNAGE ATTACHED TO ALL SECOND FLOOR WINDOWS AND VINYL SIGNAGE ATTACHED STOREFRONT AND TRANSOM WINDOW ON THE GROUND FLOOR. UH, THE DOWNTOWN AUSTIN HISTORIC SURVEY RESOURCE SURVEY CALLS THE BUILDING AT THREE 10 TO THREE 12 CONGRESS AVENUE IN ITALIAN COMMERCIAL STRUCTURE AND PART OF A TWO STORY, UH, TWO PART COMMERCIAL BLOCK. UH, THE DESIGN IS SIMPLE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD WITH FACADE SPLIT INTO THREE BAYS. THE MIDDLE BAY SERVES AS A RECESSED ENTRY WITH LARGE GLAZED STOREFRONT WINDOWS ON EITHER SIDE ABOVE THE SECOND FLOOR FEATURE. THE SECOND FLOOR FEATURES THREE LARGE 4 0 4 WINDOWS THAT APPEAR TO BE OPERABLE AND LIKELY EITHER ORIGINAL OR BASED HEAVILY ON AN ORIGINAL DESIGN. THE CORNICE LINE FEATURES MODEST DENTALS AND, UH, BRICK PATTERNS THAT ARE VERY, THAT VERY SLIGHTLY PROJECT FROM THE REST OF THE FACADE BELOW BETWEEN THE TWO FLOORS, METAL MEDALLIONS AND THE SHAPE OF LION'S HEADS ARE PRESENT THAT MAY HAVE PREVIOUSLY ANCHORED AN AWNING OR SIDEWALK COVERING. UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN SIGNAGE GUIDELINES ARE USED TO EVALUATE PROJECTS WITHIN, UH, THIS HISTORIC DISTRICT AND REGARDING HISTORIC SIGNAGE, EXCUSE ME, REGARDING SIGNAGE, UM, THE PROJECT MEETS, UH, SOME OF THE APPLICABLE STANDARDS. UH, STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO APPROVE THE CABINET AND BLADE SIGN. UH, THEY RECOMMEND ELIMINATING ONE, ONE OF THE TWO FROM THE DESIGN, UH, ALSO TO DISCUSS THE PROPOSED WINDOW SIGNAGE AS THEY RELATE TO CITY SIGNAGE GUIDELINES FOR NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICTS. OKAY, THANK YOU. IS THERE ANY QUESTION OF STAFF COMMISSIONERS? ALRIGHT, UH, I HAD, I HAD A QUICK QUESTION. UM, YOU KNOW, I LOVE THESE SIGNAGE COMM, COMMISSIONER COOK, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SHOW YOUR CAMERA SO YOU CAN PARTICIPATE. SORRY, THOUGHT IT WAS ON, UM, THE, IS THERE AN EXPLICIT, IS IT ALLOWED OR NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE THE, THE IMAGES IN THE WINDOWS? I KNOW WE DISCUSSED IT A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT WHEN WE STARTED TACKLING THIS IN THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE, BUT I I THINK THERE'S NOTHING THAT PROHIBITS IT. IS THAT CORRECT? IT'S NOT, THERE'S NOTHING SPECIFICALLY CALLED OUT TO PROHIBIT IT. YEAH, IT SAYS SIGN COMMISSION MAY ALLOW WINDOW SIGNS, UH, FOR MOST COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS, BUT IT DOESN'T EVER SAY WHERE THEY'RE DISALLOWED, RIGHT? CORRECT. WELL, AND THIS MAY NOT BE SPECIFIC TO OUR CONVERSATION TONIGHT, BUT THE SCARBOROUGH BUILDING ON THE FIRST FLOOR, AND I DROVE PAST IT JUST THIS EVENING, HAS AN EXTENSIVE AMOUNT OF GRAPHIC, UH, IMAGES ON THE WINDOWS AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE'VE EVER REVIEWED OR APPROVED THAT. SO, UM, THAT, THAT MAY BE A, AGAIN, NOT NECESSARILY, UH, THIS SPECIFIC REQUEST, BUT CERTAINLY RELEVANT TO THAT QUESTION. SO, AND I GUESS STAFF, YOU DON'T HAVE ANY INFORMATION ON THAT EITHER? NO. ALRIGHT. UH, WANDER DOWN THE STREET AND TAKE A LOOK AT IT. . ALRIGHT. UM, IS THE APPLICANT HERE TO DISCUSS THIS REQUEST? I UNDERSTAND THERE IS PRESENTATION MATERIAL IN OUR BACKUP. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE OPPOSED TO THE REQUEST? ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS. THERE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK TO THIS ITEM. THESE ARE 13 AND 14 AND I DON'T SEE ANYBODY ONLINE. UM, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. IS THERE A SECOND? ALRIGHT, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, RUBIO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER, UM, GROGAN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. IT'S UNANIMOUS. AND I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION ON ITEMS 14 AND [01:30:01] 15. I MOVE TO REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, POSTPONE TO NEXT MONTH AND INVITE THE APPLICANT TO THE A RC MEETING. OKAY, IS THERE A SECOND? UH, COMMISSIONER COOK SECONDS. UH, COMMISSIONER RUBIO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? YEAH, SO I HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE SIGN THAT'S GOING RIGHT BELOW THE WINDOW AND JUST BEING FACE MOUNTED TO THAT, UH, MASONRY FACADE. JUST LOOKING ON THAT STREET, I DON'T SEE ANY OTHER SIGN IN THAT LIKE BUILDING THAT'S DOING THAT. THE PATAGONIA LIKE TWO DOORS OVER, HAS REALLY NICE CANOPY SIGN. VERY SIMPLE. THE BUILDING ACROSS THE STREET HAS A NICE CANOPY SIGN. I THINK WE SHOULD, I MEAN, I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT HISTORIC PHOTOS. UM, WHEN POSSIBLE WE SHOULD BE ASKING FOR THESE CANOPIES TO COME BACK. AND THEN IF THERE'S AN APPROPRIATE WAY TO INCORPORATE MODERN SIGNAGE ON THOSE CANOPIES, AND THAT'S WHAT WE SHOULD BE PUSHING, UH, NOT THIS THOROUGH SIGN ON THE FRONT OF THE FACADE, AND I'M NOT GONNA DAMAGE THE BRICK. THAT'S JUST WILD. SO, YEAH. OKAY. I HOPE THE APPLICANT IS LISTENING. OH, THEY CAN BE PREPARED. UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS YOUR SECOND? YEAH, I, I THINK THIS MAY BECOME, HOPEFULLY WE CAN, UH, CONVINCE THEM TO RECONSIDER. UH, BUT THIS MAY BECOME MORE OF A DISCUSSION, A WORKSHOP ON THE DESIGN STANDARDS THEMSELVES THAT I'VE MENTIONED. WE HAD, UH, STARTED TACKLING THIS, UH, IN THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE AND NEED TO DO MORE. AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, RECOMMENDING SOME ADDITIONAL SIGNAGE IN THE WINDOWS BECAUSE IT'S NOT MOUNTED, IT'S REVERSIBLE, WAS ACTUALLY DISCUSSED AS A POINT OF FLEXIBILITY. BUT THIS OBVIOUSLY TAKES IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND WE DON'T WANT EVERY WINDOW TURNING INTO A BILLBOARD, SO PROBABLY WANT TO END UP ADDING SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, UH, CLARIFYING THAT TO THE STANDARDS. BUT WITH THEM NOT BEING THERE NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S SOME THINGS WE MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SAY NO TO, BUT HOPEFULLY WE CAN, WE CAN CONVINCE HIM OTHERWISE AND, UH, THAT, THAT MAY GO FOR THE SIGN THAT COMMISSIONER RUBIO DOESN'T LIKE AS WELL. BUT, UH, IT'LL BE A GOOD LITTLE WORKSHOP, AT LEAST. WELL, BUT, BUT COMMISSIONER COOK, I, AND, AND THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING WE CAN GET SOME CLARIFICATION ON, I THINK THAT LETTERING IN THE WINDOWS HAS ALWAYS BEEN CONSIDERED A SIGN, AND SO THEREFORE THE DIMENSIONS OF THAT ALSO WOULD BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION THAT HAVING BEEN SAID, WE LIMIT THE NUMBER OF SIGNS. SO I DON'T KNOW OF ANYBODY WHO OPTED FOR A WINDOW SIGN, NOT A BLADE SIGN OR A, A BUILDING SIGN, BUT, UM, I, I DON'T THINK WE CAN'T SAY ANYTHING OR SAY THAT OUR STANDARDS HAVE BEEN, UM, ABSENT BECAUSE WE REALLY HAVEN'T BEEN ASKED TO DO THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WERE BEING PRESENTED RIGHT NOW. BUT I THINK IT WAS, IF YOU THINK OF AS SIGNS, UH, I THINK OUR REGULATIONS SHOULD APPLY. UM, JUST ANOTHER REASON TO ASK FOR HELP IN LOOKING AT WHAT THE SCARBOROUGH BUILDING PUT ON ITS WINDOWS. SO, UM, ANYWAY, I I THINK THE, THE MOTION IS APPROPRIATE. I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, IF THE BLADE SIGN WAS ALL WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, WE'D PROBABLY BE ABLE TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT WAS APPROPRIATE IN THAT, THAT AREA. BUT, UM, BETWEEN THE LOCATION AND THE PLACEMENT OF THE, UH, THE SIGNAGE AND THE WINDOW SIGNAGE, FOR SURE, I THINK THIS IS GOOD TO WEIGH IN ON AT THE A RC. SO I'LL SUPPORT THE MOTION AS WELL. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, I'LL CALL THE QUESTION. THOSE IN FAVOR OF POSTPONING ITEMS 14 AND 15 TO THE NOVEMBER MEETING WITH THE REQUEST THAT THE APPLICANT ATTEND THE A RC. UH, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT, AND THAT IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. SO WE HOPE THAT THE, UH, APPLICANT WILL BE ABLE TO BE CREATIVE AND, AND MEET THOSE OBJECTIVES. ITEM NUMBER 16 [16. HR-2024-097641 – 1703 Newning Ave] IS NEXT. UH, THIS WAS, UH, 1703 NEWING AVENUE. UH, THIS IS IN THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. AND THAT IS A, UH, NEW CONSTRUCTION THANK YOU CHAIR. THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A RESIDENCE ON A CURRENTLY EMPTY LOT. UM, THE LOT'S NOW LISTED AT 17 0 1 AND 17 0 3 NEWING AVENUE WERE SUBDIVIDED IN 2010 FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSTRUCTING TWO SINGLE FAMILY HO HOUSES. PREVIOUSLY, A SINGLE RESIDENCE WAS CONSTRUCTED THE MID 1940S AND DEMOLISHED IN 2006. SINCE THAT TIME, THE LAND HAS REMAINED UNDEVELOPED WITH REMNANTS OF THE ORIGINAL SLAB FOUNDATION PRESENT. THERE ARE RECORDS OF RE UH, OF RENTERS LIVING AT THIS ADDRESS AS EARLY AS 1916, BUT NO RECORD COULD BE FOUND ABOVE BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES ON THE SITE. UH, THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S HISTORIC DESIGN STANDARDS ARE BASED ON SECRETARY INTERIOR STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION AND USED TO EV EVALUATE PROJECTS IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER. UH, THIS PROJECT DOES NOT MEET THE, UH, APPLICABLE STANDARDS. UM, COMMITTEE FEEDBACK WAS DUE ALTO THE DESIGN OF THE HOUSE TO BE MORE COMPATIBLE WITH THE SURROUNDING DISTRICT, LIMIT THE ROOFTOP AMENITIES [01:35:01] OR RELOCATE THEM TO THE REAR OF THE PROPERTY, REDUCE THE VISUAL VERTICALITY AS MANY OF AS MANY ELEMENTS AS POSSIBLE. CONSIDER EXTERIOR CLADDING USING MATERIAL SIMILAR TO SURROUNDING CONTRIBUTING BUILDINGS, STACK REF STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS TO COMMENT ON THE PLANS. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, AGAIN, THIS IS A, UH, NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT AND OUR PURVIEW IS, UM, TO DETERMINE A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS. SO, UH, WE CAN COMMENT AND, AND MAKE SUGGESTIONS ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, BUT, UH, ULTIMATELY THIS, IS THIS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN THIS? HAS THAT COME BEFORE US? THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT WAS POSTPONED. OKAY. SO ULTIMATELY THERE MAY BE A TIMING ISSUE. ALRIGHT, UM, THANK YOU STAFF. IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? I APPRECIATE THAT. IS THE APPLICANT HERE? THE APPLICANT IS ONLINE. UH, CARRIE BALLER I THINK, UH, SHOULD BE HERE. ALRIGHT, CARRIE BALSER, UH, PLEASE, UH, GO AHEAD AND UNMUTE AND WE'LL YOUR PRESENTATION. HI, SO MY NAME IS CARRIE ZER AND AS OWNER OF THE PROPERTY, I AM IN SUPPORT OF APPROVING. UH, WHILE I DID NOT ALTER THE DESIGN SINCE THE PRIOR MEETING, I RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THAT YOU APPROVE THE APPLICATION AT THIS MEETING RATHER THAN ALLOWING IT TO TIME OUT FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS. FIRST, AT BOTH THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW AND LAST MONTH'S HISTORIC REVIEW MEETINGS, I BELIEVE THERE WAS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT THE HISTORIC HOME WOULD BE OUT OF PLACE ON THIS LOT GIVEN IT WAS SURROUNDED BY MODERN HOMES, A 20-YEAR-OLD MULTI-UNIT, SPR, AND A ROW OF NON-CONTRIBUTING TOWN HOMES ACROSS THE STREET. SECOND, AT THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW MEETING, KEVIN COMMENTED THAT WHILE NOT PREDICTING HOW THE VOTE WOULD GO AT THE MEETING, THAT I SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO RAISE OBJECTION AS THEY HAVE THE HISTORY OF BEING VERY VOCAL AT THESE SESSIONS AND THAT THEIR POSITION WAS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN WHAT ULTIMATELY WAS DECIDED. GIVEN HIS COMMENTS, I REACHED OUT TO AND HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE SRCC NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION. BASED ON THIS, THEY IN TURN SENT AN EMAIL TO SAM STATING THAT THEY ARE NOT IN OPPOSITION OF MY MOVING FORWARD WITH THE SUBMITTED CONSTRUCTION PLANS. WHILE HE DID NOT GO AS FAR AS SUPPORTING THE PROJECT, GIVEN THE PLAN IS OBVIOUSLY NOT HISTORIC DESIGN, THEY STATED HE DID NOT OPPOSE DUE TO THE LOCATION BEING A VACANT LOT IN A SECTION OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS MORE NON-CONTRIBUTING PROPERTIES THAN IS TYPICAL FOR THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS FAIRVIEW PARK, NRHD. NOTE THAT SAM ASKED NOT TO PUBLISH THEIR EMAIL GIVEN IT WAS IN A GRAY AREA OF EITHER SUPPORTING OR OPPOSING AND BELIEVING THEIR ABSENCE SHOULD BE TESTAMENT ENOUGH TO SHOW THE COMMISSION THEY DID NOT OBJECT. THIRD, THREE RESIDENTS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD SENT EMAILS IN SUPPORT OF THE PROJECT STATING THAT, BUILD A MIX OF THAT THEY THOUGHT THE MIX OF ALL THE NEW HOMES ADDED TO THE VISUAL CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THAT THE UNIQUE STYLE WE HAVE TAKEN WITH EACH OF OUR OTHER TRAVIS HEIGHTS PROJECTS, ALONG WITH THE HIGH QUALITY OF OUR BUILD, CONTRIBUTES POSITIVELY TO THE VALUE OF SURROUNDING HOMES. FINALLY, ALL NEIGHBORS IN THE VICINITY WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS COMPLETED AS SOON AS PRACTICAL AS THEY HAVE ENDURED FIVE PLUS YEARS OF CONSTRUCTION WITH NEIGHBORING PROPERTY THAT 1701 AND 1707. THE CONSTRUCTION HAS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED SEVERAL SHORT-TERM RENTAL BUSINESSES OF NEIGHBORING HOMES AND THAT THEY'D MUCH PREFER A FENCE IN CONSTRUCTION SITE THAN A SITE UNDER EXCAVATION WITH A PORTA-POTTY OUT FRONT. LASTLY, WHILE THAT'S SOMETHING I PLAN TO SPEAK TO, I ALSO INCLUDED A SUMMARY OF OUR TWO PRIOR TRAVIS HEIGHTS PROJECT THAT WENT TO HLC IN ORDER TO ADDRESS COMMISSIONER COAT'S QUESTION AT THE LAST MEETING, WHETHER WE HAD BEEN THROUGH THE PROCESS BEFORE. THANKS FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. OKAY, THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? ALRIGHT, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK? UH, I THOUGHT WAS, UH, KERRY BLAZER WAS THE ONLY, UH, ER WAS THE ONLY ONE WE HAVE ONLINE. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK EITHER IN FAVOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM? OKAY, UH, HEARING NONE THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO MOVED. SECOND. OKAY, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED. COMMISSIONER COOK AND COMMISSIONER RUBIO. UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE SAVES YOUR HAND. I'M SEEING ALL HANDS RAISED SO IT'S UNANIMOUS. ALRIGHT, UM, COMMISSIONERS, WHAT IS YOUR MOTION ON THIS ITEM? I'M NEVER QUITE SURE THE RIGHT MOTION FOR THIS OTHER THAN JUST GOING IN AND MAKING THE COMMENTS. THE COMMENTS ARE, IT'S NOT, IF THERE IS A MOTION, IT, IT IS TO, TO NOT POSTPONE. BUT I THINK WE, THERE IS NO MOTION TO MAKE HERE OTHERWISE WE MAKE OUR COMMENTS AND WE'RE DONE. IF THERE'S NOT A MOTION MADE, IS HOW I UNDERSTAND IT. AND, UH, YEAH, IF MY COMMENTS IS NOT APPROPRIATE TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT ON THIS STREET, UH, THE STREET IS ALREADY ALREADY GONE. UM, THE, THE PROCESS, THE, UH, APPLICANT HAS REALLY ENGAGED WITH US E [01:40:01] EVEN GIVING HOW EXTREMELY INAPPROPRIATE IT IS FOR THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS A WHOLE. I DO APPRECIATE HIS INVOLVEMENT AND THE PROCESS AS SUPPORTED. SOME COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT, I THINK, WHICH, WHICH SCHULTZ MOVES THIS MOVE THIS FORWARD. UM, AND SO I'M GONNA MOVE, I'M GONNA MOVE NOT TO MOVE, UH, I GUESS IS WHAT I'M SAYING. AND, UH, I THINK THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS JUST THE BLUE, THE FAILURE OF BLUEMONT HILLS MANY YEARS AGO DUE TO A, A NEIGHBORHOOD ACTIVIST, UH, AND RECENT LAW EXCHANGES MAKE, YOU KNOW, THIS BIG TRAVIS HEIGHTS LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT. VERY UNLIKELY, BUT IT WOULD BE GOOD TO REALLY UNDERSTAND, GIVEN HOW MANY OF THESE REALLY ULTRA CONTEMPORARY, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A STRONG DEMAND FOR SOME REASON FOR PEOPLE TO BUILD ULTRA CONTEMPORARY IN A VERY HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD AND TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHERE THOSE BOUNDARIES ARE FORMING AND WHERE THEY'RE GOING INTO EACH OTHER AND WHERE THE, THEIR TRULY HISTORIC POCKETS ARE WOULD BE A LOT OF WORK. BUT IT WOULD BE REALLY GOOD TO, TO REFERENCE IN TERMS OF WHERE IT'S MORE IMPORTANT TO SAVE DUE TO THE CONTEXT THAN THAN OTHERS. BUT JUST A SIMPLE GOOGLE STREET VIEW, WALK DOWN THIS STREET, SHOWS THAT THIS ISN'T, UH, THIS ISN'T ONE OF THOSE STREETS THAT'S WORTH FIGHTING FOR, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE BUILDING'S ALREADY GONE. OKAY, AND COMMISSIONER RUBIO. OH, UH, THANK YOU A SECOND, . THE ONLY THING I'D ADD IS I KNOW THAT HE HAD MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, JUST GO AHEAD AND APPROVE IT, BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, THIS IS PART OF THE PROCESS. YOU KNOW, THE, THE RULES ALLOW FOR YOU ALL TO COME IN, DEMOLISH THESE BUILDINGS AND SPECULATE AND DEAL WITH AN EMPTY LOT. PROMISE US YOU'RE GONNA BUILD AFFORDABLE HOUSING, PROMISE THE NEIGHBORHOOD YOU'RE GONNA BUILD SOMETHING SIX MONTHS LATER, YOU NEVER BUILD ANYTHING. TWO YEARS LATER WE HEAR ALL THE COMPLAINTS AND COMPLAINTS AND SO UNFORTUNATELY PART OF THAT PROCESS IS YOU HAVE TO WAIT, YOU HAVE TO WAIT THIS OUT. WELL, NO, ACTUALLY COMMISSIONER COOK IS, SO YOU DIDN'T SECOND THE MOTION, NEVERMIND. COMMISSIONER COOK DID MAKE A MOTION. UH, I GUESS YOU WERE TRYING TO CLARIFY MAYBE FROM, FROM STAFF CAN HELP US. WE MAKE COMMENTS. WE RELEASED, BASICALLY WE COULD RELEASE THE PERMIT WITH COMMENTS BY DOING NOTHING. DO WE NEED A MOTION TO DO SO? WHAT IS THE PROPER PROCEDURE IN A NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT? SO, UH, POINT OF CLARIFICATION IN A NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT, YOU'RE NOT APPROVING, UM, BUT YOU MAY RELEASE WITH COMMENTS. RELEASE WITH COMMENTS, THAT'S CORRECT. I SEE. AND BUT THAT WOULD BE YOUR MOTION AND SO WE RELEASE WITH COMMENTS AS OPPOSED TO POSTPONING UNTIL IT TIMES OUT. THAT'S CORRECT. I SEE. OKAY. SO WHEN'S THE TIME OUT? 15 DAYS. 15 DAYS, IS THAT RIGHT? IT'S BEEN HERE TWICE. AND ISN'T IT 75 DAYS FOR COMMENTS ON NEW CONSTRUCTION THAT YEAH, I I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT RELEASING WAS ONE OF THE AUTHORITIES THAT WE HAD, YOU KNOW, RELEASING A PERMIT. IT WAS EITHER GRANTING WELL WE'VE CERTIFICATES ARE APPROPRIATE IN THIS. SO, SO YOU'RE NOT, UH, RELEASING THE PERMIT, YOU ARE RELEASING THE PLANS BACK TO WE'VE MADE WITH OUR COMMENTS, RIGHT? YEAH. YES, YOU'RE RELEASING THEM FROM THE PROCESS. THAT MAKES SENSE. AND, AND THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION. SINCE WE'VE GONE THROUGH SEVERAL ITERATIONS WITH THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT ON THIS, IT'S NICE TO KNOW WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS NOW. SO, UH, RELEASING THE PLANS WITH COMMENTS IS APPROPRIATE, HOWEVER, DID WE SAY 15 DAYS? IF, IF WE DO NOTHING, UH, OR MOTION TO POSTPONE IT, IT IS TIMED OUT IN 15 DAYS. WAS THAT WHAT WE UNDERSTOOD? 45 FROM LAST MEETING, RIGHT? 45 FROM LAST MEETING. CAN YOU STILL HEAR? PUT IT AS, CAN YOU STILL HEAR ME? UH, YES, WE CAN. DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION THAT NO, NO, I, I DON'T, I ACTUALLY BELIEVE IT IS, UH, CLOSER TO 45 DAYS. 45 FROM THIS, THIS MEETING. MY UNDERSTANDING IS IT WAS 75 DAYS FROM WHEN I FIRST PRESENTED, WHICH WAS SEPTEMBER 4TH. OKAY, MR. BSER, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. WE APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COMMISSIONER COOK TO RELEASE, RELEASE WITH COMMENTS AND UH, IT REQUIRES A SECOND. OKAY. COMMISSIONER HORTER IS A SECOND. UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, YOU SPOKE TO YOUR MOTION. UH, COMMISSIONER HORTER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR SECOND? NO, I DON'T REALLY THINK I HAVE ANYTHING TO ADD. UH, I THINK, UM, I'M COMFORTABLE JUST RELEASING AND MAKING THE COMMENTS AND LETTING US MOVE FORWARD. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? UM, I'M, I'M JUST GONNA ADD, UM, THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ASKED TO REVIEW AND DOES THIS MEET THE HISTORIC DESIGN STANDARDS OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT? AND THE ANSWER IS NO, IT DOESN'T. AND THIS IS SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. UH, I UNDERSTAND THE INTEGRITY OF THE DESIGN, IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL IN A DIFFERENT LOCATION, BUT WE ARE IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT AND WE'RE ASKED TO MAINTAIN A HISTORIC DISTRICT AND A BUILDING THAT IS OF THE SCALE [01:45:01] AND WITH A CONSIDERATION OF HISTORIC CHARACTER, EVEN IN AN AREA THAT HAS NOT AS MUCH ORIGINAL, UH, FABRIC IS STILL APPROPRIATE AND WOULD BE PREFERABLE IN THIS SITUATION. UH, I WOULD LIKE THAT TO BE REFLECTED IN THE RECORD. UH, WE DO NOT SUPPORT THESE TYPES OF INAPPROPRIATE BUILDINGS THAT DO NOT MEET OUR STANDARDS AND WE CAN'T. AND, UH, THEY MAY CONTINUE TO STILL HAPPEN, BUT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO BE ON RECORD SAYING THEY SHOULDN'T AND LET'S JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT. BUT, UM, OTHERWISE I THINK WE'LL CERTAINLY HAVE MADE OUR CASE AND WE CAN, UH, PROCEED WITH A VOTE UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER DISCUSSION. ALRIGHT, UH, HEARING NONE THEN. COMMISSIONERS, I WILL CALL THE QUESTION. UH, THIS IS TO RELEASE FROM OUR PROCESS WITH THE COMMENTS AS NOTED. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. AND I'M SEEING 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 HANDS RAISED AND THOSE OPPOSED AND TWO OPPOSED. AND THAT CONSTITUTES A MAJORITY AND THAT IS SUFFICIENT TO PASS. SO WE WILL PROCEED. THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. APPRECIATE YOU. AND, UH, THIS IS NUMBER 16. SO THE NEXT ITEM [17. DA-2024-089522 – 810 W 11th St. ] IS NUMBER 17. THIS IS EIGHT 10 WEST 11TH STREET, UH, WEST DOWNTOWN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. AND, UM, WE DID HAVE POSTPONEMENT FROM LAST MONTH, UH, FOR THIS DEMOLITION REQUEST. UH, YES, THIS IS A PROPO, UH, PROPOSAL TO DEMOLISH A CONTRIBUTING PROPERTY TO THE WEST DOWNTOWN AUSTIN HISTORIC DISTRICT. UM, THE BUILDING IS A WIDE DOUBLE PITCH SIDE, GD ROOF, UH, DOMINATING THE FRONT FACADE OF THE HOUSE. A DORMER VENT IS PRESENT AT THE CENTER, LOCATED ABOVE AND BEHIND A SMALL GABLE OVERHANG ABOVE THE FRONT DOOR, WHICH FEATURES A MODEST PAIR OF BRACKETS ON EITHER SIDE OF IT. THERE ARE WINDOWS IN EITHER SIDE OF THE BRACKETS AND WHILE SIMILAR IN SIZE AND MATERIAL, DO NOT MATCH AND PROVIDE A SMALL AMOUNT OF ASYMMETRY TO THE ELEVATION. THE WINDOWS HAVE BEEN REPLACED WITH NEWER UNITS AND FEATURED, UH, NON-FUNCTIONAL SHUTTERS. THERE'S A CONCRETE PORCH HELD TWO STEPS ABOVE GROUND IN FRONT OF THE DOOR WITH A SIMPLE METAL HANDRAIL ALL AROUND. THE FOUNDATION IS PURE ON BEAM, UM, WITH A VENTED CRAWL SPACE UNDERNEATH THE FLOOR. UH, THE HOUSE IS ALMOST ENTIRELY CLAD AND BUFF BRICK IN GOOD CONDITION EXCEPT FOR THE SIDE DORMERS, WHICH ARE CLAD AND WOOD LAP SIDING WITH VENTS ALSO PRESENT. THE HOUSE AT EIGHT 10 WEST 11TH STREET WAS BUILT IN THE EARLY TO MID 1930S AND THE LONG-TERM OWNERS FOR OVER, FOR OVER 20 YEARS WERE JOSEPH AND IDA. CASPER, THE FORMER WAS A FURRIER AND OWNED A BUSINESS AT 1 0 9 EAST NINTH STREET IN DOWNTOWN AUSTIN. WHILE LIVING AT THE ADDRESS, THEY HOUSED THEIR CHILDREN WHILE THEY STUDIED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. THE SON ALBERT WAS A DENTISTRY STUDENT WHO LEFT SCHOOL TO SERVE IN WORLD WAR II AND FINISHED HIS DEGREE UPON HIS RETURN. GRADUATED IN 1945. THEIR DAUGHTER BEATRICE, GRADUATED FROM UNIVERSITY AND BECAME A TEACHER AT BAKER JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IN HYDE PARK. SHE MARRIED STUART BARNETT AND BARNETT IN 1947 AND THEY LIVED TOGETHER IN THE HOUSE BEFORE MOVING OUT SOMETIME AFTER 1949. IN 1987, THE RESIDENCE WAS CONVERTED TO OFFICE USE AND IS CONTINUED IN THIS FUNCTION TO THE PRESENT DAY. UH, THE PROPERTY CONTRIBUTES TO THE WEST DOWNTOWN AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT, UH, FOR, UH, HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION. PROPERTIES MUST MEET, UH, TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION. STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINED THAT IT DOES NOT MEET TWO CRITERIA. COMMITTEE FEEDBACK, UH, INCLUDED PROVIDING, UM, INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT, IF ANY NEW CONSTRUCTION IS PLANNED OR PROPOSED. IF A DEMOLITION PERMIT WERE TO BE APPROVED STRONGLY, CONSIDER A DESIGN THAT RETAINS THE FRONT FACADE, POSSIBLY INCLUDING STEP BACK UPPER FLOORS. CONSIDER THE CITY OF AUSTIN HOME INITIATIVE PRESERVATION INCENTIVE, PUT TOGETHER A DOCUMENTATION PLAN GOING FORWARD TO UNDERSTAND THE BREADTH OF THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AND RECOMMEND THE OWNERSHIP ENGAGE WITH INTERESTED NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS. AND I'LL JUST CLARIFY, THIS CAME TO THE A RC AT, UH, LAST MONTH'S MEETING. UM, THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO COMMENT ON THE PLANS. UH, LET ME CLARIFY, UH, WHILE YOU'RE HERE. YES. SO WE DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING TO REPLACE THIS, CORRECT. HOWEVER, THIS IS A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS BECAUSE IT'S IN A NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. AND SO ARE WE NOT REQUIRING THEM TO HAVE NEW PLANS BEFORE WE APPROVE DEMOLITION? UM, THIS IS JUST, OH, SORRY. THIS IS JUST A DEMOLITION PERMIT, IF I AM CORRECT. I'M, I KNOW THERE'S SOME CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO. UM, COMMISSIONER COOK, WERE YOU ABOUT TO ADD SOMETHING? YEAH, I DON'T BELIEVE WE ISSUE CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS IN NATIONAL REGISTRY DISTRICTS ONLY LOCAL HISTORIC AND LANDMARKS TECHNICALLY. OH NO, I'M SORRY. I MISSED, I I DON'T MEAN TO SIT REVIEW AND COMMENT ON THE PLANS. I, I'M, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. THAT'S, THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S LATER ON THE AGENDA. . ALRIGHT, SO [01:50:01] I GET IT. UH, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE REQUIRING THEM TO HAVE THE NEW PLANS. WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE THEM IF WE POSSIBLY CAN. THANK YOU. CORRECT. ALRIGHT, IS THERE, UH, ANY OTHER QUESTION OF STAFF? ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE IS THE APPLICANT HERE. THANK YOU. THEN PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS DREW RAEL. UM, I'M THE REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE OWNER, EXCUSE ME, SORRY. UM, I'M HERE THIS EVENING TO PROVIDE YOU ALL WITH AN UPDATE, UM, AS SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW. AND AS STAFF MENTIONED, UM, I, WE DID ATTEND THE, UM, ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING THAT WAS HELD ON SEPTEMBER 11TH. AND THEN YESTERDAY, UH, MORNING I MET WITH THE OLD AUSTIN NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION AND DISCUSSED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, UM, DEMOLITION PERMIT WITH THEM AND, AND THEY GAVE US PLENTY OF FEEDBACK TO LOOK INTO. AND SO RIGHT NOW, UM, THAT IS ALL THE UPDATES I HAVE. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PLANS, UM, BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO ENGAGING WITH THEASA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, UM, AND COMMUNICATING WITH THEM AND KEEPING AN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AS WE, UM, CONTINUE TO EVALUATE OPTIONS FOR THE REDEVELOPMENT PROCESS. UH, WE DO RESPECTFULLY REQUEST TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE RELEASE OF THIS PERMIT. AND, UM, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY OTHER QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME. WOULD AMONG YOUR PLANS THOUGH, BE SOMEHOW MAINTAINING THE, EVEN THE, THE FRONT OF THE HISTORIC BUILDING? THAT WAS SOME FEEDBACK THAT WE RECEIVED FROM THE COMMISSIONERS IN THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMISSION AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT EVALUATING. WE'RE, WE'RE OPEN TO ALL OPTIONS RIGHT NOW AND, AND WE'VE BEEN GIVEN, UM, SOME GOOD OPTIONS TO CONSIDER AS WELL BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP. AND SO WE'RE TAKING ALL THAT FEEDBACK BACK AND IF TAKING ALL BACK IN AND BROUGHT, IF YOU HAD MORE TIME AND YOU COULD SHOW US HOW THAT WAS POSSIBLY GOING TO BE DONE, THEN WE COULD DISCUSS HOW THAT WOULD BE DONE APPROPRIATELY. WHEREAS IF WE RELEASE THE DEMO PERMIT, THEN YOU CAN GO TEAR THE BUILDING DOWN AND WE'LL NEVER HEAR FROM YOU AGAIN. UM, BECAUSE WE ARE IN A NATIONAL, UM, REGISTERED DISTRICT, I DO BELIEVE THAT, UM, WE'D LOOK AT YOUR PLANS. I'M SORRY, YES, WE WOULD DEFINITELY LOOK AT YOUR PLANS WOULD COME BACK FOR INPUT FROM THE COMMISSION. RIGHT, BUT THE F WITHOUT THE FACADE NECESSARILY BEING THERE IF IT'S ALREADY GONE, THAT IS CORRECT. THAT IS A POSSIBILITY. UM, BUT WE ARE COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE COMMISSION AS WELL AS THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP AS WE'VE TOLD THEM. OKAY. ALRIGHT, WELL APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. UM, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT? NOT THIS EVENING, NO. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE? HOW, HOW LONG HAVE YOU OWNED, OWNED THIS PROPERTY? UM, I LOOKED BACK INTO THAT BECAUSE I THOUGHT IT HAD BEEN, UM, MOVED OVER TO ANOTHER ENTITY AND I SAID ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO, BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY 1987. 1987? YEAH. OKAY. AND AT THIS POINT THOUGH, YOU SAY THERE'S NO SPECIFIC PLANS. SOMETHING HAS TO BE AND RE THERE'S A REASON WHY YOU'VE INITIATED, UH, DEMOLITION GIVEN THAT IT IS A CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURE AND IT IS WITHIN A NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT. AND THIS IS, UM, A, A PART OF THAT PROCESS, THE, FOR THE REVIEW, UM, THAT IS HOW COME THE OWNER DECIDED TO MOVE FORWARD WITH REQUESTING A DEMOLITION, BUT THEY'VE GOT SOMETHING IN MIND. THEY WANTED TO GET SOME MORE MONEY ON THE PROPERTY. THEY HAD A NEW USER FOR THE PROPERTY. THERE'S SOME PROBLEM WITH THE BUILDING THAT THEY DON'T LIKE ANYMORE. IS THERE NO, OTHER THAN LET US DEMOLISH THIS, THERE'S NO REASON THAT YOU WANT TO GIVE US, I AM HAPPY TO LOOK INTO THOSE QUESTIONS FOR YOU, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY ANSWERS FOR YOU THIS EVENING. OKAY? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. ALRIGHT, UM, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR, UM, ISSUES FOR THE OWNER? UH, THE OWNER'S REP? YES. COMMISSIONER COOK. I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM THAT YOU CONFIRMED THE ZONING AND THE ZONING IS NOT RESIDENTIAL. I BELIEVE THE ZONING IS GEO, UH, GOMU. SO THERE IS A RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT TO IT BECAUSE WE HAD SUGGESTED THE HOME INITIATIVE AND I'M CORRECTING NOW AS I WAS CORRECTED THAT THAT WOULDN'T APPLY TO THIS ZONING. SO, UH, I KNOW THAT WAS IN THE BACKUP, BUT I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE MOMENT TO, TO CLARIFY THAT RELATIVE TO THE ZONING, WHICH WAS SIMILAR IN QUESTION AT THE TIME. THANK YOU. OKAY, WELL THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE YOU. THANK YOU. COMING TO THE MICROPHONE. THANK YOU. UH, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? AGAIN? THIS IS ITEM NUMBER 17, 8 10 WEST 11TH STREET FOR AGAINST. ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE, UH, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. JUST A LATTER. COMMISSIONER MWATER. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. COMMISSIONER RUBIO. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. UH, AND IT IS UNANIMOUS. ALL HANDS ARE RAISED. ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO ON THIS ITEM? I MOVE TO REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND [01:55:01] POSTPONE IT NEXT MONTH. OKAY. COMMISSIONER RUBIO. IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND. OKAY. UM, COMMISSIONER KOCH. UM, COMMISSIONER RUBIO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS YOUR MOTION? YEAH, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD TWO COMMUNITY MEMBERS COME OUT HERE IN A PREVIOUS MEETING. YOU KNOW, THEY'VE DISCUSSED THAT LENGTHS. UH, YOU KNOW, THE WHAT, WHAT THIS IS ALLOWING THIS BLOCK TO TURN INTO, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY USED TO BE RESIDENTIAL AND STREET, NOW IT'S MOSTLY BUSINESSES. UM, WE, WE SIT HERE AND WE, WE GRILL THESE PEOPLE THAT ARE TEARING DOWN THESE HISTORIC BUILDINGS FOR COST STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS. ALL THIS STUFF, FOR EVERYTHING WE'VE SEEN, THIS BUILDING IS ALMOST IN MINT CONDITION, . AND SO FOR THE OWNER TO COME HERE AND SAY, OH, WE HAVE NO PLANS. WE HAVE NO PLANS, YEAH, YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA TRY TO SELL SOMEONE NEXT DOOR. THAT BUILDING'S PROBABLY VACANT, THAT MULTI-FAMILY BUILDING, THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO DO, YOU USE DB 90 AND BUILD SOMETHING GIANT AND THEN THE COMMUNITY'S GONNA WAKE UP AND THEN THEY'LL COME OUT. RIGHT? UH, SO IT'S ALL FRUSTRATIONS BECAUSE THERE'S NO TEETH IN, IN REQUIRING THESE DEMOLITION PERMITS. THEY SAY, OH, WELL, WE'LL COME BACK AND REVIEW THESE DRAWINGS, BUT AS WE'VE SEEN IN THIS PREVIOUS CASE, UH, YOU'LL COME BACK WITH SOMETHING THAT IS TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE FOR THIS DISTRICT. SO I JUST, YOU KNOW, SHORT OF MOTIONING FOR HIS HISTORIC ZONING, UH, WE NEED TO PAUSE UPON THIS. OKAY. COMMISSIONER WHO, WHO WAS SECOND COMMISSIONER COOK? YES. I JUST, UH, GIVEN THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS SHOWN STRONG INTEREST, I, I THINK IT NEEDS A LITTLE MORE TIME TO SEE WHAT THAT, WHAT THAT COMES TO. OKAY. AND I'LL SUPPORT THE MOTION. I AM CONCERNED THAT, AGAIN, UM, I DON'T BELIEVE THIS PROPERTY RISES TO A LEVEL OF, UH, HISTORIC ZONING, BUT IT'S A CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURE IN A NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER REASON EXCEPT THAT WE JUST WANNA GET RID OF IT. UH, YOU KNOW, TALK ABOUT FRUSTRATION. SO ANYWAY, THERE IS A MOTION. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION? I'LL CALL THE QUESTION THOSE IN FAVOR. IF, IF I JUST MAY NOTE THAT MAYBE JUST SOME FORTHRIGHTNESS ABOUT THE INTENT, BUT THE PROPERTY MAY HELP FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE. I THINK THE UNCERTAINTY IS MORE LIKELY TO MAKE ME POSTPONE IT BECAUSE THERE, THERE SHOWS HOPE. IF, IF WE KNEW, YOU KNOW, IS THE INTENT TO SCRAPE IT AND SELL IT TO A NEIGHBOR, IS THE INTENT TO SCRAPE IT AND SELL IT ON SPEC IS THE INTENT TO BUILD SOMETHING TALL THERE? UM, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF INFORMS THE POTENTIAL FOR THE PROPERTY FOR THE OWNER AS WELL AS THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO, UM, THAT WOULD BE GOOD TO KNOW WHAT THE REAL INTENT IS. UH, AND ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS HERE IS, IT'S NOT ONLY A LOSS TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, BUT IT'LL DEFINITELY IMPACT THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. SO, I MEAN, IT'S IN OUR PURVIEW TO SAY WHAT'S GOING ON HERE ANYWAY, UH, I'M CALLING THE QUESTION. THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT TO OUR NOVEMBER MEETING. PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. UH, I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED, ALL THOSE OPPOSED. ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONER CASTILLO, THAT WAS A RAISED HAND, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. YES. OKAY, GOOD. ALRIGHT. YES. SO IT IS UNANIMOUS AND IT'S POSTPONED TO OUR NEXT MEETING. UH, THE NEXT ITEM, UH, [18. HR-2024-102958 – 1703 W 32nd St. ] WE HAD ITEM NUMBER 18 POLLED, WHICH IS 1703 WEST 32ND STREET. UH, THIS IS THE OLD WEST AUSTIN, UH, REGISTERED DISTRICT. AND THIS IS A PROPOSAL FOR A SECOND STORY EDITION AND A COVERED BACK PATIO. UH, YES, UH, UH, PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A SECOND STORY EDITION AT THE REAR OF THE HOUSE. UM, THE EXISTING HOUSE IS A SINGLE, IS A SINGLE STORY RANCH THAT FEATURES, UM, A BROAD, LOW ANGLED FRONT GABLE AT THE RIGHT THREE QUARTERS OF THE FRONT ELEVATION CLAD IN NON-ORIGINAL STANDING SCENE METAL ROOFING. THE WALLS ARE MOSTLY CLAD IN HORIZONTAL WOOD SIDING EXCEPT FOR THE FRONT GABLE, WHICH HAS A BOARD AND BATTEN DESIGN. NONE OF THESE WINDOWS FRONT DOOR OR GARAGE DOOR APPEAR TO BE ORIGINAL. DESPITE THIS, THE SPACIAL ARRANGEMENT OF THE ORIGINAL DESIGN, INCLUDING THE FRONT DOOR LOCATION, FRONT WINDOWS AND FRONT PORCH ARE ALL IN THEIR ORIGINAL LOCATION AND THE HOUSE RETAINS THIS INTEGRITY. THE PROPERTY AT 17 0 3 WEST 32ND STREET HAD SEVERAL OWNERS SINCE ITS CONSTRUCTION, INCLUDING RAYMOND AND MARJORIE, UH, BETTE, UH, AND STEVEN MARCUS. WITH BOTH FAMILIES RESIDING IN THE HOUSE FOR OVER A DECADE. UH, EACH, THE BURETTES WERE, UH, THE ORIGINAL OWNERS WITH, UH, RAYMOND WORKING AS AN ELECTRICIAN IN NUMEROUS POSITIONS FROM THE 1950S THROUGH THE 1970S. STEVEN MARCUS OWNED THE HOUSE FROM 1980 THROUGH THE 1990S, AT WHICH TIME HE WORKED AS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS. BETWEEN THESE TWO OWNERS, BETWEEN THESE TWO OWNERS, JOSEPH AND THERESA CARTER RENTED THE HOUSE FOR A BRIEF PERIOD IN THE LATE 1970S. JOSEPH CARTER WAS AN EXAMINER FOR THE STATE BOARD OF WATER ENGINEERS IN AUSTIN, WHILE HE WAS FEATURED AS A GUEST SPEAKER FOR EVENTS AND HAD NUMEROUS MENTIONS IN LOCAL PAPERS. THESE WERE FROM EARLIER IN HIS CAREER PRIOR TO THE COUPLE RENTING A HOUSE. [02:00:01] THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S HISTORIC DESIGN STANDARDS ARE BASED ON THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION AND ARE USED TO EVALUATE PROJECTS IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER. UH, THE PROJECT MEETS, UH, MEETS THE APPLICABLE STANDARDS, UH, PROPERTY CONTRIBUTES TO THE OLD WEST AUSTIN HISTORIC DISTRICT AND PROPERTIES MUST MEET TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION. STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINE THAT IT DOES NOT MEET TWO CRITERIA. UH, STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO APPROVE THE APPLICATION. UM, THANK YOU. BUT I, I HAVE A QUICK QUESTION. I'M LOOKING THROUGH THE PLANS AND THE ADDITION IS A REAR ADDITION, IS THAT CORRECT? YES. AND THE, AT THE COMPLETION OF THE PROJECT, THE STREET ELEVATION WOULD BE REMAINING UNCHANGED AS I READ THE PLANS, IS THAT CORRECT? UM, IT'S A SECOND FLOOR EDITION ON, AT THE, AT THE REAR AND MAYBE VISIBLE FROM THE, UH, STREET FROM THE FRONT. BUT THE FRONT PORCH, THE FRONT DOOR, THE FRONT ELEVATION REMAINS UNCHANGED. CORRECT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED. I THINK I'M, I'M GETTING DISORIENTED ON THE SIDE , BUT THAT'S ALL RIGHT. OH, I SEE. OKAY. THERE'S THE NORTH ARROW. GOT IT. UM, IS THERE ANY QUESTION OF STAFF? RIGHT. HEARING NONE IS THE APPLICANT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS THE APPLICANT AVAILABLE? DO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION? WOULD ANYBODY LIKE TO SPEAK TO THIS ITEM? THIS IS ITEM NUMBER 18. ALRIGHT. IS THERE ANYBODY OPPOSED? SEEING THAT THERE IS NO, UH, SPEAKER, I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO MOVED. ALRIGHT, IS THERE A SECOND? UH, COMMISSIONER RUBIO SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER HORTER. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING, RAISE YOUR HAND AND ALL HANDS RAISED IS UNANIMOUS. ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, WHAT IS YOUR INTEREST HERE? I MOVE TO REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, POSTPONE TO NEXT MONTH'S MEETING, AND INVITE THE APPLICANT TO THE NEXT A RC MEETING. OKAY. IS THERE A SECOND FOR THE POSTPONEMENT? SECOND BY COMMISSIONER GROGAN. UH, COMMISSIONER RUBIO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? YEAH, SO THIS IS, UH, PRETTY CLOSE TO GETTING PASSED. I THINK. UM, I PULLED THIS 'CAUSE I, I THINK, UH, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR LANGUAGE IN A RC, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE HAD SOME, SOME SUCCESS IN CHANGING SOME OF THESE WINDOWS THAT MAYBE AREN'T APPROPRIATE FOR, FOR THIS FRONT FACING FACADE. I THINK TYPICALLY WE TRY TO ALLOW THESE MODERN WINDOWS IN SOME OTHER ELEVATION THAT ISN'T PUBLIC FACING. SO SHORT OF DESIGNING FROM THE DAIS, I THINK, UH, IF WE COULD JUST TWEAK, TWEAK THIS WITH THE A RC MEETING, THIS COULD BE PASSED ON THE CONSENT FUTURE AGENDA. OKAY. UM, COMMISSIONER GROGAN, YOU WANNA SPEAK TO YOUR SECOND? UM, AGREED. MY ISSUES ARE WITH THOSE WINDOWS ON THE FRONT ELEVATION AT THE ADDITION. YEAH, I THINK IT'S TELLING THAT THEY DIDN'T, UM, THEY, THEY PUT IN SEVERAL 3D VIEWS, BUT THEY NEVER SHOWED THE FRONT AND 3D AND, UH, I THINK IT WILL BE VERY VISIBLE AND CAN BE IMPROVED. SO, UH, NORMALLY I WOULD SAY IT'S FAR ENOUGH BACK AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, THE FACT THAT THEY'RE KEEPING THE FRONT IS SOMETHING WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT. THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT. BUT I THINK IN THIS CASE, UH, I, I, I GUESS WHAT, YOU'RE CLOSE BUT IT'S SO CLOSE. WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PUSH IT OVER TO SOMETHING THAT MUCH BETTER. ALRIGHT. UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY MORE DISCUSSION ON THIS ITEM? COMMISSIONER COOK AS, AS THE THIRD MEMBER OF THE A RC. I JUST WANTED TO NOTE, UM, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE HESITANT TO PULL THIS AND HAVE IT PULLED AND POSTPONED WHEN IT'S, COULD BE SO MUCH WORSE AND THEY'RE SAVING EVERYTHING. SECOND STORY RECESSED EDITION. BEEN AGREED. IT'S JUST THE WINDOWS AND JUST, WE JUST RECOMMENDED THE APPLICANT IF THEY DON'T HAVE THE TIME OR THE MONEY TO SHOW UP, IF THEY WERE TO AT LEAST SUBMIT PLANS THAT HAD WINDOWS THAT WERE MORE IN KEEPING WITH THE EXISTING WINDOWS. UH, FOR US, WE OFTEN CAN DISCUSS THINGS IN THE A RC BASED ON, UH, BACKUP PROVIDED, EVEN WHEN THE APPLICANT OR THE APPLICANT'S ARCHITECT ISN'T THERE. I KNOW THEY HAVE TO PAY HOURLY TO HAVE YOUR DESIGNER THERE SOMETIMES, BUT IF YOU CAN JUST QUICKLY UPDATE THOSE WINDOWS TO SOMETHING THAT MORE MATCH THE WINDOWS ON THE MAIN HOUSE, UH, THAT'LL GIVE US SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT TO BE PUT ON THE AGENDA FOR NEXT MONTH. OR EVEN INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, THE WINDOWS ON THE REST OF THE ADDITION. I MEAN, SO THEY, THEY, THEY SINGLE THAT ONE OUT. I GUESS THEY MUST HAVE BEEN BEDROOM WINDOWS AND THEY THOUGHT THAT WAS A BETTER WAY TO DO IT. UM, YEAH, I, I WISH THEY WERE HERE BECAUSE WE COULD PROBABLY MAKE THAT REQUEST AND RELEASE IT, BUT THEY'RE NOT, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT HE IS ONLINE. OH, UH, OKAY, GREAT. IF THE OWNER IS ONLINE, UM, WE HAVE A MOTION, BUT, UH, WE CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING, WE CAN CERTAINLY ASK HIM QUESTIONS. WOULD THAT BE APPROPRIATE OR SHOULD WE REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING IN ORDER TO HAVE HIS PRESENTATION? WE DON'T HAVE TO. [02:05:01] OH, YES. COMMISSIONER ROCHE. HI. HELLO, MY NAME IS FRANK JONES. NO, NO, I'M SORRY. I'M THE APPLICANT. YEAH. WOULD YOU I APPROVE APPLICANT. APPLICANT. WOULD YOU PLEASE HOLD FOR A MOMENT? WE HAD A QUESTION FROM ONE OF THE COMMISSIONERS. LET ME DEAL WITH THAT FIRST. THANK YOU HONOR. I'M JUST GONNA MOVE TO OPEN. IT'S JUST A SIMPLE TEXT. WE CAN DO THAT. OKAY. SO THERE'S A MOTION TO REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING, UH, BY COMMISSIONER ROCHE, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER. UH, COOK THOSE IN FAVOR. RAISE YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT, SO THAT WE ARE NOW ABLE TO ASK THE, UH, APPLICANT TO, UM, INTRODUCE HIMSELF AND, UH, YOU HAVE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT, AND THEN OF COURSE WE PROBABLY HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU. YES. UH, HI. APPRECIATE THE TIME. UM, I, UH, HAVING SOME TECHNICAL DIFFICULTY, I, UM, ALL OF THE WINDOWS HAVE ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. THIS IS THIS, THIS HOUSE HAS BEEN REMODELED PREVIOUSLY WITH, WITH APPROVAL FROM THE HISTORIC COMMISSION AND, AND THE CITY OF AUSTIN DEVELOPMENT. SIR. UM, SIR, UH, COULD YOU, ALL OF THE WINDOWS ARE CURRENTLY VINYL, SIR? UM, YOU KNOW, SIR, CAN YOU HEAR ME? VINYL WINDOWS. HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. WE NEED YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD, PLEASE. YES. WOULD YOU START BY INTRODUCING YOURSELF? APOLOGIES. UH, YES, YES. SORRY, APOLOGIES. MY NAME IS FRANK JONES. UH, ALL RIGHT. APPROVE. AND I'M THE OWNER OF THE HOUSE. OKAY. AND THEN QUICKLY IN THE APPLICANT, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, IF YOU WERE HEARING THE CONVERSATION, WE'RE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT THE NARROW, UH, HORIZONTAL WINDOWS ON THE SECOND FLOOR OF YOUR ADDITION. AND THAT IS WHAT'S CALLING THIS WHOLE DISCUSSION. UH, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT HAS ALREADY, YOU'VE CONSIDERED CHANGING OR WOULD BE OPEN TO CHANGING TO MATCH THE REST OF THE WINDOWS ON THE ADDITION? UM, THE ONLY PROBLEM IS ONE OF THOSE, UH, FRONT BEDROOMS IS A, UH, THE WINDOW IS GOING TO OPEN INTO A SHOWER AND, UM, I WOULD PREFER TO NOT HAVE FULL VIEW OF, UH, WHOEVER'S SHOWERING TO THE STREET. UM, AND ALSO WOULD MIGHT LIKE TO HAVE THEM, UH, FROSTED OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. UH, PREFER TO HAVE THEM INTACT AND, UH, YOU KNOW, NICE CASEMENT WINDOWS THAT ARE, ARE TASTEFUL AND, AND AGAIN, IN THE SAME STYLE AS THE CURRENT, UM, HOUSE. UH, JUST LIKE I SAID THAT THAT'S THE ISSUE I HAVE FROM A DESIGN PERSPECTIVE. UM, BUT OBVIOUSLY I'M OPEN TO HELPING WHATEVER WE HAVE TO DO TO GET THIS, UH, OKAY. MOVED FORWARD. COMMISSIONER RUBIO, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO COME TO THE A RC MEETING? I MEAN, LOOKING AT THE FLOOR PLAN, I MEAN, WE'VE GOT THE BATHROOM RIGHT THERE ON THAT EXTERIOR WALL. THIS IS A SIMPLE SHIFT OF JUST RELOCATING. I MEAN, IT'S THE SMALLEST RESTROOM. YOU CAN RELOCATE IT ON TWO, IF NOT THREE OTHER WALLS IN THIS PARTICULAR CORNER OF THE BUILDING, AND THEN YOU CAN INSTANTLY DO BETTER WINDOWS OR, OR YOU COULD EVEN ADJUST THE, THE OPENING SO THAT, THAT YOU HAD WAYS TO, I'M, I'M ALSO, UH, SORRY TO INTERRUPT. I'M JUST CURIOUS HOW, BECAUSE THE, THE WAY THAT THE PEAK AND THE GABLE WOULD INTERACT, I'M NOT SURE HOW WE WOULD HAVE SYMMETRICAL WINDOWS AND GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE OTHER THREE BY FIVE WINDOWS THAT ARE ON THE CURRENT, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST STORY, UH, I DON'T THINK WE'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE THAT SIZE. UM, GIVEN HOW, HOW TALL THE, THE GABLE PEAK IS IN RELATION TO THE FRONT OF THE, THE ADDITION. OKAY, WE HAVE A GO AHEAD. I THINK IT'S, IT'S MAYBE NOT, UM, REPEATING THE WINDOW SIZING. IT'S MORE THE PROPORTION. SO INSTEAD OF A HORIZONTAL WINDOW, IF WE CAN GET SOMETHING THAT'S MORE VERTICAL. SO I, TO ME, I'D BE OKAY WITH SMALL WINDOWS, BUT MAYBE MORE, UM, VERTICAL IN NATURE. THIS DOES SEEM LIKE, AGAIN, I WE'RE GETTING INTO A CONVERSATION THAT'S APPROPRIATE FOR THE A RC. SO, UM, WOULD YOU, UH, AS THE OWNER, UH, IF WE REFERRED YOU TO OUR WORK COMMITTEE AND THE ARCHITECTURE REVIEW COMMITTEE IS INFORMAL, BUT IT HAS THE ABILITY TO DIG INTO SOME OF THESE DETAILS, UH, AND WE POSTPONE YOU FOR A MONTH, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU COULD, UH, YOU COULD WORK WITH US ON? YEAH, I MEAN, UH, I, I, THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS I'M, YOU KNOW, WE'RE EXPECTING A A A BABY SOON, AND I'M HOPING TO HAVE THE ADDITION, YOU KNOW, UNDERWAY AND FOR, FOR MY FAMILY TO MOVE IN. IT'S THE WHOLE REASON WE'RE DOING THE ADDITION. WE REMODELED IT TO BE THE PERFECT SIZE, YOU KNOW, THE PERFECT SIZE FOR US. AND THEN WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A, A THIRD CHILD AT THIS POINT. AND THE, THE HOUSE NO LONGER SUITS US IN, IN THE CURRENT SIZE AND CAPACITY, SO HOPING TO GET THIS RESOLVED, UM, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. BUT I'M RESPECTFUL OF THE PROCESS AND WILLING TO WORK WITH ANYBODY TO, TO MAKE THIS A, YOU KNOW, MAKE EVERYBODY HAPPY. SO, UM, IF THAT'S MY SITUATION. OKAY, NO, WE DO APPRECIATE THAT, AND I THINK WE, THERE MAY BE SOME WAYS WE CAN ACCOMMODATE. SO, UH, STAY ON THE LINE IF WE HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, BUT AT THIS POINT, I'M GOING TO TAKE A MOTION TO CLOSE, ONCE AGAIN, THE PUBLIC HEARING. SECOND. OKAY. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER [02:10:01] HORTER, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER RUBIO TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR RAISE YOUR HAND. ALL HANDS ARE RAISED. IT'S UNANIMOUS. UH, COMMISSIONERS, IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THERE MAY BE SOME WAY TO GET THE DISCUSSION AT THE A RC AND IF THOSE WINDOWS AS THEY LEAVE THE A RC CAN WORK OUT THAT MAYBE WE GO AHEAD AND SAY AT THAT POINT, EVERYTHING'S READY TO GO. I KNOW WE'VE DONE THAT IN THE PAST, SO, UH, I'LL THROW THAT OUT AS A POSSIBLE CREATIVE MOTION FOR SOMEONE. CAN I MOVE THAT WE REOPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND INVITE THE OWNER TO THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING, GRANTING THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE AUTHORITY TO RELEASE THE, TO RELEASE THE PLANS? I, I THINK THAT THE WAY THAT WOULD WORK IS IT WOULD NOT BE A POSTPONEMENT SO MUCH AS IT WOULD BE APPROVAL SUBJECT TO THE, UH, PRESENTATION AND ACCEPTANCE OR APPROVAL AT THE A RC. I THINK WE CAN USE SOMETHING LIKE THAT CIRCUIT RELEASE, UH, SUBJECT TO A MEETING WITH AN APPROVAL ABOUT OF NEW WINDOW PATTERNS BY THE A RC NEXT WEEK. THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT. SO IF THAT'S YOUR MOTION, THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN A SECOND. OKAY. UH, DID I, DID I HEAR A SECOND OVER THERE? COMMISSIONER GROGAN SECOND OVER THERE, . WE DID IT. ALL RIGHT. SO COMMISSIONER COOK, WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCUSS YOUR MOTION? YEAH, I JUST WANNA, UH, IT WOULD BE NICE TO ADD THOSE WINDOWS, UH, IMPROVED. I THINK IT'S DOABLE. UM, HATE TO HOLD THE OWNER UP WHEN IT'S THE OWNER APPLICANT AND THEY'RE BY AND LARGE DOING VERY WELL TO THE HOUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, BUT I THINK THAT'S THE BEST COMPROMISE AT THIS POINT. OKAY. COMMISSIONER GROGAN? AGREED. OKAY, . ALRIGHT. UH, YEAH, I THINK THE APPLICANT'S DOING WHAT WE'VE BEEN ASKING APPLICANTS TO DO, WHICH IS THAT THE FRONT LOOKS GOOD AND IS BEING MAINTAINED AND WE'RE SO CLOSE ON THE ADMISSION. RUBIO, I JUST, I JUST WANT THIS FOR THE RECORD, FOR EVERYONE THAT'S LISTENING, YOU KNOW, ANY KIND OF HISTORIC REVIEW, HISTORIC BUILDING, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A DELAY. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE GET PEOPLE HERE ALL THE TIME THAT SAY, YOU KNOW, I'M, I AM GOING THROUGH THIS, I'M GOING THROUGH THAT. I UNDERSTAND, BUT YOU WILL GO THROUGH A DELAY BECAUSE OF THIS PROCESS THAT IS STANDARD IN ANY HISTORIC BUILDING OR OLD BUILDING. SO THE, THE MORE WE CAN GET THAT OUT THERE, THE MORE WE CAN GET THAT. ARCHITECTS SHOULD BE DIRECTING THESE KIND OF QUESTIONS, UM, TO THE A RC COMMITTEE FOR FREE. UH, THE QUICKER YOUR PROJECT WILL GET REVIEWED AND THERE'S LESS DELAYS. SO PLEASE, PLEASE ANTICIPATE THE REVIEW AND PLEASE HIRE AN ARCHITECT AND ARCHITECTS, PLEASE WORK WITH A RC, JUST PSA COM. COMMISSIONER RUBY, I'M GOING TO JUST CLARIFY YOUR COMMENTS, IF THAT'S OKAY. THERE WILL TAKE TIME. THAT'S NOT A DELAY. IT TAKES TIME. AND THE AMOUNT OF TIME, DEPENDING ON WHAT THE ISSUES ARE, COULD BE LONGER OR LESS, BUT BECAUSE IT'S HISTORIC DOESN'T MEAN THERE'S ANY DELAY. IT JUST MEANS THIS TAKES TIME. YOU GOTTA GET IT RIGHT. AND ANYWAY, WE DO APPRECIATE EVERYBODY WHO'S PARTICIPATING IN THE PROJECT AND IT'S GOOD TO BE AS SENDING THE WORD OUT TO THOSE WHO ARE GONNA BE ENGAGING WITH US IN THE FUTURE. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. ALRIGHT, UH, COMMISSIONERS, WE HAVE A MOTION ON THE FLOOR. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY, HEARING NONE, THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN, UH, I'LL CALL THE QUESTION. UH, THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO RELEASE, UH, APPROVE THE, UH, UH, LET THIS REGISTER DISTRICT. SO WE RELEASE THE PLANS, UH, WITH THE APPROVAL OF THE WINDOWS, UH, WITH A REFERRAL TO THE A RC, UH, INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. AND I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED IS UNANIMOUS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU OWNER FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND COMING BACK ONLINE TO CLARIFY, I THINK THAT'S, UH, A GOOD OUTCOME. UH, THE NEXT ITEM [19. HR-2024-111332 – 2510 Wooldridge Dr. ] IS, UM, ITEM NUMBER 19. THIS IS 25 10 WILDRIDGE DRIVE. UH, THIS IS IN THE OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT, AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A SECOND STORY EDITION. UH, YES, THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A SECOND FLOOR EDITION, UM, IN THE OLD WEST AUSTIN HISTORIC DISTRICT. UM, THE PROPERTY AT 25 10 WOOLRIDGE DRIVE IS A TWO STORY L-SHAPED HOUSE WITH MINOR ITALIAN FEATURES SUCH AS A SECOND FLOOR GALLERY, LARGE OPERABLE SHUTTERS AND MODEST OVERHANGS. THE ROOF IS A MODERATELY PITCHED FRONT AND SIDE GABLE THAT FOLLOWS AT THE L SHAPE OF THE FOOTPRINT. THE SECOND FLOOR IS SLIGHTLY SHORTER ON ONE END, AND THE GROUND FLOOR FEATURES AN ADDITIONAL WING FOR A CARPORT AND GROUND FLOOR GUEST BEDROOM. THE GROUND FLOOR IS BRICK AND CONSTRUCTION, AND THE SECOND FLOOR IS CLAD IN WI AT WIDE HORIZONTAL WOOD SIDING. BOTH FLOORS ARE PAINTED IN A CREAM COLOR UPON CONSTRUCTION IN 1941. [02:15:01] THE HOUSE IS OWNED BY JACK AND FRANCIS RITTER. JACK RITTER WORKED AS AN AGENT FOR SEVERAL OIL COMPANIES, BUT SOON SOLD THE HOUSE TO ELMER IN VIRGINIA. BAUM, WHO OWNED THE HOUSE FOR AROUND 50 YEARS INTO THE 1990S. ELMER BAUM WORKED AS A PHYSICIAN AT OS AUSTIN OSTEOPATHIC CLINIC, BUT HIS ADDITIONAL SERVICE ON THE STATE HEALTH BOARD BROUGHT HIM RECOGNITION ACROSS TEXAS. IN 1952 TO 1953, HE SERVED AS PRESIDENT OF THE TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF OSTEOPATHIC, UH, PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS, WHICH ALSO INCLUDED GIVING LECTURES, ATTENDING NATIONAL CO, UH, UH, CONFERENCES AND ADVOCACY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH ACROSS THE STATE. IN 1969, BAUM WAS SELECTED TO BE THE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE TEXAS STATE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, A ROLE THAT HE WAS NOMINATED FOR BY THEN GOVERNOR PRESTON SMITH, THE BOMB FAMILY CONTINUED TO OWN THE HOUSE AFTER ELMER'S RETIREMENT AT THE END OF THE 1980S. THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S HISTORIC DESIGN STANDARDS ARE BASED ON THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION AND ARE USED TO EVALUATE PROPERTIES IN THE NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICTS. UH, THE PROJECT MEETS THE APPLICABLE STANDARDS. UH, THE PROPERTY CONTRIBUTES TO THE OLD WEST AUSTIN HISTORIC DISTRICT, AND FOR HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION PROPERTIES MUST MEET TWO CRITERIA. STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINED THAT IT DOES NOT MEET TWO CRITERIA. UH, STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO APPROVE THE, UH, THE APPLICATION. THANK YOU. UM, ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? UH, I'M CURIOUS ON WHAT ARE YOUR, WHAT IS STAFF'S THOUGHTS ON THE ASSOCIATION WITH, UH, WITH THE BAM FAMILY? IS IT JUST NOT, IS HE, IS IT NOT STRONG ENOUGH? IS HIS, HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE CITY OR, YOU KNOW, VOLUNTEERISM AND ALL THAT? AND JUST, JUST THINKING OUT LOUD. MM-HMM, , UM, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF IN A GRAY AREA THERE THAT, UH, STAFF DETERMINED DID NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF HISTORIC ASSOCIATION. OKAY. OKAY. ANY MORE QUESTIONS TO STAFF? ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, DO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION OR ANYBODY HERE TO DISCUSS THIS ITEM, UH, REPRESENTING THE OWNER? PLEASE COME AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF AT THE MICROPHONE. UH, MY NAME IS MICHAEL STU, I'M THE ARCHITECT AND THE APPLICANT, I DON'T HAVE A PRESENTATION, UM, BUT I'M HERE REPRESENTING IF Y'ALL HAVE QUESTIONS. OKAY, GREAT. MICHAEL, THANK YOU FOR, UH, BEING HERE. UM, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THIS IS A SECOND STORY ADDITION ON WHAT IS ALREADY A SIDE REAR, UH, ONE STORY ELEMENT IN THE HOUSE. IS THAT RIGHT? CORRECT. YEAH. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THIS WAS THE OLD GARAGE, BUT HAS SINCE BEEN ENCLOSED, AND THIS IS AN ADDITION 40 FEET BACK FROM THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE ON TOP OF THAT FORMER GARAGE. SO IT'S ALREADY BEEN MODIFIED. YEAH. AND THERE'S A, THERE'S A CARPORT IN FRONT OF IT THAT HAPPENED PROBABLY, AND THE EXTERIOR STAIRS AND EVERYTHING, ALL OF THAT IS BEHIND. SO THAT'S YES, SIR. NOT VISIBLE FROM THE STREET. CORRECT. OKAY. NOW, THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. UH, COMMISSIONER RUBIO, YOU PULLED THIS. IS THERE SOME SPECIFIC QUESTION YOU HAVE OF THE ARCHITECT? UH, NOT QUESTIONS, BUT MAYBE ? UM, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE CONSISTENT WITH OUR ADVICE AT THE A RC THAT ADDITIONS TO, UH, HISTORIC PROPERTIES SHOULD NOT MATCH, UH, THE DETAILING. AND SO WE HAVE BEEN LATELY FLAGGING, UM, DRAWINGS AND BUILDINGS WHEN WE SEE MATCH SIDING AND MATCH WINDOWS, UH, THE SAME PATTERN WINDOWS. UM, THE, I THINK THE PROBLEM HERE IS THAT IT'S TOO GOOD OF A DESIGN THAT IF 10, 15, 20 YEARS FROM NOW WE, IF, YOU KNOW, WE DECIDED TO, YOU KNOW, SOME FUTURE OWNER WANTED A LANDMARK OR SOMETHING, THEY WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CLEARLY TELL THE DIFFERENCE. AND SO THAT'S, THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY, UM, WHY I PULLED IT TO DISCUSS. IS THAT A STANDARD THAT WE WANT TO APPLY ONLY TO LOCAL LANDMARKS OR IS THAT A STANDARD THAT WE THINK SHOULD, WE, SHOULD, AS A GROUP, SHOULD BE APPLYING TO NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICTS? UH, IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN I CAN SEE, UM, A, A, A SITUATION WHERE THE RAILINGS, THE WINDOWS AND THE SIDING DO NOT MATCH THE HISTORIC BUILDING. SO I'M JUST THROWING THAT OUT THERE AND I THINK IT'S ALSO A GOOD DISCUSSION FOR US AS A GROUP. THESE ARE DISCUSSIONS WE PROBABLY HAVE WITH A RC, BUT WE DON'T GET TIME TO FLESH IT OUT WITH THE REST OF YOU ALL. SO THAT, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WAS A QUESTION, . NO, IT WAS A GOOD, GOOD, GOOD COMMENT TO HAVE MADE. UM, I YOU'RE WELCOME. UH, I MEAN, RESPOND, THIS, THIS IS NEITHER HERE NOR THERE, BUT A PREVIOUS PROJECT TONIGHT, Y'ALL WERE CITING IT THAT IT DIDN'T MATCH. SO SORT OF LIKE, WHAT'S THE DIRECTION HERE? WELL, IT DEPENDS HOW CLOSE YOU GOT. YEAH. YOU, IF YOU'RE RIGHT ON SOUNDS FUZZY , BUT I, BUT I THINK IN THIS SITUATION, THIS IS, AND, AND [02:20:01] THIS GIVES US A LITTLE BIT OF AN OUT FOR YOU, BUT I THINK COMMISSIONER RUBIO IS RAISING A, A, A BROADER QUESTION BECAUSE THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR DOES ASK THAT THERE IS A VERY CLEAR DISTINCTION THAT CAN BE MADE BETWEEN WHAT WAS ORIGINAL AND WHAT WAS HISTORIC. BUT THAT IS A VERY BROAD INTERPRETATION. UH, AND MANY PEOPLE INTERPRET IT DIFFERENT WAYS IN YOUR SITUATION. HOWEVER, YOU, I THINK BY TELLING US THAT THE GARAGE THAT YOU'RE ON TOP OF ALREADY WAS MODIFIED, SO IT'S NO LONGER PART OF THE ORIGINAL HISTORIC FABRIC. SO THE FACT THAT YOU'RE MATCHING THE GARAGE, WHICH WAS MODIFIED WITH THE SAME MATERIAL THAT IS NOW MODIFIED, I THINK GIVES US KIND OF AN OUT ON THIS ONE OR AT LEAST BYPASSES THE, THE MORE NUANCED DISCUSSION IF, FOR EXAMPLE, THIS WAS LITERALLY RIGHT AROUND THE FRONT FACADE. RIGHT. BUT, UM, AT LEAST THAT'S MY TAKE ON IT. YEAH. WELL, I MEAN, EVERY PRO EVERY PROJECT IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DESIGN GUIDELINES ARE THERE. UM, YOU KNOW, I I THINK JUST FOR SAKE OF US TRYING TO BE CONSISTENT, IT IS, IT IS PART OF A BIGGER DISCUSSION. UM, SO I GUESS, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO MODIFY SOME OF THESE THINGS OR WORK WITH US AT THE A RC MEETING NEXT WEEK? UM, JUST TO SLIGHTLY TWEAK AGAIN, IT, WE DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN, IT'S JUST, IT'S TOO WELL DONE, . UH, YEAH, I MEAN, IT'S, I'VE GOTTA GO BACK TO THE OWNERS, BUT YEAH, BE WILLING. I, I, AGAIN, I THINK WE GET, WE, WE ALREADY KNOW THIS IS NOT HISTORIC ELEMENT THAT THEY'RE BUILDING ON TOP OF. SO, AND I WOULDN'T WANNA SEE IT CHANGED, BUT IF IT'S TOO GOOD, THEN IT'S IT THAT, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, LET, LET'S NOT SAY WE HAVE TO GO TO THE A RC TO MAKE IT WORSE. WELL, I'M, I'M NOT, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WHY THE FOCUS, WHY THIS, THIS, WHAT WE'RE BUILDING ON TOP OF, TO ME IS IRRELEVANT. WE'RE MATCHING SIDING FOR THE REST OF THE HOUSE. WE'RE MATCHING WINDOW PATTERN FOR THE REST OF THE HOUSE. SO I'M TAKING OUT YOUR QUESTION ENTIRELY. TO ME, THAT'S IRRELEVANT. I DON'T KNOW IF THE OTHER A RC MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, FEEL THE SAME. I'M SEEING SIM SAME STYLE RAILING, SIMILAR STYLE RAILING, SAME WINDOWS. I'M NOT EVEN CONSIDERING WHAT IS NOT ORIGINAL FROM THE OTHER BUILDING OR ADDITION. SO, JUST A MOMENT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR DISCUSSION. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM SINCE WE'RE ALREADY HAVING CONVERSATIONS? I'M GOING TO MOVE TO THANK YOU. I'LL MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THIS ITEM. I MOVE, IS THERE A SECOND? OKAY. COMMISSIONER GROGAN A SECOND. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING PUBLIC HEARING, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT, NOW GET US BACK INTO ORDER AND WE CAN NOW HAVE A CONVERSATION IF THERE IS A MOTION MOTION, UH, MOVE TO ABLE TO PUBLIC HEARING AND POSTPONE THIS THE NEXT MONTH. INVITE THE CA UM, APPLICANT TO THE NEXT WEEK'S A RC MEETING. YES. IS THERE A SECOND? ALL RIGHT. I DON'T SEE, THERE'S A SECOND. SO I'LL ENTERTAIN ANOTHER MOTION. I'M GONNA MOVE TO APPROVE THE AC APPLICATION WITH THE RECOMMENDATION THAT THE SIDING AND WINDOWS AND RAILING DETAIL IS SLIGHTLY ALTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL TO BE ABLE TO, UH, TELL THE DIFFERENCE FROM THE ORIGINAL. AND THEN I'LL SECOND THAT. OKAY. UH, BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER COOK, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GROGAN. IS THERE FURTHER DISCUSSION? UH, I JUST THINK THAT, THAT THOSE COMMENTS PRETTY MUCH COVER IT. UH, BY AND LARGE THIS IN A NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT, UM, AND REALLY DOING GOOD JUSTICE TO THE PROPERTY. IT'S NOT A LANDMARK. IT'S NOT A LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT. SO, UH, I APPRECIATE, UH, THE COMMISSIONER'S FERVOR, BUT, UH, I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S REALISTIC TO, TO TAKE ALL OF THESE IN THE NATIONAL DISTRICT DISTRICT TO THIS LEVEL, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY'RE SO CLOSE. AND WE CAN JUST COMMUNICATE THE RECOMME AND END OF THE DAY, THERE'LL ONLY BE RECOMMENDATIONS. UH, I THINK JUST COMMUNICATING THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS IS, IS SUFFICIENT. COMMISSIONER GROGAN. OKAY. ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? UH, I THINK THAT HELPS, UH, THAT HELPS ME AT LEAST UNDERSTAND WHAT DIRECTION WE SHOULD BE GOING IN, YOU KNOW, TO BE CONSISTENT AS A COMMISSION. UM, UH, I WILL SAY COMMISSIONER COOK, IF, IF, IF THAT IS THE CASE FOR NATIONAL REGISTER BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW, FOR US TO COMMENT ON THESE, THAT WOULD STILL MEAN THAT THESE WOULD GET PULLED AT THESE, MEET THESE MEETINGS IF IT'S THE FIRST TIME WE'RE SEEING IT AND WE'D PULL IT, DISCUSS IT, AND MENTION AND READ YOUR COMMENTS INTO THE, READ THESE COMMENTS INTO THE, UM, RECORD FOR DRAWINGS AND THEN APPROVE, CORRECT? YES. AND, AND OFTEN, UH, STAFF CATCHES THESE DETAILS AND HAS IT IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS SO IT CAN PASS ON CONSENT WITH THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS. MM-HMM. ENTERED IN THERE. I THINK IF, IF STAFF CAN JUST, UH, UH, I KNOW WE'RE STILL CATCHING OUR FOOTING [02:25:01] WITH SOME, WITH SOME NEW EMPLOYEES AND, AND STILL UNDERSTAFFED AND, UM, UH, QUITE OFTEN THAT DETAIL IS ALREADY IN THERE. UM, AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S A WAY FOR US TO COMMUNICATE THAT TO THAT, TO STAFF EARLIER TO KEEP THINGS MOVING ALONG FASTER. UM, BUT, UH, IF STAFF CAN JUST, JUST BE DETAILED IN THEIR COMMENTS AND THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS SO THAT WHEN IT PASSES ON CONSENT, THAT THAT'S, THAT'S ALREADY CAPTURED. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE NOT LOOKING FOR REPRODUCING THAT HISTORIC WINDOW PATTERN AND MATCHING HISTORIC SITING, UM, OR DETAILS. SO THAT'S, I'M GLAD WE'RE HAVING THIS DISCUSSION 'CAUSE IT HELPS STAFF KNOW WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR. WHAT WE, WE DON'T WANT TO PULL THESE THINGS AND BE HERE ANY LATER THAN YOU ALL. SO IT, I THINK IT, YOU'RE RIGHT, IT DOES HELP US, UM, KIND OF GET ALL ON THE SAME PAGE AND KIND OF WORK WITH STAFF, ESPECIALLY WITH THESE, THESE CHANGES TO NATIONAL REGISTER PROPERTIES WE'RE, WE REALLY ARE JUST MAKING COMMENT. IT'S NOT DEMOLITION. MM-HMM. . AND SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S MULTIPLE WAYS TO GET THOSE COMMENTS OUT THERE WITHOUT HAVING TO EXTEND IT ANOTHER MONTH. AND WE SHOULD PURSUE ALL AVENUES. YOU CAN POSSIBLY EVEN CONTACT STAFF AND HAVE THEM FORWARD THAT COMMENT, UH, OUTSIDE THE FLOW PROCESS WITHOUT HAVING TO PULL IT. YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IN PARTICULAR WHEN WE HAVE A, AN, AN OWNER THAT IS SO RESPECTFUL OF THE BUILDING AND EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS ADDITION SUPPORTS THAT BUILDING, YOU KNOW, WE WANNA ENCOURAGE THIS AND MAKE IT AS EASY AS POSSIBLE TO DO THE RIGHT THING. UH, THAT HAVING SAID THE DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT IS AND IS NOT FOLLOWING THE GUIDELINE, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO MATCHING HISTORIC ELEMENTS IS STILL SUBJECT TO INTERPRETATION. AND I THINK WE'VE MADE THE CASE ALSO IS RATHER PROJECT SPECIFIC. SO EVEN COMPARING ONE TO THE OTHER DOESN'T ALWAYS ADD UP. BUT, UM, IT IS AN IMPORTANT CONCEPT AND THAT'S WHY IT'S IN THE GUIDELINES. UH, SO I ALWAYS TAKE IT AS, IS THERE A WAY AT SOME LATER POINT THAT EVEN IF IT'S A PRACTICE DIE, THERE COULD BE SOME DISTINCTION MADE BETWEEN HISTORIC FABRIC AND NON HISTORIC FABRIC. MM-HMM. . AND I BELIEVE STAFF RECOMMENDATION CAN CHANGE UP TO THE DAY OF THE, THE MEETING THAT IT DOESN'T, IT'S NOT SUBJECT TO THE SEVEN TWO HOUR POSTING. SO POSSIBLY IN THE PRE-MEETING REVIEW, IF YOU HAVE COMMENTS LIKE THAT TO ADD THAT, UH, STAFF MAY BE WILLING TO UPDATE THAT IN THE, IN THE CONSENT RECOMMENDATIONS, UH, THAT WE ACTUALLY VOTE ON GREAT, GREAT OPPORTUNITIES, GOOD POINTS. THANK YOU MUCH. AND I WOULD JUST RECOMMEND THE OWNER MAYBE DIG A LITTLE BIT MORE INTO THIS HISTORY OF THIS ASSOCIATION. UM, YOU KNOW, I, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE THERE'S MORE THERE IF YOU DIG AND FIND SOME MORE RESEARCH AND SEE IF YOU HAVE, UH, A POTENTIAL HISTORIC LANDMARK FOR ZONING. SO JUST, MAYBE IT'S SOME FUTURE, FUTURE DATE. NOTHING THEY'RE DOING HERE WOULD JEOPARDIZE THAT. NO. MM-HMM. YEAH. ALRIGHT. UM, COMMISSIONERS, WE HAVE A MOTION TO, UM, GO AHEAD AND, UH, RELEASE WITH THE, UM, NOTES REGARDING THE, UM, UH, HISTORIC GUIDELINES FOLLOWING HISTORIC GUIDELINES. UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. OKAY. IT IS UNANIMOUS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND THANK THE OWNER FOR THEIR, UH, CON CONTRIBUTIONS AS WELL, OR THE OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE. ALRIGHT, UH, ITEM NUMBER [20. HR-2024-106503 – 1106 Travis Heights Blvd. ] 20. UH, THIS IS 1106 TRAVIS HEIGHTS BOULEVARD. IT'S IN THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. AND THERE ARE PROPOSED ADDITIONS. YES, THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO, UH, CONSTRUCT A REAR TWO STORY EDITION AS WELL AS A DETACHED GUEST HOUSE. UH, THE HOUSE AT 1106 TRAVIS HEIGHTS BOULEVARD IS A ONE STORY SYMMETRICAL BUNGALOW OF MODEST SIZE. THE CONCRETE FRONT PORCH IS SET ABOVE THE ALREADY ELEVATED PLOT OF LAND THAT SLOPES DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY TOWARDS THE STREET AND SIDEWALK. A PROJECTING FRONT GABLE COVERS THE MIDDLE THIRD OF THE PORCH AND IS SUPPORTED BY DECORATED, UH, WOOD POSTS RESTING ON TWO CONCRETE BASES. THE DECORATION AT THE POSTS MATCHES THE WOOD HANDRAIL THAT IS PRESENT AROUND THE REMAINDER OF THE PORCH. TWO PAIRS OF WINDOWS, ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE FRONT DOOR ARE PRESENT AND ARE COVERED WITH WHAT APPEARED TO BE ORIGINAL SCREENS OVER WINDOWS. BEHIND THE PROJECTION OVER THE PORCH IS A SIDE GABLED ROOF, FEATURING A BRICK CHIMNEY AT ONE SIDE, ALONG WITH AN OBSCURED FRONT GABLE FACING THE STREET AND FEATURING AN ATTIC VENT. ALL ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES AT THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE APPEAR TO BE ORIGINAL OR HIGHLY APPROPRIATE REPLACEMENTS, BEGINNING WITH ITS CONSTRUCTION SOMETIME PRIOR TO 1920. THE PROPERTY HAD FREQUENT TURNOVER OF OWNERS AND RENTERS UNTIL THE LATE 1940S. THIS INCLUDED A SECOND ADDRESS, UH, KNOWN AS 1106 AND A HALF TRAVIS HIDES BOULEVARD ON THE PROPERTY, WHICH TELLS VARIOUS TRADESPEOPLE DURING THE GREAT DEPRESSION. IN 1949, THE PROPERTY WAS PURCHASED BY JESSE AND EMMA RAVEN, WHO WERE OWNERS AND OPERATORS OF RAVEN'S GARAGE, A LOCAL AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS. THEY HELD THE PROPERTY FOR SEVERAL DECADES UNTIL THE MID 1980S, AT WHICH POINT THEY WERE RETIRED. THE SECONDARY UNIT WAS LOST OR CONVERTED AT SOME POINT DURING THE RAVENS OWNERSHIP. CITY OF AUSTIN'S, UH, HISTORIC DESIGN [02:30:01] STANDARDS ARE BASED ON THE SECRETARY OF INTERIOR STANDARDS FOR REHABILITATION, OR USED TO EVALUATE PROJECTS IN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICTS. UH, THE PROJECT MEETS SOME OF THE APPLICABLE STANDARDS. THE PROPERTY CONTRIBUTES TO THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS, FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT, AND PROPERTIES MUST MEET TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION. UH, STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINED THAT IT DOES NOT MEET TWO CRITERIA. STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO COMMENT ON PLANS. ALRIGHT, UH, COMMISSIONERS, IS THERE ANY QUESTION OF STAFF? ALRIGHT, WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND, UH, AGAIN, THIS IS IN THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. THE ADDITIONS ARE REAR ADDITIONS AND, UH, THE ORIGINAL HOUSES REMAINING INTACT. UM, DO WE HAVE A DISCUSSION? AN OWNER, UH, HERE OR ANYBODY HERE TO DISCUSS THIS ITEM? UH, PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. GOOD EVENING COMMISSIONERS. HOW ARE YOU? MY NAME'S STEVEN KAHN. I'M THE OWNER AND I APPROVE THIS CASE. I'M JOINED HERE WITH MY WIFE AND OUR ARCHITECT. UM, IN 2016, THERE WAS A, UH, REQUEST TO DEMO THIS PROPERTY. UM, THE REQUEST WAS DENIED. WE ARE SO THANKFUL THAT THAT REQUEST WAS DENIED BY THIS COMMITTEE. UH, WE HAVE THE STAFF RESEARCH AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THAT REQUEST IN 2016, AND THAT'S HOW MY WIFE AND I LEARNED ABOUT THE HISTORY OF THIS PROPERTY. IT'S ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS WE WANTED TO PURCHASE THIS PROPERTY WAS FOR THE, UH, HISTORIC, UM, UH, INTEGRITY OF THIS HOME IN, IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. THE PREVIOUS OWNER OF THIS HOME, CRAIG SHELLEY, ALSO APPRECIATED THAT HE WAS THE FOUNDER OF ROYAL BLUE GROCERY. UM, SO HE'S MAKING HIS OWN MARK IN AUSTIN'S HISTORY AS I HOPE TO AS WELL. I'M A BORN AND RAISED AUSTINITE, AS WELL AS MY PARENTS. HE UNDERSTOOD, UH, AND UNDERTOOK THE EFFORT TO PRESERVE AND UPDATE THE EXISTING HOME WITH A LOT OF CARE. UH, WHEN MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED THIS HOME, I MET OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR, CYRUS JONES. HE'S LIVED IN HIS HOME FOR 35 YEARS. HE'S A HISTORIC ARCHITECT AND WHEN I SHOWED HIM OUR PLANS, HE SAID HE FELT LIKE HE WON THE LOTTERY. REASON WE STAND BEHIND OUR PLANS ENDORSED BY OUR NEIGHBORS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE TAKEN A GREAT DEAL OF EFFORT TO PRESERVE THE EXISTING HOME WITH OUR PLANS FOR OUR ADDITION. THE ENTIRE, UH, TWO STORY EDITION IS ON THE REAR OF THE HOME. UH, WE ARE KEEPING THE ENTIRETY OF THE EXISTING HOME, UM, IN ITS, WELL NEARLY THE ENTIRETY OF THE EXISTING HOME IN ITS CURRENT CONDITION. THE ONLY, UM, CHANGE WE ARE MAKING IS SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY EXTEND A HALLWAY TOWARDS THE ADDITION. SO WE'RE MOVING THE CURRENT PRIMARY, UM, BEDROOM ABOUT THREE FEET OUT A LITTLE BIT, JUST SO THAT WE CAN EXTEND THE HALLWAY TO GET TO THE, TO THE BACK ADDITION. UM, THE PICTURES THAT ARE IN THE CASE ARE JUST A LITTLE BIT MISLEADING BECAUSE YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE LEVITATING ABOUT 10 FEET IN THE AIR TO GET THAT PERSPECTIVE ON THE HOME. UM, I'VE ACTUALLY SUBMITTED SOME PHOTOS TO SAM OF THE ACTUAL PHOTOS FROM THE STREET LEVEL. UH, AS INDICATED IN THE RESEARCH, THE INCLINE IS DRAMATIC. UH, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SEE HARDLY ANY OF THIS ADDITION FROM THE STREET BECAUSE IT IS THAT DRAMATIC OF AN INCLINE UP TO THE FTE OF THE, OF THE, OF THE HOME AND THE, THE GROUND LEVEL OF THE HOME. UM, SOME OF THE COMMENTS, UH, I REVIEWED, UH, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR, UM, DESIGN DECISIONS. I'M HAPPY TO, UM, ANSWER SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS HERE. OKAY. UM, COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO GO TO THE A RC MEETING TO, TO REVIEW SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS OR THE DESIGN? UH, I, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THE A RC MEETING IS. UH, IT'S NEXT WEDNESDAY. IT IT IS DURING THE DAY AND IT'S VIRTUAL, SO YOU CAN ATTEND VIRTUALLY AT THREE, FOUR O'CLOCK. OKAY. FOUR O'CLOCK. I, I WON'T BE ABLE TO. I'LL BE, UM, AT A ALL DAY, UH, WORKING ENVIRONMENT NEXT WEEK. UH, HOWEVER, PERHAPS MY ARCHITECT MIGHT BE ABLE TO JOIN THAT. UH, UH, I'D BE OPEN TO THAT. OKAY, THANKS. OKAY. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? YEAH, I, I ASSUME YOU HAVE QUITE A NICE VIEW OFF THE BACK OF THAT PROPERTY OF DOWNTOWN MR. KOCH. YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. YEP. , IT'S PRISTINE. IT'S WHAT I'VE DREAMED OF MY WHOLE LIFE. ALL YOU GOTTA DO RIGHT NOW IS JUST CLIMB A COUPLE OF TREES, RIGHT, OR PUT MY DRONE UP THERE, WHICH IS WHAT I HAD TO DO WHEN I WANTED TO MAKE SURE I WAS BUYING THE PROPERTY. ALRIGHT. UM, WELL WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR, UH, YOUR PRESENTATION. UH, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM THEN? THANK YOU. UM, THIS POINT IS, UH, NO OTHER SPEAKERS. THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO PUB CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. NO. OKAY. COMMISSIONER RUBIO. IS THERE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER BROGAN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING PUBLIC HEARING, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND ALL HANDS ARE RAISED IS UNANIMOUS. SO, COMMISSIONERS, WHAT IS YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS ONE? [02:35:02] I MOVE TO, WE ABLE THE PUBLIC HEARING POSTPONE THIS CASE THE NEXT MONTH AND INVITE THE APPLICANT TO NEXT WEEK'S A RC MEETING. IS THERE A SECOND? OKAY. COMMISSIONER COOK. UH, SECOND THE MOTION. COMMISSIONER RUBIO, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? UM, I, I THINK JUST SOME DISCUSSIONS WE'VE BEEN HAVING, YOU KNOW, ABOUT STAIRS VISIBLE FROM, FROM THE FRONT. I UNDERSTAND IT'S VERY HIGH. I SEE THAT IN, I, I SEE THAT IN, IN GOOGLE IMAGES AND EVERYTHING. UM, BUT I ALSO DON'T SEE MUCH TREE COVERAGE, WHICH MEANS WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA SEE A LOT OF THIS ACTUALLY. UM, BUT I THINK IT, IT, THIS DESIGN OWES A, A MORE, MORE IN DEPTH DISCUSSION ABOUT WHAT'S APPROPRIATE TO PUT, TO BE ABLE TO SEE THE SECOND STORY DOOR ENTRANCES. UH, THE ROOF LINES ARE ALL HUMBLE, JUMBLED, UM, THEY, THEY'RE NOT MATCHING REALLY OR TAKING ANY CUES FROM THE HISTORIC BUILDING. THE STUCCO AND THE WINDOWS ARE JUST, I, I'M NOT SEEING RHYTHM. SO I JUST THINK IT'S WORTH US DISCUSSING AT A RC OKAY, COMMISSIONER COOK. AND THIS IS ANOTHER, UH, CASE WHERE I, I HESITATE TO POSTPONE WHEN, UH, I THINK THE RESULT IS SOMEWHAT MIRACULOUS, GIVING THE HIGH POINT THAT THIS ISN'T TRAVIS HEIGHTS, THAT THIS ISN'T TURNING INTO A GIANT WHITE BOX WITH A FULL WHITE DECK, YOU KNOW, DECK ON TOP THAT SOMEONE COULD HAVE DONE. BUT, UH, GIVEN THE APPLICANT'S PASSION, I'M HOPING THEY'RE WILLING TO SEND THEIR ARCHITECT TO DO A LITTLE TWEAKING. I I AGREE. IT, IT PROBABLY COULD BE RESOLVED A LITTLE BIT BETTER. UH, I, I HATE TO ASK THAT PEOPLE GO TO THE EXPENSE OF DOING A 3D MODEL, BUT THAT ALWAYS, AT LEAST A BASIC SKETCHUP MODEL ALWAYS HELPS TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S VISIBLE, WHAT'S NOT VISIBLE. BUT, UM, UH, I'M HOPING THAT THE, THE APPLICANT IS PASSIONATE ENOUGH THAT, THAT THEY'RE, UH, AMENABLE TO THIS. AND, UH, I THINK IT COULD BENEFIT. AND I DID A LITTLE QUICK RESEARCH AND IT WAS IN 2015. UH, AND, AND WE DIDN'T DIS DISAPPROVE THE DEMOLITION PERMIT 'CAUSE WE CAN'T DO THAT IN NATIONAL REGISTERED PROPERTIES, BUT IT WAS POSTPONED AND THEN INITIATION WAS RECOMMENDED AND THEN THE OWNER WITHDREW IT AND APPARENTLY SOLD IT. SO IT'S AN EXAMPLE OF THE PROCESS, KIND OF HOW IT CAN GET, UM, OWNERSHIP OF THESE PROPERTIES IN THE RIGHT HAND SOMETIMES, EVEN THOUGH, EVEN THOUGH OUR AUTHORITY IS AN ABSOLUTE IN THESE, IN THESE AREAS. BUT THAT'S HOW IT WENT DOWN. THAT'S INTERESTING THAT YOU SAY THAT ABOUT INITIATION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERING IF THIS IN 10 YEARS WOULD WANT TO GO FOR THE HISTORIC ZONING, SOME OF US UP HERE WOULD PROBABLY DENY THAT BECAUSE OF THIS ADDITION WE'RE PROPOSING. SO I, THAT'S ANOTHER REASON WHY I THINK IT'S WORTH US DISCUSSING, UM, IF AND WHEN THE OWNER DIGS MORE RESEARCH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU FOUND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE OWNER, YOU MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THESE, UH, HISTORIC ZONING TAX, UH, ABATEMENTS. SO I THINK JUST LIKE YOU SAID, BEING CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT WE'RE PUTTING ON THERE. YEAH, I'M, I'M GONNA SAY THIS IS DEFINITELY A, AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY AND TO BE ABLE TO HAVE SO MUCH OF THE ORIGINAL HOUSE INTEGRATED SO THOUGHTFULLY INTO THIS, UH, MUCH LARGER BUILDING IS TERRIFIC. I MEAN, THAT, THAT WE HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO PATENT AN OWNER LIKE THIS ON THE BACK AND HOLD YOU UP, UH, AS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHAT'S POSSIBLE BY BEING CREATIVE. AND IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME THAT WHEN YOU'RE CREATIVE AND YOU THINK ABOUT MODERN LIVING SPACES, THAT YOU ALSO HAVE A VERY MODERN EDITION. AND SO, UH, YOU'VE MADE A GOOD POINT, WHICH IS THAT WITH THE, WITH THE SCREEN AND WITH THE ELEVATION CHANGE, UH, MOST OF THIS ADDITION IS NOT AT ALL IMPACTING THE SCALE OR THE PRESENTATION AT THE STREET, WHICH IS OUR PRIMARY CONCERN. UH, I WILL SAY WHEN THE A RC REVIEWS THIS, I'M INTERESTED IN PROBABLY, I, I I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE MO MORE MODERN EDITION. UH, MAYBE I, YOU COULD TWEAK WAYS THAT THE SCALE COULD WORK A LITTLE BIT BETTER, BUT THE FACT THAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE INTRODUCED NEW ELEMENTS, UH, I THINK CAN BE VERY EXCITING. UH, IT'S THAT BACK ELEVATION IF THIS IS GONNA BE VISIBLE FROM A DISTANCE. IF YOU CAN, IF YOU CAN LOOK OUT, SOMEONE COULD LOOK BACK AND IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO, IF, IF THERE WAS A WAY I COULD SEE IT AND IDENTIFY THAT IT'S ASSOCIATED WITH THE HISTORIC HOUSE AND THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. I THINK RIGHT NOW THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THAT MAYBE ALSO SOME CREATIVE THINKING COULD STILL BE MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY IN THE WAY THAT THE STYLE OF THIS EDITION HAS BEEN DONE. BUT HEARKEN BACK OR IT GIVES SOME CUES TO THE FACT THAT IT IS RELATED TO AND CONNECTED TO, UH, SOMETHING THAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE AND PRESENTS, UH, TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. SO ANYWAY, I I I'M GONNA SUPPORT THE MOTION, BUT I, I I THINK THAT ELEVATION IN PARTICULAR, [02:40:02] UH, HAS THE OPPORTUNITIES THERE. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, HEARING NONE, I WILL CALL THE QUESTION THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO POSTPONE AND, UH, UNTIL NOVEMBER AND, UH, REFER THIS TO THE A RC INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. RIGHT. AND IS THAT THE ORDER? ARE YOU IN FAVOR? I'M OPPOSED. AND ONE OPPOSED. OKAY. SO THERE IS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 IN FAVOR AND ONE OPPOSED. AND THAT MOTION PASSES. WE WILL SEE THIS NEXT WEEK, NEXT MONTH. ALRIGHT. NEXT ITEM IS [21. HR-2024-110759 – 1106 Elm St. ] ITEM 21 11 0 6 ELM STREET. THIS IS, UH, THE WEST LINE NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT AND THIS WAS PULLED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA. IT'S A SEC, SECOND STORY EDITION, NEW DOORS AND WINDOWS, AND A GUARDRAIL. THANK YOU CHAIR. ITEM 21 AT 1106 ELM STREET IS A PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A SECOND STORY EDITION, REPLACE WINDOWS OF DOORS AND REPLACE A BALCONY GUARDRAIL AT A NON HISTORIC EXISTING EDITION. UM, THIS PROJECT CONSTRUCTS A SECOND STORY EDITION IN FRONT OF THE EXISTING NON HISTORIC EDITION. IT REPLACES WINDOWS AND DOORS AT THE NON HISTORIC EDITION AND THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE ORIGINAL HOUSE, AND IT REPLACES THE GUARDRAIL, UM, AGAIN AT THE NON HISTORIC EDITION WITH A NEW STEEL CABLE GUARDRAIL. THE HOUSE AT 1106 ELM STREET IS A ONE STORY CRAFTSMAN BUNGALOW WITH A 19 94 2 STORY ADDITION BEHIND THE ORIGINAL ROOF PEAK. IT IS CLAD AND FIBER CEMENT SIDING AND CAPPED WITH A CLIP GABLE ROOF OF COMPOSITION SH SHINGLES. THIS HOUSE WAS ORIGINALLY ADDRESSED AS 10 16 ELM STREET AND IT WAS BUILT IN 1926 BY TP BEVERLY. THE BEVERLY SOLD THE HOME TO HOLD ANDERSON A WIDOW AFTER THE DEATH OF HER HUSBAND IN 1932. ANDERSON, WHOSE DAUGHTER EVENTUALLY MARRIED CITY MANAGER WALTER SEAHOLM, LIVED IN THE HOME FOR SEVERAL YEARS BEFORE RENTING IT OUT TO TENANTS AFTER HER DEATH IN 1967. THE HOME WAS LED TO SEVERAL SHORT-TERM RENTERS BEFORE DR. ROBERT ERNO PURCHASED IT AROUND 1970. MALLER RENO WAS AN AUTHOR AND A UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS PROFESSOR WHO WAS ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY THEATER. THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S HISTORIC DESIGN STANDARDS ARE BASED ON THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR STANDARDS AND ARE USED TO EVALUATE PROPERTY OR PROJECTS IN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICTS. THIS PROJECT MOSTLY MEETS THE APPLICABLE STANDARDS, THOUGH THE POSITION OF THE SECOND FLOOR ADDITION WILL LIKELY RENDER THE BUILDING NON-CONTRIBUTING TO THE WEST SIDE NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. UH, THE BUILDING APPEARS TO RETAIN MODERATE INTEGRITY DUE TO PREVIOUS MODIFICATIONS, UH, TO WINDOWS AND MATERIALS ON THE EXTERIOR. UM, BUT STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINE THAT IT DOES NOT MEET TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION. THEREFORE, THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO COMMENT ON THE PLANS AS THE PROPERTY DOES NOT MEET THE DESIGNATION CRITERIA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU STAFF. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? THIS WAS REVIEWED AT A RC, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN. RIGHT? I REMEMBER AN ELM STREET AND I REMEMBER BRACKETS AND US GIVING FEEDBACK. DOES THIS RING A BELL? DOES ANYBODY KNOW? YEAH, THERE. I THINK SO. SO I DON'T KNOW IF ANYTHING WAS CHANGED FROM OUR COMMENTS AND THEN I DIDN'T SEE ANY OF OUR COMMENTS IN THAT BACKUP, SO THAT'S, I DON'T KNOW IF I PULLED IT, BUT IT COULDN'T HAVE BEEN ANYBODY ELSE. SO , , IT HAD TO HAVE BEEN ME THAT PULLED IT. WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED ANY DIFFERENT PLANS FOR THIS RECORD. OKAY. UM, WELL, NO, COMMISSIONERS. HOLD ON. SO IF WE ARE GOING TO DISCUSS THIS, UM, WE NEED TO FIRST, UH, HEAR FROM THE APPLICANT. UH, WE OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING. IS THERE ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? YES, WE HAVE GREGORY THOMAS, THE ARCHITECT. HE'S ONLINE. ALRIGHT, THIS IS ITEM, UH, NUMBER 21, UH, 1106 ELM STREET. AND, UM, IF, UH, MR. THOMAS, HE WOULD GO AHEAD AND YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. AND, AND WHEN YOU COME ONLINE, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD. OKAY, MR. GREGORY THOMAS, IF YOU'RE THERE, WOULD YOU PLEASE UNMUTE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD? HAVE WE LOST HIM? ARE WE HAVING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES? TRYING TO GET HIM? UH, GREGORY, IF YOU'RE THERE AND YOU CAN HEAR US, YOU MIGHT HAVE TO CALL US BACK. [02:45:01] UH, WE ARE UNABLE TO HEAR YOU. OKAY. AT THIS POINT, UM, IF WE HAVE, DON'T HAVE HIM ONLINE, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF SECONDS, I'M GOING TO SUGGEST THAT WE TABLE THIS AND GO ON TO THE NEXT ITEM AND THEN PICK IT BACK UP AGAIN IF HE CAN COME ONLINE. DO WE THINK WE'RE GETTING HIM RIGHT BACK ON? OKAY. YOU MIGHT NEED TO TABLE THIS FOR A SECOND. ALRIGHT. UH, COMMISSIONERS, SINCE WE HAVE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES AND WE WANT TO GIVE MR. THOMAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK, UH, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO TABLE ITEM NUMBER 21 UNTIL LATER IN THE MEETING. OKAY. IT'S MOVED BY COMMISSIONER RUBIO. IS THERE SECOND? HE MAY BE BACK. OH, WE GOT HIM BACK THEN. WE DON'T HAVE TO VOTE ON THAT MOTION AND I WILL NOT ACCEPT IT. AND WE WILL LISTEN TO MR. THOMAS IF YOU'RE AVAILABLE, PLEASE, UH, BEGIN SPEAKING. UNMUTE YOURSELF AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. YOU MAY HAVE TO PRESS STAR SIX TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE GOT YOU. YES. YES. PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF. OKAY, NOW THAT WE GOT YOU. THANK YOU. UH, I'M GREGORY THOMAS, THE ARCHITECT AND THE OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVE. TERRIFIC. UM, SO THIS IS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE ABLE TO HEAR, BUT WE JUST HAD STAFF'S PRESENTATION. UH, AND YES, IF THERE ARE ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO MENTION ABOUT THIS PROJECT, THE QUESTION WAS, UH, IT, IT DID COME IN FRONT OF A RCI BELIEVE THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION, UH, AND SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS. SO PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADDRESS, UH, WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THE A RC MEETING? UM, THIS ONE, YOU KNOW, WE WENT UP WITH THE ADDITION BECAUSE OF, UH, UH, HERITAGE OAK OR ELM TREE AND IMPERVIOUS COVER. SO WE BASICALLY HAD TO GO UP TO ADD, UH, TWO BEDROOMS AND A BATH THAT THE OWNERS WANTED. AND SO WE ENDEAVORED TO PUSH THE ADDITION AS FAR BACK AS POSSIBLE. UM, AND, UH, IT ENDS UP COVERING A KIND OF A RATHER MODERN ADDITION AT THE BACK OF THE HOUSE. SO WE FIRST MET WITH OANA ZONING COMMITTEE AND WE MODIFIED OUR DESIGN IN RESPONSE TO THEIR COMMENTS. AND THEN THEY WROTE A LETTER OF SUPPORT, UH, THAT I THINK WAS UPLOADED TODAY. AND THEN WE MET WITH A RC AND INCORPORATED THEIR FEEDBACK INTO THE FINAL DESIGN. UH, THEY, UH, THEIR COMMENTS WERE THAT WE WERE PUTTING KIND OF A FANCY ADDITION ON TOP OF A PLAIN HOUSE. SO WE, UH, DELETED A GABLE VENT. WE SIMPLIFIED THE BRACKETS AND WE CHANGED THE SIDING FROM SHINGLES, HARDY SHINGLES TO HARDY PLANK AND, UH, VARIED THE HEIGHT OF THE HARDY PLANK, UH, TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE LOWER LEVEL NON HISTORIC SIDING. UM, AND SO, UH, THOSE WERE THE COMMENTS THAT WE WORKED WITH FROM THE A RC AND I GUESS THAT'S BASICALLY IT. OKAY. AND THOSE ARE REFLECTED IN THE CURRENT PLANS THAT YOU HAVE AS PART OF OUR BACKUP? YES. MM-HMM, . OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, SO WE THANK YOU FOR THAT DISCUSSION. UH, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF MR. THOMAS? MR. RUBIO, YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WERE ASKING ABOUT A RC COMMENTS? NO, I, I AM REMEMBERING THESE SHINGLE STYLE SIGHTING NOW THAT WE SAW AT A RC MEETING. UM, I MEAN, HE SAID THE BRACKETS HAVE BEEN LOOSENED AND THEY'RE DETAILING. I DON'T HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE OWNER RIGHT NOW. MM-HMM. OKAY. COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS OF THE, UM, THE APPLICANT? OKAY, UH, MR. THOMAS? THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? AGAIN, THIS IS ITEM 21. I'M THE OWNER. UH, PLEASE COME FORWARD. HI, I'M THE OWNER. MY NAME IS SCOTT CAMPBELL AND, UM, I THINK THAT GREGORY ALREADY COVERED ALMOST EVERYTHING WE NEEDED TO DO. WE DID SEE THE A RC AND WE'VE TRIED TO INCORPORATE AS MUCH AS, UH, WHAT THEY COMMENTED ON. THE SAME WITH ANA. WE'VE TRIED TO KEEP IT SO THAT BOTH PEOPLE ARE HAPPY. OUR NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS ARE ON THE ALANA COMMITTEE AND UH, ONE OF THEM IS AN ARCHITECT AND SHE IS QUITE HAPPY. UM, SHE HAS GIVEN MANY POSITIVE REVIEWS TO US. UM, SO ANYWAY, THAT'S IT. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE LEMME KNOW. THANK YOU. OKAY. NO, WE APPRECIATE THAT. ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? AND WE ALSO APPRECIATE THIS WAS A CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURE THAT ALREADY HAD AN ADDITION. IT ALREADY BEEN MODIFIED [02:50:01] AND I THINK THIS, UH, MODIFICATION THAT YOU'RE MAKING, UH, CERTAINLY AT A DETAIL LEVEL WILL BE A BIG IMPROVEMENT. HMM. SO, ALRIGHT. UM, ANYBODY ELSE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? HEARING NONE, COMMISSIONER, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO MOVED. COMMISSIONER RUBIO. IS THERE A SECOND? NO. SECOND COMMISSIONER GROGAN SECONDS. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLEVER PUBLIC HEARING INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND IT'S UNANIMOUS ALL HANDS RAISED. UH, I THINK THAT'S RIGHT. UH, W RIGHT. DID YOU RAISE YOUR HAND? I, YEAH, I GOT IT. OKAY. SORRY. I LOOKED UP AND YOU HADN'T HAD. ALRIGHT. IT IS UNANIMOUS. ALL HANDS ARE RAISED. UH, COMMISSIONERS. WHAT IS YOUR MOTION ON THIS ITEM? AGAIN? IT'S A RECOMMENDATION FOR A NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. I'LL MOVE THAT WE, UH, RELEASE THE PLANS, MAKE COMMENTS SECOND. OKAY. IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER COOK, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LAROCHE. UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? YEAH. I APPRECIATE THE APPLICANT ATTENDING THE A RC MAKING A FEW CHANGES. UH, IT'S UNFORTUNATE TO HEAR STAFF, UH, CONCERN ABOUT IT BECOMING NON, UH, NON-CONTRIBUTING. UH, I BELIEVE IT IS A LITTLE BIT TOP PETTY, A LITTLE BIT CLOSE TO THE FRONT, ALTHOUGH WELL DONE AND COMPLIMENTARY. UH, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE KIND OF A JUDGMENT CALL IN THE FUTURE. BUT THIS BEING A NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT, UH, WITH THE WANT OF SUPPORT, UH, I THINK GETTING THE BALANCE, WE CALL THIS A WIN. OKAY. COMMISSIONER COOK? UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, LAROCHE, YOU SECONDED? NO, I, OKAY. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? COMMISSIONERS, JUST THANK YOU FOR COMING TO A FC MEETING. UM, UM, I, UH, I, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING COMMISSIONER COOK SAID, YOU KNOW, ABOUT POTENTIALLY I THINK MAYBE WHAT I FEEL IS I'M LOSING OR GETTING DISTRACTED MOST IS LOSING THAT, THAT HIP ROOF, YOU KNOW, JUST ITS SIMPLICITY AND THEN ITS EXISTING CONDITION HAS ANOTHER HIP ROOF. AND I, I JUST THINK THAT BALANCE REALLY WELL AND THEN IT IS TOP HEAVY LIKE COMMISSIONER COOK SAID. SO THAT, THAT'S JUST WHY IT'S, IT'S HARDER TO ACCEPT SEEING THAT. SO, BUT THANK YOU. OKAY. ANY OTHER CONVERSATION OR DISCUSSION? END OF THE DAY, THERE'S NO LOSS OF HISTORIC FRONT FACADE AND IT'S BUILT INTO THE ROOF, SO IT'S REVERSIBLE. SO IF ANYONE WANTED TO MAKE IT A LITTLE MORE CONTRIBUTING TO THE FUTURE DISTRICT, UH, THE OPTIONS ARE STILL THERE. OKAY. ALRIGHT. I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND CALL THE QUESTION, UH, THIS IS A MOTION TO RELEASE WITH THE COMMENTS AND, UH, ANYBODY, UH, UH, ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED, SO IT WAS UNANIMOUS. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE IT. WE ARE NOW AT ITEM [22. HR-2024-055618 – 1607 Kenwood Ave. ] 22. UM, THIS IS 1607 KENWOOD AVENUE IN THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. UH, COMMISSIONERS YOU MAY REMEMBER, WE DID HAVE THIS, AS I RECALL ON OUR AGENDA AND WE DID, UH, TAKE ACTION, BUT THERE WAS A, UH, SPEAKER WHO WAS NOT ABLE TO PARTICIPATE BECAUSE OF TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. AND SO WE'VE BEEN ASKED TO PUT THIS BACK ON THE AGENDA THAT THE PREVIOUS ACTION WAS, WAS VOIDED, IF, IF I STATED THAT CORRECTLY. IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH. OKAY. SO, UM, CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE PREVIOUS ACTION WAS OR REMIND US? UH, WE APPROVED IT. OKAY. YEAH. THANK YOU. BUT, UH, AGAIN, IT, IT'S A, IT'S A, IT'S A NEW DAY, . SO THE ITEM IS ITEM 22 16 0 7 KENWOOD AVENUE. AND, UH, WE'LL, UH, BE REVIEWING IN ADDITION. SO THANK YOU CHAIR. THIS IS A PROPOSAL TO CONSTRUCT A SIDE EDITION TO A CIRCA 1940 HOUSE ENCLOSING A DETACHED STUDIO BUILDING. UM, UH, THE TRAVIS HEIGHTS FAIRVIEW PARK NATIONAL REGISTER NOMINATION DESCRIBES THE HOUSE AS AN INTACT CONTRIBUTING EXAMPLE OF THE MINIMAL TRADITIONAL STYLE BUILT IN RECTANGULAR PLAN. THE FRONT ELEVATION FEATURES A DOOR AT CENTER WITH A ONE OVER ONE WINDOW ON EITHER SIDE. A SIDE GABLE ROOF IS PRESENT WITH THE FRONT GABLE PROJECTING OUTWARDS COVERING THE FRONT ENTRYWAY TO THE SOUTHEAST OF THE MAIN HOUSE IS A SMALL DETACHED STUDIO SPACE WITH THE FRONT GABLE ROOF EXTENDING TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE PROPERTY. THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF THE PROPERTY IS ENCLO, IS ENCLOSED BY A WOOD FENCE THAT FORMS A PATIO SPACE BEHIND IT. THE HOUSE AT 1607 KENWOOD AVENUE WAS CONSTRUCTED AROUND 1938 AND WAS ADVERTISED AS A FIVE ROOM BUNGALOW RENTAL FOR $32 AND 50 CENTS A MONTH. NO RECORDS ARE PRESENT INDICATING WHO OCCUPIED THE PROPERTY UNTIL 1941 WHEN IT HOUSED ROY AND RUTH. UH, CRESTOR. MR. CRESTOR WORKED AS AN ELECTRICAL ENGINEER AT THE LOWER COLORADO RIVER AUTHORITY AT THE TIME, AND MRS. CRESTOR WAS ACTIVE [02:55:01] IN THE, IN AUSTIN SOCIAL GROUPS, INCLUDING JUNIOR HELPING HAND AND ST. MARTIN'S LUTHER LUTHERAN CHURCH. LATER ROY WORKED IN A MANAGERIAL ROLE AS WELL AS AN ADJUNCT PROFESSOR FOR ENGINEERING. AND RUTH GAVE BIRTH TO THREE CHILDREN BY THIS TIME. THEY WERE NO LONGER LISTED AS RESIDING IN THE MODEST BUNGALOW ON KENWOOD AVENUE AND LISTINGS. HAD THE CURTIS FAMILY OCCUPYING THE SPACE WHO HAD LATER APPEAR ON A NO NOTICE, UH, FOR DELINQUENT TAXES. UM, AT SOME POINT AFTER THIS, IT IS ASSUMED THAT THE UNATTACHED STUDIO WAS BUILT OR OTHERWISE ENCLOSED. SEVERAL WINDOWS HAVE BEEN REPLACED IN 2010 AND 2011. THE CITY OF AUSTIN'S HISTORIC DESIGN STANDARDS ARE USED TO EVALUATE PRO PROJECTS IN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICTS. UM, THE PROJECT MAY MEET, UH, MINIMAL APPLICABLE STANDARDS LISTED, UH, ABOVE IN THE STAFF REPORT. UM, AFTER ATTENDING THE JULY 10TH, 2024 ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE, THE APPLICANT HAS PROVIDED SOME DETAIL ABOUT CHANGING SOME ELEMENTS OF, OF THE FRONT FACADE TO MAKE THE APPEARANCE MORE COMPATIBLE WITH SURROUNDING PROPERTIES WITH SOME MEASURES INCLUDING THE EXPOSED RAFTER TAILS. REAPPEARING, UH, STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO APPROVE THE APPLICATION WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT ANY CHANGES OR FURTHER WORK WILL REQUIRE REVIEW BY THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE AND MAY REQUIRE REAPPEARANCE, UH, BEFORE THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION. OKAY. AND, UM, ALSO JUST TO CLARIFY IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS, BEAR THIS OUT. THIS WORK WAS BEGUN WHEN IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN REVIEWED AND WHENEVER WAS THAT'S CORRECT, YES. SO HAVING CAUGHT THAT AND FOR A VARIETY OF OTHER REASONS, UH, THE WORK WAS PROCEEDING, UH, INAPPROPRIATELY, IT WAS RED TAGGED. AND SO THAT'S THE OTHER REASON WHY WE HEARD IT WHEN WE DID SO. CORRECT. AND I, I GUESS WE CAN ASK THE APPLICANT, BUT AS FAR AS YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO FURTHER WORK THAT'S TAKEN PLACE ON THIS PROPERTY SINCE THAT TIME. THAT'S OUR UNDERSTANDING SINCE IT WAS, UM, THEY WERE NOTIFIED OF THE REHEAR REHEARING TONIGHT. SO THE PHOTOGRAPHS THAT WE HAVE FROM THE PREVIOUS ARE STILL CURRENT TO THE BEST OF OUR UNDERSTAND. CORRECT. OKAY, THANK YOU. I HAVE A QUESTION FOR STA I THINK YOU SAID IT EARLIER AND IT DIDN'T HIT TO ME UNTIL NOW. THIS IS DEJA VU. YOU SAID, WHY IS THIS COMING BACK AGAIN? ? UM, ONE OF THE, UH, SPEAKERS WHO WISH TO, UM, SPEAK ON THIS, UM, WAS, UH, UNABLE WAS, WAS NOT HEARD. UM, SO WE NEED TO REHEAR THE CASE. OKAY, THANK YOU. OKAY. AND, AND JUST TO CLARIFY WHAT THAT MEANT WAS IT WAS NOT AN APPROPRIATE, UH, BECAUSE OF THAT, THE CLERK, CITY CLERK DETERMINED THAT OUR ACTIONS, IT BASICALLY, IT, IT, IT WENT AWAY. SO THAT WE ARE HEARING IT AGAIN AS A NEW CASE FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES. IS THAT CLEAR TO EVERYBODY? OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, SO AT THIS POINT WE HAVE AN APPLICANT, UH, WHO IS READY TO MAKE A PRESENTATION AND, UH, WE INVITE YOU TO THE MICROPHONE. IS THE, UH, APPLICANT HERE? UH, I I FEEL LIKE I'VE BEEN HERE SO MANY TIMES, . UM, ALSO I AM 45 MINUTES LATE FOR MY NANNY TO PICK UP MY SON. BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND AND PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD. YEAH, I'M MICKEY AGRAWAL AND I'M THE OWNER OF THE HOME. AND THIS HAS BEEN A TWO YEAR LONG JOURNEY NOW, MORE THAN TWO YEARS. IT'S BEEN SUCH A HUMBLING EXPERIENCE OF LEARNING ABOUT THIS WHOLE SYSTEM. SO YOU ALL KNOW THE BACKGROUND OF THIS, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN APPROVED BY THE VARIANCE COMMITTEE. WE WENT TO AN A-R-C-A-R-C MEETING. WE'VE BEEN TO, WE'VE BEEN TO TWO HLC MEETINGS ALREADY. UM, AND IT'S BEEN REOPENED 'CAUSE THEY SAID THAT SOMEONE HAD TO PUT OPPOSITION AND WE HAD TO RE REDO IT. BUT, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THIS, WE, WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN HERE AND I JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE ASKING FOR THIS HOME TO A FRESH START. I'VE DEALT WITH AS, YOU KNOW, SOME CRAZY CONTRACTORS WHO DID ALL THIS STUFF TO THE HOUSE. I'M CHASING THEM FOR, TO GET MY MONEY BACK. BUT HE NOWHERE TO BE FOUND. AND WE'RE SUING THE ENTITY ANYWAYS. WE'RE DOING IT ALL ABOVE BOARD. NO CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE SINCE IT'S BEEN STOPPED. AND SO I JUST, WE JUST NEED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN LIKE ONCE AND FOR ALL SO WE CAN JUST MOVE FORWARD AND GIVE THIS HOME A FRESH START. LIKE, I, I CAN'T KEEP DOING THIS HOUR AND A HALF LONG COMMUTE EVERY SINGLE DAY WITH MY 7-YEAR-OLD. IT'S LIKE KILLING BOTH OF US. IT'S LIKE KILLING US. NO, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR DISCUSSION. AND, UH, AT THIS POINT, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? OKAY. WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR? OKAY. DO WE HAVE ANYBODY HERE READY, UH, TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION? YES. FIRST OFF, WE HAVE ANITA CHAIR. FORGIVE ME IF I BUTCHER YOUR LAST NAME. . . THAT'S OKAY. EVERYBODY DOES. UM, MY NAME IS ANITA CHER. I LIVE IN THE FAIRVIEW NEIGHBORHOOD AND HAVE FOR OVER 25 YEARS. [03:00:01] AND I'M ALSO THE CHAIR OF THE SRCC PLANNING AND ZONING DEPARTMENT. AND I WAS KIND OF BROUGHT INTO THIS PROJECT HERE BECAUSE I GOT A COUPLE CALLS FROM PEOPLE SAYING THAT THIS CONSTRUCTION HAD BEEN GOING ON AND THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW IT GOT PERMITTED. SO I ACTUALLY WALKED OVER TO THE PROPERTY AND TOOK A LOOK AT IT AND TOOK A BUNCH OF PICTURES TOO. AND I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT EITHER. SO I BROUGHT THIS BACK AND HAD A COUPLE DIFFERENT PEOPLE LOOK AT THEM. UM, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO MAKE LIFE HARD FOR ANYONE. WE'RE THIS IS A, THIS PROPERTY WAS A CONTRIBUTING PROPERTY TO, YOU KNOW, THAT A NATIONALLY REGISTERED NEIGHBORHOOD, AND WE'RE SAD ABOUT IT, AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT, THE BIGGEST PART OF THIS, I THINK, IS THAT THERE WERE NO PERMITS PULLED, AND SO WE WEREN'T NOTIFIED OF IT. AND BECAUSE I DON'T LIVE ON KENWOOD, I WAS UNAWARE OF IT. AND SO WERE THE NEIGHBORS. SO, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THIS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED AND THE PROJECT IS FINISHED, AND, UM, I'VE TRIED TO CALL THE APPLICANT TWICE AND NEVER HEARD BACK FROM HER. I REALLY JUST WANTED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT IT. I WANTED TO DISCUSS WHAT OPTIONS THERE WERE, BRING IT BACK TOGETHER AND TRY TO REMEDY THIS WHOLE PROBLEM. AND THAT DID NOT HAPPEN. I DON'T THINK IT'S HER FAULT OR ANYONE ELSE'S FAULT. I'M JUST HERE REPRESENTING THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO SAY, YEAH, NO, I, IT'S, IT'S REALLY BAD. AND IT ALSO IS, YOU KNOW, SUPPOSE THE NEXT PERSON. I'VE GOT STACKS OF, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT ARE APPLYING FOR PERMITS LEGALLY, AND THERE WERE NO PERMITS PULLED ON THIS PROPERTY. AND THAT'S HARD TO TAKE BECAUSE I HAVE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS THAT PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE, THERE'S THREE OF THEM ON THIS LIST RIGHT HERE FOR TONIGHT. SO THEY'RE ALL SHOWING UP, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALL TAKING THEIR HITS OR WHATEVER, AND THEY'RE DOING THE THINGS THAT THEY KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO DO. AND THAT'S IT. WE, I'M OPPOSED. AND THAT'S ALL I CAN SAY. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OF OUR SPEAKER? JUST THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT. YOU KNOW, I WANNA NOTE THAT THERE'S ANOTHER, UH, WE GOT ANOTHER LETTER FROM A NEIGHBOR THAT ALSO OBJECTED. SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOT, THIS IS NOT A ONE PERSON THAT'S OBJECTING IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, THIS IS MULTIPLE PEOPLE THAT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS. AND FOR ANYBODY THAT WANTS TO GO BACK AND WATCH OUR VIDEOS, WE HAD A PROBLEM WITH THIS AS WELL. SO, YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OKAY. ALRIGHT. UM, ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM FOR OR AGAINST? YES, WE HAVE ROBIN SANDERS WHO IS ONLINE. OKAY. UM, GO ROBIN SANDERS. UH, YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD. YES, AND, UH, THANK YOU. I, I CONFESS THAT I AM THE PERSON WHO WAS SIGNED UP TO SPEAK BEFORE AND DUE TO TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES, UH, I WAS NOT ABLE TO BE HEARD. SO, UH, THE STAFF HAS BEEN LOVELY AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HEARD ON THIS MATTER. UM, THE PROPERTY IN QUESTION IS ON KENWOOD, WHICH IS THE EASTERN BOUNDARY, THE JUMPING OFF POINT FOR THE TRAVIS HEIGHT FAIRVIEW PARK HISTORIC DISTRICT, UM, ON THE EASTERN EDGE. IT WAS AN INTACT CONTRIBUTING EXAMPLE OF MINIMAL TRADITIONAL STYLE. IT WAS BUILT IN 1938. AND IF I MIGHT ASK SAM TO SHOW THAT FIRST PICTURE IN OUR AGENDA, BACKUP 22.4, UH, THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE PRIOR TO, UH, MS RE TAKING OWNERSHIP, UH, I THINK IS VERY SMALL AND THE LAW IS VERY SMALL, BUT THAT IS THE PROPERTY THAT SHE PURCHASED. UM, IT HAS BEEN MODIFIED DRAMATICALLY. UH, ALL THE HISTORICAL MATERIAL HAS BEEN REMOVED AND THERE'S NO IN KIND REPLACEMENT FOR IT. I GUESS WE CAN GO TO THE SECOND PHOTOGRAPH THEN IN AGENDA 22.4, WHICH IS THE CURRENT STATUS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, OF THE PROPERTY. UM, YOU CAN NO LONGER IDENTIFY THE ORIGINAL HISTORIC STRUCTURE THAT'S BEEN ENTIRELY LOST. WHEN DOES THE DOORS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE, PLATING IS NOT COMPATIBLE. UH, IT IS NOT, THE ADDITION IS NOT STEPPED BACK SUBORDINATE IN DESIGN. [03:05:01] IT DOESN'T HAVE A SEPARATE ROOF LINE. IT IS IN NO WAY DISTINCT FROM THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE. SO WE'VE BASICALLY LOST THIS HOUSE AS A CONTRIBUTING, UH, STRUCTURE, UH, AT THE VERY PORTAL TO THE DISTRICT. UM, ALL THIS OCCURRED OUTSIDE THE PURVIEW OF THE CITY, AND I CAN APPRECIATE THAT THERE'S BEEN AN AGREEMENT TO EXPOSE THE GABLES. SO IT'S A VERY SMALL STEP IN COMPARISON TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE. AND IF I MAY BE INDULGE A BRIEF PERSONAL STORY. I HAVE A FRIEND THAT I KNOW TO BE A HARDWORKING BLUE COLLAR WORKER WHO LIVES IN AUSTIN AND HIS HOUSE BURNED OVER THE SUMMER. HE'S A LIFELONG AUSTINITE, THREE GENERATIONS OF AUSTIN CITIZENS. AND HIS INSURANCE ONLY PAYS FOR THREE MONTHS OF HOTEL FOR HIM AND HIS WIFE TO LIVE IN WHILE THE HOUSE IS REDONE. SO I ASKED HIM RECENTLY, HOW'S IT GOING? AND HE SAID, TERRIBLY, I'VE HIRED AN EXPEDITOR BECAUSE I HAVE TO GET THIS PERMIT. YOU, HE IS DOING THE WORK HIMSELF, BUT HIS PERSPECTIVE IS I CANNOT DRIVE A NAIL. YEAH. I CAN'T PUT UP A PIECE THAT SHE BROUGHT. YOUR, YOUR TIME IS TO RESTORE THIS INTERIOR. YOUR TIME IS COMPLETE. SO, UH, PLEASE WRAP UP UNTIL I HAVE A PERMIT. SO YES, AND SO THANK YOU. THE CONTRAST IS MARKED AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SEE WHATEVER WE CAN DO TO PUT THE TOOTHPASTE BACK IN THE TUBE TO RESTORE THE HISTORICAL CHARACTER, UH, OF THIS PROPERTY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? N NOBODY ELSE WAS ONLINE. ALRIGHT. UM, BY TRADITION WE ALLOW THE APPLICANT A OPPORTUNITY AS A REBUTTAL. UH, IF YOU WOULD LIKE, YOU CAN COME AND HAVE A FEW MINUTES TO MAKE COMMENTS NOW THAT YOU'VE HEARD THE OPPOSITION. THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT. WE REALLY WANTED TO MAINTAIN THE HISTORIC ELEMENTS OF IT. THE, THE WOOD WAS ROTTING AND WE JUST, WE KEPT IT ONE STORY WHERE WE, WE'VE AGREED TO FIX THE WINDOWS AND THE DOOR. WE'VE, WE'VE, YOU KNOW, EXPOSED THE RAFTERS. IT'S, WE'VE, WE'VE JUST REPLACED THE ROTTING THINGS AND WE EXTENDED IT. AND THAT'S THE PART THAT, YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT WE HAD THE PERMIT AND WE DIDN'T. AND THIS IS WHY WE, WE WERE APPROVED BY THE VARIANCE COMMITTEE. YOU, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS GRACIOUSLY GIVEN THIS HOME A SECOND CHANCE THE LAST TIME. AND WE OBVIOUSLY HAVEN'T FINISHED, WE HAVEN'T, UM, PAINTED OR, YOU KNOW, FINISHED THIS, THE WOOD. SO IT, IT JUST LOOKS BRIGHTER THAN IT, THAN IT WILL LOOK. BUT IT'LL JUST, IT'LL LOOK VERY SIMILAR. IT'S JUST, IT'S SINGLE STORY. IT'S, THERE'S LITERALLY IT'S DOUBLE STORY HOUSE NEXT DOOR TO US THAT'S BEING SO MODERN. THE, THE HOUSE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET IS COMPLETELY MODERN. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE'RE GETTING THIS LEVEL OF SCRUTINY WHEN THE NEIGHBORS ARE BUILDING TWO STORY CRAZY THINGS. AND SO WE'VE TRIED EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAINTAIN IT, BUT TO JUST EXTEND IT SO MY SON AND I CAN LIVE IN THERE IN A, IN A REASONABLE WAY. IT WAS SO SMALL. SO, UM, I, I REALLY HOPE YOU CAN JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU'D, YOU'D GRACIOUSLY APPROVED IT LAST TIME. I, I GOT A WRIST SLAP. I TRUST ME, IF I'D KNOWN WHAT THIS CONTRACT WAS DOING, I WOULD'VE PUT HIM IN JAIL. OKAY? AND I, I DIDN'T, I WAS JUST, I WAS GOING THROUGH MY DIVORCE, I WAS TRYING TO MAKE, FIGURE IT ALL OUT AND I, ALL THESE COMMITTEES, ALL THESE MEETINGS, THE LINES WEREN'T PROPERLY SUBDIVIDED. THIS, THE, THAT, AND I, I'M JUST LEARNING. I'VE LEARNED, AND WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING ABOVE BOARD AS SOON AS WE FOUND OUT. WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING ABOVE BOARD AND WE HAVE NOT, WE'VE NOT BROKEN A SINGLE LIKE ANYTHING UNTIL WE, WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT THE LAST CONTRACTOR TOOK MY MONEY AND RAN. AND WE WANT TO DO IT THE RIGHT WAY AND GIVE THIS HOME A SECOND CHANCE. AND WE'VE HAD TO RECTIFY THINGS FROM 1979 THAT HAVEN'T BEEN, LIKE THE LOT LINES HAVE BEEN UNPRO INCORRECTLY, SUBDIVIDED THAT WE'VE HAD TO FIX STUFF THAT WENT WELL BEFORE US. SO WE'VE TRIED TO MAINTAIN THIS AS BEST AS WE COULD AND DO IT THE RIGHT WAY. BUT AT THIS POINT, LIKE, I'M LITERALLY JUST ASKING YOU TO PLEASE GIVE THIS, GIVE US THIS CHANCE TO JUST MOVE FORWARD AND ALLOW, OTHERWISE I'M GONNA LET THIS HOUSE GO DILAPIDATED AND I'LL JUST SIT THERE AND IT'LL JUST GET ROTTEN AND I WON'T HAVE ANY MONEY TO SPEND ON IT ANYMORE. LIKE, I'VE DONE EVERYTHING I COULD AND I CANNOT SPEND. I'M JUST GONNA LET IT GO AND IT'S JUST GONNA BE ANOTHER EYESORE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND I DON'T WANNA DO THAT. PLEASE HELP ME, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND I, I REALLY THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UM, JUST TO CLARIFY, THE, SO THE PHOTOGRAPHS WE HAVE FROM THE PREVIOUS AND THESE, THEY HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED. NO, I, I MEAN, SO NOTHING'S CHANGED SINCE NOW. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAS CHANGED. THANK [03:10:01] YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION. YEAH. APPRECIATE IT. ALRIGHT. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE? APPRECIATE YOUR, YOUR TIME UNLESS COMMISSIONERS YOU HAVE ANY, ANY LAST QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UM, WITH NOBODY ELSE SPEAKING, UH, COMMISSIONERS. I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO MOVED. OKAY. MOVED BY COMMISSIONER COOK, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER RUBIO. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. ALRIGHT, THE PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED AND WE HAVE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 MEMBERS LEFT. SO WE STILL HAVE QUORUM. ALRIGHT, UM, COMMISSIONERS, WHAT, UH, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO ON THIS ITEM? MOVE TO RELEASE THE PLANS AND MAKE COMMENTS. OKAY, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER LA ROCHE. UM, COMMISSIONER COOK, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? YOU KNOW, IT'S AN UNFORTUNATE SITUATION ALL AROUND, UH, THE, UM, TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. WE'RE ALSO UNFORTUNATE THAT, UH, BRING IT BACK IN, BUT IT'S GOOD FOR EVERYONE TO GET THEIR VOICE HEARD. UH, THIS BEEN NONE RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING. IT WOULD'VE BEEN JUST A FEW SMALL CHANGES, UH, BECAUSE I DO BELIEVE THE OWNER HAD THE BEST IN INTENTIONS FOR THE HOUSE. I JUST DIDN'T QUITE KNOW ABOUT THE STEP BACK AND KEEPING THE WINDOWS. UH, A FEW SMALL CHANGES AND EVERYONE WOULD'VE BEEN HAPPY. BUT AGAIN, IT'S BEEN UNFORTUNATE ALL AROUND. UM, BUT WE CAN'T TURN BACK TIME. AND IN ANY CASE, ANYTHING WE WOULD'VE SAID WOULD'VE BEEN COMMENT ONLY. OKAY, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, A AGAIN, I, I APPRECIATE THE OWNER'S CONS, THE, THE NEIGHBOR'S CONCERNS. UM, AND THE OWNER HAS EXPRESSED THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT WHAT SHE WOULD'VE WANTED, BUT, UM, AS FAR AS PUTTING THE TOOTHPASTE BACK IN THE TUBE, YOU CAN'T DO IT. THIS, THE, THE, THE CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURE WAS LOST WHEN BASICALLY THE, THE, THE NO GOOD CONTRACTORS SCREWED THE WHOLE THING UP AND WHAT HE LEFT, UH, WE'RE STUCK WITH. AND I THINK THE OWNER'S WILLINGNESS TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS, UH, AND ALSO CONSIDERING THE OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES, UM, I THINK WE'VE DONE OUR JOB AND I'M GONNA SUPPORT THE MOTION. IS THERE ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, UH, THE MOTION IS TO RELEASE THE PLANS, UH, WITH THE COMMENTS AND ALSO THE, UM, UH, ITEMS THAT WERE MENTIONED IN THE A RC. UM, SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND ALL THOSE OPPOSED, ALRIGHT, THE MOTION IS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, HANDS IN FAVOR. AND COMMISSIONER RUBIO, UH, OPPOSED, BUT THAT IS SIX IS ENOUGH FOR A QUORUM. AND THAT MOTION PASSES. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT, UM, THE NEXT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER 23. AND THIS IS 1116 WITH SIXTH STREET. NO, THAT WAS THAT. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. THAT'S RIGHT. THAT WAS PULLED AND THEN WE GOT CHECK NEXT TO IT. I SEE. WE CAME BACK AND DID THAT ONE. THANK YOU. ITEM 25. [25. PR-2024-108905 – 1407 Gaston Ave.] THANK YOU. THAT IS, UH, ITEM 25 IS THE NEXT ITEM. AND IS, I'M NOT MISTAKEN, IT'S THE LAST DISCUSSION. NO, WE HAVE ONE MORE AFTER THIS ITEM. 25, 14 0 7 GASTON AVENUE. UM, THIS IS IN THE OLD WEST AUSTIN, UH, HISTORIC DISTRICT. AND THIS IS A DEMOLITION REQUEST. UH, YES, 1407 GASTON AVENUE. ITEM 25 IS A PROPOSAL TO DEMOLISH THE CIRCA 1950 HOUSE. THIS IS A ONE STORY HIT DROOP EARLY RANCH HOUSE WITH STEELCASE RIBBON, WINDOWS, PAINTED MASONRY CLADDING, AND AN INTEGRATED GARAGE. UH, THE HOUSE WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1950 FOR CHARLES NASH AND HIS FAMILY. NASH WAS A PROMINENT AUSTIN BUSINESSMAN WHO WORKED AS VICE PRESIDENT OF CAPITAL CHEVROLET, UH, WHICH WAS FOUNDED BY HIS FATHER, JOHN HARVEY NASH. UH, FOR MORE THAN 60 YEARS, HE PURCHASED THE YVONNE BECKMAN JONES PRINTING COMPANY AND THE STEPHEN F. AUSTIN HOTEL AS PART OF THE SEVENTH AND CONGRESS CORPORATION. UH, HE WAS A DIRECTOR OF THE AUSTIN NATIONAL BANK AND CHAIR, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES FOR THE HEADLINERS CLUB AND THE TEXAS AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSOCIATION. ACCORDING TO HIS 2011 OBITUARY, HIS LEGACY IS AN ADVOCATE FOR THE TEXAS AUTO DEALERS ASSOCIATION. IT WAS PIVOTAL TO THE ORGANIZATION'S SUCCESS OVER THE YEARS. NATIONAL ALSO SERVED AS, UH, PRESIDENT OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BRIEFLY, AND AS CHAIRMAN OF THE AUSTIN STOCK SHOW, THIS PROPERTY CONTRIBUTES TO THE OLD WEST AUSTIN NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT. HOWEVER, STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINED THAT IT DOES NOT MEET TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION. THEREFORE, THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO RELEASE THE DEMOLITION PERMIT UPON COMPLETION OF A CITY OF AUSTIN DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE. UM, AND KEEP IN MIND, DEMOLITION PERMITS AND NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICTS MAY NOT BE POLLED UNTIL NEW CONSTRUCTION PLANS HAVE ALSO BEEN REVIEWED BY THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION. THANK YOU. OKAY. UH, ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? ALRIGHT. [03:15:01] UM, DO WE HAVE, UH, SOMEONE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM? ITEM 25 14 0 7 GASTON AVENUE. PLEASE COME FORWARD AND PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD. I AM LINDSEY HUNTER, I'M THE ARCHITECT. UH, I LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS WELL, AND I'VE ALSO WORKED EXTENSIVELY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH IS WHY, UM, THEY HIRED ME IN THE FIRST PLACE. UH, WE, WE HAVE A PRESENTATION THAT WE SENT SAM, IF WE WANT TO POP THAT UP. BUT, UM, JUST, JUST TO START, UH, THE NATALIE COP IS MY CLIENT. SHE'S ONE OF THE OWNERS OF THE, OF THE HOUSE. THEY BOUGHT THE HOUSE IN 2018 AND THAT'S WHEN THEY ORIGINALLY ENGAGED ME TO WORK WITH THEM. AND FOR THE PAST SIX AND A HALF YEARS, WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT WAYS TO REMODEL THIS HOUSE AND HAVE JUST AFTER A, A MAJOR RE REMODEL PLAN THAT WE TOOK TO SCHEMATIC DESIGN AND HAD TWO CONTRACTORS BID ON THAT, THE, THAT WE THEN PAUSED ON AND LOOKED AT A MINOR REMODEL PLAN THAT WE'VE ALSO TAKEN TO SCHEMATIC DESIGN AND BROUGHT IN, UH, ONE OF, ONE OF THOSE TWO CONTRACTORS BACK IN ON, UM, IT, WE'VE COME, WE'VE, WE KEEP HITTING SORT OF A, A ROADBLOCK IN TERMS OF THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT THEY'RE PUTTING INTO THE HOUSE AND THE CONDITION THAT THE HOUSE IS CURRENTLY IN. SO, BIG PICTURE, I WANTED TO SAY THAT WE'VE BEEN TRYING FOR SIX AND A HALF YEARS, AND THAT WAS OUR, YOU KNOW, OUR FIRST PREFERENCE TO TRY TO SEE WHAT WE COULD DO IN TERMS OF REUSING THE HOUSE AND MAKE IT WORK FOR THEIR, THEIR FAMILY'S NEEDS. UM, ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE, WOULD YOU MIND IF WE WENT TO THE, MAYBE THE SECOND PICTURE? UM, THIS IS THE EAST WALL OF THE HOUSE AND, UH, THE, THE SIDE IS SLOPING. SO THERE'S A BASEMENT THAT'S SORT OF BUILT INTO THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. UM, ONE OF THE BIG PROBLEMS THAT'S GOING ON IN THIS HOUSE IS THE FOUNDATION UNDERNEATH THIS WALL IS LIFTING UP AND, UM, IT'S CAUSING IN THEIR MASTER BEDROOM, WHICH IS ON WHAT LOOKS LIKE THE SECOND FLOOR, BUT IT'S REALLY THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE HOUSE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, ALMOST A, A FOUR AND A HALF TO FIVE INCH SLOPE FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER. AND WE'VE HAD A, WE'VE HAD A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, UM, OR THEY'VE HAD ONE COME, UM, AND DO YOU KNOW, THE DIFFERENT ELEVATION LEVELS IN THE HOUSE? AND THAT IS, THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN SORT OF A, A PRIMARY TOPIC OF HOW DO WE TRY TO ADDRESS THIS AND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE FOUNDATION BELOW. UM, SO WE'VE, WE'VE, THEY, THEY HAVE TALKED TO THREE DIFFERENT ENGINEERS. WE'VE HAD A CONTRACTOR COME OUT. UM, BUT THAT'S JUST AN EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, SOME MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT ARE GOING ON WITH THE HOUSE THAT BY THE TIME WE REMODEL THE HOUSE AND DO THINGS TO KIND OF BRING IT UP TO CURRENT ELECTRICAL CODE, CURRENT PLUMBING. UH, RIGHT NOW THE WINDOWS ARE SINGLE PANE AND NOT OPERABLE. UM, REPLACE THE FOUNDATION, I MEAN, REPAIR THE FOUNDATION, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING TO TAKE BRICK OFF OF THE HOUSE. UH, IT, IT, IT STARTS TO GET TO THE POINT WHERE YOU'RE REPLACING A LOT OF THINGS AND IT'S NOT THE SAME STRUCTURE ANYMORE. SO THAT'S HOW WE'VE, UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN SORT OF TRYING TWO TIMES, UM, TO DO, TO SEE HOW WE CAN REUSE THIS. AND IT IS JUST A ROADBLOCK THAT WE KEEP HITTING. UM, I DON'T, DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANNA ADD INTO THAT? NO, I THINK THAT'S IT. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA TAKE THEM THROUGH THE REST OF IT. SURE. UM, SO THIS IS THE, THIS IS THE EAST SIDE OF THE HOUSE. UM, DO YOU MIND DOING THE NEXT ONE? UH, THE, THE BACK OF THE HOUSE, UM, ARE ADDITIONS THAT WERE DONE AFTER 1950. AND IF WE, UM, IF WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD, UH, THIS IS JUST THE SIDE OF THE HOUSE. IT'S VERY SIMPLE. UM, DESIGN, IF YOU'LL KEEP GOING. UM, ONE MORE. OKAY. THESE ARE, THIS IS THE FLOOR PLAN OF THE EXISTING HOUSE. SO THE FIRST FLOOR, IT'S A, IT'S A RANCH STYLE HOUSE. THE, THE SWATH ALONG THE BACK, WHICH IS A BEDROOM AND A A FAMILY ROOM, WERE ADDED TO THE HOUSE, I THINK ABOUT 10 YEARS AFTER IT WAS BUILT. AND ONE THING IT'S CREATED IS THIS, UH, TWO INTERNAL ROOMS IN THE HOUSE THAT DO NOT HAVE CONNECTION TO, UH, OUTDOORS. SO RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSE, WHICH USED TO BE THE, THE BACK WALL OF THE HOUSE WAS A FAMILY, A FAMILY ROOM, AND A DINING ROOM. AND THOSE ARE BOTH VERY DARK INTERNAL ROOMS TO THE HOUSE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER THING THAT WE'VE [03:20:01] KIND OF WRESTLED WITH IN DESIGN IS HOW TO DEAL WITH SUCH A DEEP STRUCTURE. UM, AND THEN THE, THE LITTLE, THE BASEMENT IS JUST, YOU KNOW, UNDERNEATH IT. UM, DO YOU MIND KEEP, IF YOU KEEP GOING, UM, WE CAN FLIP THROUGH. THESE ARE JUST THE ELEVATIONS OF THE EXISTING HOUSE. UM, THIS IS THE TIMELINE THAT I'VE TALKED ABOUT. THE COPS HAVE BEEN IN THIS HOUSE FOR SIX AND A HALF YEARS. THE INTENT IS TO KEEP THE, UM, A NEW CONSTRUCTION HOUSE FOR THEIR FAMILY. UM, OKAY. THIS IS, THAT'S YOUR TIME. SURE. THIS IS THE ELEVATION STUDY JUST FOR YOUR REFERENCE. UM, AND THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THAT'S IN OUR BACKUP RIGHT NOW. SO WAS THAT SOMETHING YOU GAVE TO THE CITY? WE HAVE, WE JUST, WE JUST EMAILED IT TONIGHT WHEN THE PROJECT GOT PULLED FOR DISCUSSION. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. OKAY. UM, SO PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR PRESENTATION. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE? THAT'S IT. WE'RE JUST HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. UM, ALRIGHT. THAT, UM, IS THERE ANY QUESTION COMMISSIONERS FROM THIS PRESENTER OR JUST, OR JUST TO BACK UP, IF YOU DON'T MIND GOING BACK, UM, I'M SORRY. THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, YOU KNOW, CRACKS THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE BRICK. AND IF YOU DON'T MIND BACKING UP, UM, THE, THE PICTURES OF THE STEEL WINDOWS THAT AREN'T OPERABLE THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE, UM, IN SOME CASES GAPS. I'M, I'M GONNA HAVE TO CALL TIME BECAUSE WE, WE MAY HAVE QUESTIONS. SURE. BUT, UM, BUT WE APPRECIATE YOU GIVING US EVEN AT THE LAST MINUTE, BEING ABLE TO AT LEAST SEE THIS LEVEL OF DETAIL. THAT'S VERY HELPFUL. UH, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OF THIS, UH, UH, SPEAKER? THAT ONE QUESTION. YOU SAID YOU HAD STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS COME, DID THEY PROVIDE ANY KIND OF REPORT LETTERHEAD OR ANYTHING ON THEIR FINDINGS? SO THE, THE BRUGER, UM, WAS THE FIRST ONE THAT THEY HIRED, AND THEY ARE THE ONES THAT DID THE, CHECKED THE ELEVATIONS ALL AROUND THE HOUSE. AND THAT'S WHERE YOU CAN SEE THE SIGNIFICANT FLOOR SLOPING IN THEIR MASTER BEDROOM. AND THAT'S ALL THEY PROVIDED. WELL, THAT WAS, THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THEY PROVIDED. WE'VE ALSO HIRED, UM, DUFFY ENGINEERING AND THEY CAME IN AS PART OF OUR MINOR REMODEL TO TALK TO US ABOUT HOW WE COULD FIX THE FOUNDATION REPAIRS AND WHAT THE OWNER COULD EXPECT FROM THE FOUNDATION GOING FORWARD AFTER DOING A REMODEL TO THE HOUSE. BUT NO WRITTEN REPORT OR DOCUMENT. CAN I ADD TO THAT? YEAH, PLEASE. MM-HMM. AND, AND GO AHEAD AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. YEAH, NO PROBLEM. MY NAME'S NATALIE COPP AND I'M THE HOMEOWNER. UM, SO IN, WE HAVE TALKED TO THREE DIFFERENT VARIATIONS OF ENGINEERS BECAUSE WE KEPT HITTING ROADBLOCKS. AND I THINK WHAT LINDSAY SPOKE TO EARLIER WAS THAT ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE HOUSE, WE NEVER REALLY UNDERSTOOD WHY THERE WAS THAT SUCH A LARGE DIFFERENTIAL. RIGHT. WE, I ACTUALLY THOUGHT IT WAS THE MIDLINE OF THE HOUSE THAT HAD BEEN SINKING. AND SO THE BRUKER FOUNDATION, I REALLY HIRED THEM JUST TO COME GIVE ME MEASUREMENTS. SO WE HAD ACCURACY AND ALL THAT. YOU KNOW, WE, WE'VE LIVED IN OLD HOMES BEFORE, WE HAVE NO QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING FOUNDATIONS AND DIFFERENTIALS, BUT IT WAS EXTREME. SO WHEN WE HIRED DUFFY, THEY COLLECTIVELY WITH BRUKER, THEY'RE THE ONES THAT REALLY MADE THAT CONCLUSION THAT IT'S NOT SINKING. IT'S THAT THE OUTER WALL IS ACTUALLY LIFTING LIKELY FROM WATER BELOW GROUND OR SOMETHING. SO WHEN DUFFY CAME BACK TO US ON THIS SECOND LEVEL OF PLANS, YOU KNOW, WE WERE AT THE POINT, AT THE END OF OUR PLANS WHERE WE NEEDED THE ENGINEERING PLANS TO BE ABLE TO GO FORWARD, GET 'EM STAMPED, AND HE CAME BACK WITH A, YOU KNOW, OUR BACK ADDITION. HE DREW WHAT THE NEW FOUNDATION WOULD LOOK LIKE, BUT ESSENTIALLY IN SO MANY WORDS, DID NOT WANNA STAMP OFF ON PLANS OF RE CORRECTING THIS EXISTING FOUNDATION. SO IT WASN'T REALLY THE ISSUE OF TAKING PI AND SHIMMING THEM OR, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT. IT'S LIKE FIGURING OUT HOW TO PRESS A WALL BACK DOWN, UM, AND REUP SUPPORT IT. SO THAT'S WHEN IT BECAME MORE OF THIS PROJECT OF LIKE, WELL, WE'RE, WE'RE LITERALLY GONNA HAVE TO TAKE THE WHOLE ENTIRE HOUSE APART, YOU KNOW, TO GET BACK TO, TO SQUARE ONE. THIS, THIS IS ALL GREAT INFORMATION. I, I GUESS I'M JUST CONCERNED, AND MAYBE THIS IS BACK TO OUR EARLIER DISCUSSIONS ABOUT STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, BUT YOU'VE RECEIVED NO REPORT, NOTHING ON THEIR LETTERHEAD SAYING, YEAH, I WENT TO THE SITE, I DID A LITTLE TESTING, HERE'S THE SLOPE POINTS. MM-HMM. , I MEAN, THERE'S, WE DO WE HAVE THE SLIP POINTS ON THAT? I JUST, I JUST WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, WE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A SEALED DOCUMENT FROM A REGISTERED CIVIL ENGINEER SAYING, I'VE EVALUATED THE HOUSE, HERE ARE THE CONCLUSIONS. BUT IT DOES SOUND LIKE THEY NEVER ASKED ANYBODY TO COME IN AND EVALUATE IT AS A DEMOLITION QUESTION. IT WAS ALWAYS RELATED TO THEIR RENOVATIONS. SO WE PAUSED AFTER THE SECOND GO ROUND. OKAY. THAT'S FINE. AND EACH ONE OF THESE WERE YEAR AND A HALF EXERCISES SURE. WHERE WE'VE DONE SOIL BORINGS. MM-HMM. , YOU KNOW, WE'VE, THERE'S, THEY'VE, THEY'VE STUDIED EVERY ASPECT OF THE PROPERTY THAT THEY CAN. UM, BUT, BUT WE PAUSED IT WHEN WE GOT TO THAT POINT. MM-HMM. OF TALKING TO, UH, THE STRUCTURAL ENGINEER ABOUT THE SECOND PROJECT BECAUSE IT JUST, IT JUST STARTED AND WE CAN GO BACK AND ASK HIM, BUT WELL, AND THEN [03:25:01] WE MAY, THAT MAY BE HELPFUL. BUT QUICK QUESTION. UM, YOU'VE SAID AT THIS POINT YOU'VE TRIED ALL THE RENOVATION PROGRAMS, BUT DO YOU HAVE PLANS FOR WHAT YOU WILL BUILD AS A NEW CONSTRUCTION? WE'VE LOOKED AT OPTIONS, BUT WE WANTED TO COME TALK TO YOU ALL. SO YOU'RE NOT AT THAT POINT YET. OKAY. WELL, WE'VE LOOKED AT A ONE STORY OPTION AND WE LOOKED AT A TWO STORY OPTION, BUT WE, BUT I, I'VE, I'VE BROUGHT PROJECTS WITH YOU ALL BEFORE AND I'VE, I'VE MET WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEES AND WE JUST WANTED TO COME AND TALK TO YOU GUYS ABOUT IT AND JUST, WE APPRECIATE THAT. THANK YOU. YEAH. ALRIGHT. UM, COMMISSIONER, DO YOU HAVE, THE OWNER HAS ALSO HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE OWNER? ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS EITHER FOR OR AGAINST? ALRIGHT. HEARING THAT THERE ARE NO OTHER SPEAKERS, I WILL TAKE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. SO MOVED. IS THERE A SECOND? ALRIGHT. COMMISSIONER RUBIO. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER, UH, MCW. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. AND ALL HANDS ARE RAISED. SO COMMISSIONERS, WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO ON THIS ONE? IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE WE HAVE A LOT OF ISSUES THAT WE ARE HEARING VERBALLY. WE SAW A PRESENTATION THAT WASN'T PART OF OUR BACKUP, AND IT DOES SEEM THAT THIS OWNER HAS TAKEN A LOT OF CARE AND A LOT OF TIME THAT PERHAPS A VISIT WITH THE A RC IS APPROPRIATE HERE, JUST TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE YOU ARE AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL ON THE SAME PAGE. AS FAR AS EVALUATING OPTIONS, I'M GOING TO MOVE TO RELEASE THE DEMOLITION PERMIT PENDING THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE. OKAY. IS THERE A SECOND FOR THE MOTION? OH, SECOND. FROM COMMISSIONER, UM, LAROCHE. ALL THOSE, UH, UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, DO YOU WANT TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? YEAH, I AGREE THAT THE BACKUP WAS LACKING. WELL, TO BEGIN WITH, I, I QUESTION WHETHER IT RISES TO THE LEVEL OF LANDMARK, UH, AGREE WITH STAFF RECOMMENDATION, BUT, UH, I AGREE THERE WAS LACKING INFORMATION JUSTIFYING THE REASON WHY IT NEEDED TO BE TORN DOWN. BUT JUST THE, THE DISCUSSION HERE I THINK MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THERE HAS BEEN A LONG ONGOING PROCESS, ALTHOUGH THEY DIDN'T PUT A RELIEF PACKAGE TOGETHER, UH, BACK UP. UM, IT WAS KIND OF WANTED TO SEE HOW IT WAS GONNA GO. AND I, I BOTH AGREE IT'S NOT, DOESN'T RISE TO THE LEVEL OF THE LANDMARK, BUT IT ALSO SEEMS CLEAR, UH, THEY'RE BEING VERY FORTHRIGHT AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH THE PROCESS AND I, UM, AND HAD, HAD DONE THEIR BEST TO TRY TO SAVE IT. AND I, I JUST DON'T KNOW, GIVEN THE STRUCTURAL PROBLEMS, WHAT THE A RC COULD CONTRIBUTE TO THE YEAR AND A HALF OF WORK THEY'VE DONE ALREADY TO TRY TO SAVE IT AND REUSE IT. MR. LAROCHE? YEAH. WELL I THINK THAT COMMISSIONER COOK, THAT'S MY PRINCIPAL CONCERN, IS I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE, THE RESIDENT RISES TO THE STATUS OF THE LANDLORD CAN. SO THAT, AND I THINK STATUS , I I THOUGHT THAT THERE, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW WHAT THE OWNER HAVE , BUT AFTER TECHNIC PERMIT SUPPORT PROMOTION. YEAH. AND, AND OF COURSE THIS, UH, NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT PROPERTY, WE WILL ACT, ACTUALLY REVIEW ANYTHING THAT IS PROPOSED. IT, THIS DOESN'T HAVE TO BE AN ORDER TO RELEASE THE PERMIT, THE DEMO PERMIT, UH, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY. WE HAVE A MOTION TO RELEASE THE REQUEST FOR THE DEMOLITION, UH, WITH THE FROM COMMISSIONER COOK. UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND. OKAY. ALL THOSE OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, I SEE 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 HANDS IN FAVOR AND ONE OPPOSED. SO THAT'S SIX ONE AND THE MOTION PASSES. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH AND WE APPRECIATE THE OWNER AND THE ARCHITECT COMING. THANK YOU. UH, THE LAST ITEM [30. PR-2024-096343 – 5303 Samuel Huston Ave. ] FOR DISCUSSION IS ITEM NUMBER 30 AND THIS IS, UH, 53 0 3 SAMUEL, UH, HOUSTON AVENUE. UH, THIS WAS POSTPONED FROM OUR SEPTEMBER MEETING AND, UH, THIS IS A DEMOLITION REQUEST AND FOR, UH, A, UH, A MODERN BLACK CHURCH, UH, REHOBOTH BAPTIST CHURCH. NO THANK YOU CHAIR. ITEM 30 AT 53 0 3. SAMUEL HOUSTON AVENUE IS A PROPOSAL TO DEMOLISH A CIRCA 1963 CHURCH. UH, THE SANCTUARY IS AN A-FRAME STRUCTURE WITH VERTICAL STAINED GLASS STACKED LIMESTONE CLADDING AND A CENTRAL ENTRANCE BENEATH THE SIMPLE GABLE PORTICO. THE ATTACHED FELLOWSHIP HALL IS OF ONE STORY EXTENSION WITH A COMPOUND HIP AND GD ROOF AND LIMESTONE CLADDING OVER CMU REHO WITH PRIMITIVE [03:30:01] BAPTIST CHURCH WAS FOUNDED IN 1962 WHEN A GROUP OF CHURCH ELDERS FROM TWO DIFFERENT WORSHIP GROUPS MET AT WHAT WAS LIKELY THE G STARK STORE ON SAN BERNARD STREET TO DISCUSS THEIR VISION. UH, AFTER ITS FIRST PASTOR, REVEREND RH HOWARD LEFT THE CHURCH IN 1967, REVEREND RD REESE LED THE CONGREGATION UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 2005. AND IN 2019, WRITEUP ON MID-CENTURY MODERN CHURCHES ACROSS THE STATE, PRESERVATION TAXES DEFINED THESE STRUCTURES IMPORTANCE TO OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT. IN THE YEARS FOLLOWING WORLD WAR II, TEXAS ARCHITECTS DESIGNED NEW STRUCTURES THAT REFLECTED A MODERN AGE EMPLOYING INNOVATIVE CONSTRUCTION METHODS AND NEW, NEW MATERIALS RESULTING IN STRIKING PROGRESSIVE SACRED PLACES. IN RECENT YEARS, URBAN POPULATIONS HAVE CHANGED AND THE, AND THE DEMANDS OF 21ST CENTURY CONGREGATIONS OFTEN CANNOT BE CONTAINED IN THE BUILDINGS OF THE MID 20TH CENTURY AS A NEIGHBORHOOD SCALE, PLACE OF WORSHIP BUILT DURING THIS AGE OF, OF EVOLVING MODERNISM, THE REHOBOTH PRIMITIVE BAPTIST CHURCH, UH, MID-CENTURY, MODERN DESIGN LANGUAGE OF SWEEPING EAVES AND DRAMATICALLY TAPERING ROOF LINE REFLECTS ITS FOUNDING CONGREGATION'S INNOVATION AND THEIR DESIRE TO UNITE AND UPLIFT THEIR COMMUNITY. UH, STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINED THAT IT MAY MEET TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION. UH, THEREFORE THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO CONSIDER WHETHER THE CHURCH DOES MEET THE ARCHITECTURAL AND ASSOCIATIONAL SIGNIFICANCE REQUIRED FOR INITIATION OF HISTORIC ZONING. UM, BUT SHOULD THE COMMISSION DECIDE AGAINST INITIATION, UH, TO STRONGLY ENCOURAGE ADAPTIVE REUSE, UH, BUT RELEASE THE DEMOLITION PERMIT ONLY UPON COMPLETION OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UM, ONE QUICK COMMENT. UM, WE DID HAVE AN OWNER INDICATE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE SOME INTEREST IN PERHAPS WORKING WITH THE MAIN VOLUME STRUCTURE, THE BIG A-FRAME. UH, SUBSEQUENTLY WE'VE GOT SOME CORRESPONDENCE THAT INDICATE THAT, UM, IT, THAT IT LOOKS LIKE THAT THE CHURCH IS GOING TO TAKE THE CORNERSTONE. SO IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WE HAVE ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT KEEPING OR MAINTAINING THAT, UH, FRONT PORTION IN SOME PARTIAL DEMOLITION. UH, NO CHAIR. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON, UH, THE NEW PLANS FOR THE STRUCTURE. GOT IT. ALRIGHT. UM, AT THIS POINT, HAVE, HAVE WE HAVE ANYBODY HERE SIGNED UP? WHO IS THE OWNER HERE? UH, THE APPLICANT HERE, IT SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE WANTING TO COOPERATE AND TALK TO US, AND I, I OFFERED TO BE AVAILABLE AND I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING FROM THEM. UM, I, I DID UNDERSTAND THERE WAS SOME CORRESPONDENCE POTENTIALLY WITH COMMISSIONER EVANS, BUT SHE'S NOT ON THE DAIS ANYMORE, SO, UM, IF THERE'S NOBODY HERE TO SPEAK ON THIS ITEM, I WILL MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. I MOVE COMMISSIONER RUBIO, IS THERE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER MC MORDER. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND THE PUBLIC HEARING. UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, ARE YOUR, YOUR HAND RAISED? YEP. THERE WE GO. ALL HANDS RAISED. PUBLIC HEARING IS CLOSED. UM, UH, COMMISSIONERS, I, I THINK WE SHOULD SEE IF THERE'S ANY CHANCE THAT THIS APPLICANT WOULD CONSIDER THE, AT LEAST THE FRONT A FRAME. MM-HMM. THOUGHT THAT WAS WHERE WE WERE GOING. UM, SO TIMELINE, CALLEN? YEAH. WHERE ARE WE ON THE TIMELINE? WE HAVE TWO MEETINGS. SHOULD BE ABLE TO GO TO NOVEMBER. IT'S NOT A NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT, SO IT'S JUST A INDIVIDUAL PROPERTY. HMM. UH, WE WILL MOVE TO POSTPONE THIS TO NEXT MONTH'S, UM, MEETING AND HOPEFULLY GET SOME MORE COMMUNICATION WITH THE OWNER AND HOPEFULLY INVITE THEM TO A RC MEETING TO KINDA SEE WHAT THEIR PROPOSED PLANS ARE AND HOW WE CAN INCORPORATE THAT, THAT, UM, FRONT PORTION. DO WE NEED TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AS WELL? WE OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND POSTPONE THIS THE NEXT MONTH. OKAY. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? WELL, WE GOT, UH, MOTION BY COMMISSIONER RUBIO, SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER ROCHE. UH, STAFF, DID YOU HAVE A COMMENT? UH, YES, WE HAVE UNTIL NOVEMBER 18TH, SO, OH YEAH, NEXT MONTH IS OUR LAST MEETING. ALRIGHT, THAT'S A GOOD DAY. THANK YOU. UH, ANY DISCUSSION ON THIS MOTION? COMMISSIONER RUBIO? NO. LET'S, UH, LET'S TRY TO WORK WITH THE OWNER. COMMISSIONER ROCHE. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT, I THINK IT'S BEEN SAID. I'LL CALL THE QUESTION THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO POSTPONE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND IT IS UNANIMOUS. ALL HANDS RAISED. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UH, COMMISSIONERS, WE ALREADY TOOK ACTION ON THE EQUITY BASED PRESERVATION PLAN. UH, ITEM NUMBER [32. Discussion of proposed letter to Council regarding the Historic Preservation Acquisition Fund. ] 32, WE HAVE DISCUSSION OF A PROPOSAL LETTER TO COUNCIL REGARDING THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACQUISITION FUND. AND THAT'S, OH, ALRIGHT, . SO I BROUGHT, I I WANTED TO DISCUSS THIS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE PROBABLY A LITTLE BEHIND, BUT THAT'S OKAY. I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TASKED [03:35:01] WITH, UH, ADVISING THE COUNCIL ON MATTERS RELATING TO HISTORIC PRESERVATION. UM, YOU ALL KNOW WE SEE WHAT, I DON'T KNOW, TWO TO $3 MILLION IN GRANTS EVERY YEAR FROM THESE, UH, HOT FUNDS. AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN A, A, A LITTLE LUMP OF FUNDS, WHICH I HEARD IS ALMOST $30 MILLION NOW. UM, IN ONE NEWS ARTICLE, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S RIGHT, BUT THEY SAID THERE'S ABOUT $30 MILLION IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION ACQUISITION FUNDS, AND THE CITY HAS DIRECTED THE CITY MANAGER TO WORK WITH RALLY, UM, FORMERLY AUSTIN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION TO CREATE PLANS FOR HOW TO USE THOSE FUNDS. UM, I THINK WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, EITHER GO ON RECORD OF SUPPORTING THAT OR MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE. UM, MY PERSONAL VIEW, I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT THIS. YOU KNOW, WE OVERSEE THE GRANTS, WE GET TO APPROVE THOSE, WE GET TO RECOMMEND HISTORIC ZONING ON SOME OF THOSE PROPERTIES. UM, I KNOW THAT PRESERVATION AUSTIN'S LETTER SUGGESTED, HEY, YOU KNOW, BE THINKING ABOUT PROPERTIES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE FOR HISTORIC ZONING AND MAKE SURE YOU PROTECT OUR INVESTMENT IN THESE PROPERTIES. BUT WHAT I THINK, I, I I BELIEVE MAYBE A, A PURPOSE OF THAT FUND WOULD BE SO THAT WHEN WE CANNOT SAVE A BUILDING, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RECOMMEND THAT FOR THE CITY TO PURCHASE, NOT EMINENT DOMAIN, BUT TO PURCHASE. RIGHT. AND WORKING WITH, WITH RALLY AUSTIN NOW, WE'VE ESSENTIALLY DISCONNECT OURSELVES FROM POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION OF THOSE FUNDS. AND SO I WONDERED WHAT THIS COMMISSION THOUGHT. UM, SHOULD THERE BE GREATER INVOLVEMENT? SHOULD WE, UM, THEY HAVE MANY BOARD MEMBERS FROM MANY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN TOWN THAT ARE OVERSEEING THOSE FUNDS, BUT THEIR MAIN PURPOSE IS CULTURAL AND, UH, CULTURAL TOURISM AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, AFFORDABLE HOUSING, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO DISCUSS AND I APPRECIATE YOU PUTTING IT ON THE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION. UM, IN FACT, IT TOOK A LITTLE BIT OF DIGGING BECAUSE OF THE NAME CHANGE. MM-HMM. . BUT, UH, THE COMMISSIONERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT WE HAVE A DESIGNATED HISTORIC PRESERVATION REPRESENTATIVE. AND, UH, SOME OF YOU WHO ARE NEWER WEREN'T PART OF THAT, BUT, UH, BRAD PATTERSON OF THE THC IS OUR REPRESENTATIVE, UH, APPOINTED BY THIS COMMISSION TO SERVE WITH THAT BOARD. AND SO, UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT AS, AS YOU RAISE THIS MM-HMM. , AND AS I READ ABOUT IT IN THE PAPERS, UH, I RECOGNIZE THAT WE'VE GOT SOME RECONNECTING TO DO, BUT THAT IN SOME OF THE EARLY CONVERSATIONS ALREADY THAT HAVE BEEN HAD, I THINK THERE'S ALREADY AN UNDERSTANDING FROM MY, YOUR SUGGESTION ABOUT GOING THROUGH OUR GRANTS PROCESS IS ALREADY BEGINNING OR THE, WE'RE LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR HAVING THAT HAPPEN. SO I, I THINK IT'S JUST A MATTER OF MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING. I THINK WE'RE ALL PROBABLY VERY CLOSE TO WHAT WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE HAPPEN, BUT, UH, JUST MAKING SURE THAT WE DON'T DROP SOMETHING IN BETWEEN THE CRACKS. MM-HMM. SO I, I, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED AN, UH, A, A LETTER AT THIS POINT, BUT, UH, I'LL CERTAINLY DIAL BACK TO BRAD, MAKE SURE WE FIND OUT EXACTLY WHERE HE UNDERSTANDS THESE ARE GOING FROM THE BOARD'S POINT OF VIEW OF RALLY, AND AT THE SAME TIME THE WORK THAT STAFF IS ALREADY DOING TO START INTERNALIZING, UH, WHAT HAPPENED WITH THE COUNCIL'S RECOMMENDATION ON THURSDAY. UM, YEAH, I'M CURIOUS TO WHAT EVERYONE FEELS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'RE SAYING THAT RALLY AUSTIN HAS THE ABILITY AND THEY'VE ONLY GOT ONE, POTENTIALLY ONE VOTE FROM BRAD THAT IS ABLE TO RECOMMEND A PROPERTY FOR PURCHASE. UM, WELL, HOW, HOW, HOW DO WE WORK WITH THEM? YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE SUGGEST SOMETHING? THIS IS, THIS IS THE QUESTION. I THINK IT'S A COMBINATION OF, UH, WORKING WITH BRAD, BUT ALSO POTENTIALLY EVEN THE OPERATIONS COMMITTEE. MM-HMM. . BECAUSE SETTING UP THAT MECHANISM, UH, WHETHER HE'S ONE VOTE OF THEIR BOARD REALLY DOESN'T MATTER IF THEY'RE, IF THEY INITIATE A WAY OF UTILIZING THE FUNDS, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SET UP TO DO. THEY ARE A AUTHORITY THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO TAKE ACTION ON THE PUBLIC INTEREST. SO WHAT WE REALLY JUST HAVE TO DO IS JUST MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL THE MECHANISMS ARE WORKED OUT SO THAT OUR RESOURCES CAN BE PART OF THAT. AND THEY SHOULD BE. YES. BUT IF CITY MANAGER IS NOT WORKING WITH RALLY AUSTIN TO CREATE PROCEDURES FOR USE OF THOSE FUNDS, THEN WE'RE NOT ABLE TO WORK WITH OUR LIAISON. YOU KNOW? AGREED. I WASN'T AWARE WE HAD THAT, THAT WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD BE IN THE DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW. YOU KNOW WHO YEAH. WHO, WHO IS THAT? YOU KNOW, I MEAN, I, I KNOW, BUT AGAIN, IT'S NOT SOMEONE THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH. YOU KNOW, THESE ARE PEOPLE ON THAT BOARD THAT HAVE, MOST OF 'EM HAVE ZERO BACKGROUND IN PRESERVATION. AND SO THE, THE TASK WAS FOR US, AND WE'RE MORE AND MORE TAKING THE LANDMARK COMMISSION OUTSIDE OF THESE, THESE REVIEWS, I THINK, IN MY OPINION, WELL, AT THE VERY LEAST WE'RE DOING CATCH UP AND THAT THAT'S NOT IDEAL. AND SAYING FULL STAMP, WE AGREE, BUT BY THE WAY, CAN THE CITY MANAGER CREATE A PROCESS WHERE IF WE SEND SOMEONE TO RALLY AUSTIN TO PURCHASE THAT, THAT GETS ON THEIR AGENDA? [03:40:01] POSSIBLY. YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THAT'S WHAT THIS LETTER SHOULD HOPEFULLY DISCUSS. SO I DON'T THINK IT'S, UM, I DON'T THINK IT'S A MOOT POINT. NO, I DON'T EITHER. I JUST, IF I THINK OUR LETTER WILL BE MORE POINTED. MM-HMM. AND THE ACTION AND THE RECOMMENDATIONS MORE SPECIFIC WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF, OF RECONNECTING WITH OUR REPRESENTATIVE, IF THAT, IF THAT MAKES SENSE. SO I, I DON'T KNOW IF WE, CHUCK'S GOT SOMETHING, OH, NO, GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY. WAS IT COMMISSIONERS FEEDBACK? I THINK THAT WAS, UH, COMMISSIONER LAROSE JUST GETTING SOMETHING OFF THE COMPUTER. BUT, UH, THIS, THIS ALL SOUNDS LIKE EXCITING POTENTIAL ACTION, UH, MOVING IN THE DIRECTION WE WANT TO GO WITH EVERYTHING. AND IT SOUNDS VERY COMPLICATED AND PROBABLY VERY POLITICAL AND, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY PICK, YOU KNOW, WHO GETS CHOSEN FOR THIS. AND I KNOW THE PROCESS IS VERY INVOLVED AND INVOLVES LEGAL AND, UM, BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, I THINK FOR EXPENDITURES OF THE HOT FUNDS DEDICATED TO HISTORIC RESOURCES, I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA TO LEVERAGE THAT AGAINST THE CULTURAL TRUST TO COMBINE THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS WITH THE ACTIVITIES IN THEM. BUT, UM, I, I THINK COMMISSIONER RUBIO HAD MENTIONED THAT THEY SHOULD PROBABLY BE DESIGNATED SO THAT THEY'RE PROTECTED. UM, I WAS JUST READING SOME OF THE CULTURAL TRUST ACTIVITY. THEY GAVE $1.6 MILLION TO EXTEND THE LEASE FOR HOLE IN THE WALL, WHICH IS GREAT. BUT, YOU KNOW, CONTINENTAL CLUB AND, UH, BROKEN SPOKE ARE BOTH DESIGNATED HISTORIC LANDMARKS, WHICH TO ME IS A MORE LONG LASTING PROTECTION. SO I THINK IF, IF SOME MONEY, THE, THE ONE ACT ACTION WE COULD PROBABLY HAVE OR REQUEST IS THAT IF, IF MONEY IS COMING FROM THIS FUND, IT SHOULD ONLY GO TO A DESIGNATED PROPERTY AND THAT WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE, IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE DESIGNATION, UH, YOU KNOW, SAVING THE FEES AND APPLICATION FEES. BUT, UH, OUT OF SOME, THE ONE COMMENT I WOULD MAKE IS, I DON'T THINK ANY, ANY OF THAT FUNDING SHOULD GO TO HER PROPERTY THAT, LIKE THE FAIR GROUND THAT COULD GET TORN DOWN FIVE YEARS LATER. MM-HMM, . OKAY. YEAH. AND, AND WE DO HAVE A MECHANISM FOR EVALUATING GRANT, HISTORIC GRANT PROGRAMS. SO, I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S A BIG OPPORTUNITY THERE. YEAH. AND THE HISTORIC GRANT PROGRAMS ONLY GO TO DESIGNATED PROPERTIES AND, AND NOW THEY'VE KIND OF ROLLED THAT INTO HAVING THEM COME TO THE A RC BEFORE, WHICH IS GREAT. AND THERE'S BEEN SOME RECIPIENTS THAT THEY RECOMMENDED DESIGNATION, AND SO WE'VE GOTTEN SEVERAL LANDMARKS OUT OF THAT WHOLE PROCESS. SO, BUT THAT'S BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THAT ORGANIZATION, SAW THE VALUE WE BRING AND BROUGHT US IN. I, I, I AGREE. I FEEL LIKE, UH, THIS IS HISTORIC FUNDING RESOURCES AND, AND WE'RE, WE'RE NOT MENTIONING THE RESOLUTION. AND, UH, MY, UH, APPOINTING COUNCIL MEMBER IS THE ONE THAT, THAT MADE THIS RESOLUTION THAT TALKED TO STAFF THERE AND, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE OPEN TO US BEING INVOLVED IN SOME WAY. SO I THINK THEY JUST WANT TO HEAR, HEAR FROM US, WHAT WE THINK WE CAN DO. AND, UH, I DON'T THINK, NOT BEING MENTIONED, THE RES RESOLUTION EXCLUDES US IN ANY WAY. AND IT'S JUST STARTING THE PROCESS OF SEEING HOW IT ALL WORKS. SO I DEFINITELY THINK WE SHOULD PUT SOMETHING FORMAL OUT THERE SO THEY KNOW WE WANT TO BE INVOLVED. AND TO WHAT DEGREE, IT'S JUST A MATTER OF HOW IT'S DONE. MY PRESERVATION PLAN IS THE ONE TO, TO LOOK AT THAT AND PUT THAT TOGETHER IN CONSULTATION WITH BRAD, OR, BUT I AGREE, SOMETHING SHOULD BE WRITTEN AND PUT OUT, BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE TODAY. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE NEXT MONTH, MAYBE IN THE NEXT TWO OR THREE MONTHS. YEAH. YEAH. I, I THINK IF, IF, DEPENDING ON WHAT I HEAR, UH, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO REACH OUT TO BRAD. UM, THEN, UH, EITHER IT'S AN OPERATIONS COMMITTEE ITEM OR MAYBE IF THERE'S MORE INVOLVED WITH SOME OF THE CHANGES, UM, IT COULD BE PRESERVATION PLAN. MM-HMM. . UM, WE DO HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER ITEMS ON THE AGENDA. UH, SO WE DON'T HAVE TO TAKE AN ACTION ON ITEM 32 TONIGHT. NO. UH, THE GRANTS [33. Grants Committee] COMMITTEE, UH, THE, JUST FOR THE RECORD, THE, UH, APPLICATIONS ARE STILL OPEN UNTIL OCTOBER 8TH, AND AFTER THEY CLOSE, WE SHOULD HAVE, AND THEY'VE BEEN LOTS OF ADVERTISING. SO, UH, HATS OFF TO THE FOLKS WHO ARE GETTING THE WORD OUT THERE. UH, HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SOME REALLY GOOD APPLICATIONS AND WE SHOULD DO SOME CELEBRATING AND, UH, ADVERTISING, IF YOU WILL, ONCE WE MAKE THE APPLICATIONS. SO, UH, I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE SOME GOOD WORK FOR THE GRANTS COMMITTEE SOON. UH, OPERATIONS COMMITTEE IS NOT MET. UM, ARCHITECTURE REVIEW COMMITTEE. [35. Architectural Review Committee ] UH, Y'ALL WANT TO JUST DO A QUICK SYNOPSIS? YEAH. THE MOST MOST EXCITING CASE WE SAW IS 10 CESAR CHAVEZ, WHICH IS, UH, CHINO, THAT'S GOT A NEW, UH, OWNER WHO IS FROM EUROPE AS I UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATES HISTORIC BUILDINGS, AND THAT HOW THEY CAN BE LEVERAGED FOR COMMERCIAL USE. AND SO THEY'RE REALLY LOOKING AT CELEBRATING THE EXISTING BUILDING, OPENING IT UP TO VIEW, EXPANDING IT IN SOME EXCITING WAYS. WE HAD SOME GOOD INPUT ON THAT, BUT IT'S GONNA BE A REALLY, A REALLY GREAT PROJECT AND EXAMPLE OF HOW AN OWNER CAN APPRECIATE AND LEVERAGE THE, THE HISTORIC VALUE OF THESE PROPERTIES. SO, TERRIFIC. HAPPY STORY. AND THEN COMMISSIONER CASTILLO, [36. Preservation Plan Committee] UM, OBVIOUSLY EVERYBODY SAW THE RESULTS [03:45:01] OF OUR COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT, UH, DO YOU WANNA ADD ANYTHING? UH, I, NO, THERE'S NOT MUCH TO ADD. I'M JUST, I'M, I'M REALLY, UM, PROUD OF, OF THE STAFF AND, AND, AND THE WORK THAT THEY'VE BEEN DONE, UH, UP TO THIS POINT WITH THE PRESERVATION PLAN. SO, UM, YEAH, NOT MUCH TO ADD, THAT'S ALL. OKAY. ANYTHING ELSE? COMMISSIONERS. UH, OTHERWISE I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. MOVE. SECOND. OKAY. MOVED BY COMMISSIONER MCWHORTER. SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER RUBIO. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND. UH HA. IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY. WE ARE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.