[00:00:05]
AND ARE WE READY? ALRIGHT, WELL,
[CALL TO ORDER]
WELCOME EVERYONE.IT IS 6 0 6 AND THIS IS THE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8TH MEETING OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN HISTORIC LANDMARKS COMMISSION.
AND I WILL CALL ON STAFF TO, UM, READ THE ATTENDANCE.
BUT FIRST I JUST WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, WE HAVE A VERY SAD ANNOUNCEMENT AND AN EMPTY CHAIR HERE REPRESENTED, UH, THE LOSS OF COMMISSIONER, UH, JUAN RAYMOND RUBIO, UH, WHO WAS KILLED SEVERAL WEEKS AGO IN A CAR ACCIDENT.
AND, UH, OUR HEARTS ARE WITH THE FAMILY, AND THERE'LL BE SOME OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO DISCUSS THAT SHORTLY.
UH, IT'S BEEN A VERY DIFFICULT DAY.
ALSO, MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING THE F THE FIRES IN CALIFORNIA.
UH, I PERSONALLY HAVE FAMILY THERE, POTENTIALLY IN HARM'S WAY.
SO IT'S, UH, WITH HEAVY HEARTS THAT WE CONVENE THIS MEETING.
BUT, UH, THIS IS, THIS IS OUR CALLING AND WE WILL PROCEED WITH THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS.
SO WITH THAT, LET ME CALL ON STAFF TO GO AHEAD AND, UH, HAVE ATTENDANCE.
COMMISSIONER HEIM SAFF PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER KEVIN COOK, PRESENT.
PRESENT, COMMISSIONER TREY MCWHIRTER.
PRESENT, COMMISSIONER HARMONY GROGAN PRESENT.
COMMISSIONER RAYMOND CASTILLO IS NOT HERE TONIGHT.
COMMISSIONER TARA DUDLEY PRESENT.
AND, UH, AT THIS POINT, UM, LET'S CALL ON, UH, CALLAN TO, UH, NORMALLY WE WOULD START THE AGENDA, BUT, UM, I THINK YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUGGEST.
UM, BEFORE WE BEGIN WITH THE READING OF THE AGENDA, I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE TRAGIC LOSS OF COMMISSIONER JUAN JUAN RAYMOND RUBIO, WITH A MOMENT OF SILENCE AS WE REMEMBER OUR COLLEAGUE AND OUR FRIEND.
UM, I'VE ALSO HAD A REQUEST THAT, UH, WE TAKE ITEM OUT OF ORDER.
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, TAKE OUR DISCUSSION ITEM NUMBER 17, AT LEAST A PORTION OF THAT OUT OF ORDER.
UM, SO IF ANYONE ON THE COMMISSION WANTS TO, UM, SPEAK, UH, ATTRIBUTE TO JUAN RAYMOND RUBIO, THAT COULD BE DONE NOW.
COMMISSIONER GROGAN AND COMMISSIONER COOK.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF TAKING ITEM NUMBER 17 OUT OF ORDER.
PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND IT IS UNANIMOUS.
[17. Discussion and possible action on recommendation to honor Commissioner JuanRaymon Rubio and his service to the Historic Landmark Commission. (Part 1 of 2)]
COMMISSIONERS, UH, OPEN THE FLOOR, UH, TO SHARE OUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS TRAGIC LOSS AND WHATEVER ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO SAY.UM, SAM, WOULD YOU MIND PUTTING UP, ALL RIGHT.
I'M GONNA TRY TO GET THROUGH THIS, FOLKS.
UM, I RECEIVED THIS TEXT FROM JUAN RAYMOND ON DECEMBER 12TH, THREE DAYS BEFORE HIS TRAGIC PASSING.
I FIND SOLACE IN KNOWING THIS WAS ONE OF HIS LAST ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
OF COURSE, HE BELIEVED WE DID IT, AND THAT WAS THE WAY OF HIM.
HIS PASSION WAS INFECTIOUS AND HIS, AND HE SUCCESSFULLY ENCOURAGED SO MANY TO RALLY FOR WHAT MATTERS.
JUAN RAYMOND LED THE CHARGE, AND NOW 1500 EAST 12TH STREET IS HISTORICALLY
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A MARK.WE'VE LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT JUAN RAYMOND'S RICH AND VAST LIFE RECENTLY.
I'M IN AWE OF HIS ENDLESS ACHIEVEMENTS AND HIS UNRELENTING ENTHUSIASM.
I OFTEN WONDERED HOW HE FOUND THE TIME TO SLEEP WITH HIS MANY PRESERVATION ENDEAVORS.
AND KNOWING MORE ABOUT HIS LIFE CONVINCES ME HE NEVER SLEPT.
THE WORLD WAS TOO EXCITING AND BETTER FOR HAVING KNOWN HIM AND WHAT HE TAUGHT ME.
KNOW THERE ARE NO ODDS YOU CAN'T OVERCOME.
I WELCOME HIS SPIRIT AS A GUIDING FORCE, AND I ENCOURAGE MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS TO EMBRACE HIS COMMITMENT TO SERVE.
MAKE SURE YOUR OPINION IS PUT ON RECORD.
AND PLEASE, LET'S PULL SOME CASES FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA TO OUR FUTURE LEADERS.
LOOK TO JUAN RAYMOND AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO LEAD WITH HUMOR AND HEART.
HE CHANGED OUR PRESERVATION COMMUNITY AND THE CITY FOR THE BETTER.
UM, I'M STILL KIND OF IN DENIAL ABOUT ALL THIS, AND THIS IS KIND OF THE FIRST TIME REALLY FEELING HIS ABSENCE AND HOW MUCH WE LEANED ON HIM TO REALLY LEAD THE CHARGE IN TERMS OF FIGHTING FOR PRESERVATION.
WE'RE, WE'RE HERE AS KIND OF FAIR ARBITERS OF THESE CASES, BUT YOU COULD ALWAYS RELY ON HIM TO BE 100% PRESERVATION AND TO FIGHT THE FIGHT.
AND IF WE CAN ALL JUST TAKE ONE 10TH OF THE PASSION THAT HE HAD, MAYBE WE CAN CONTINUE ON.
AND I ENCOURAGE YOU ALL TO LOOK AT THE CASE 1500 EAST 12TH AND LOOK AT HIS TESTIMONY.
AND I WISH WE COULD REPLAY IT EVERY SINGLE CASE 'CAUSE IT WAS THE BEST CASE I'D EVER SEEN FOR PRESERVATION IN AUSTIN.
AND WE SHOULD ALL MEMORIZE IT.
'CAUSE I DON'T THINK WE CAN REPLAY IT IN OTHER FUTURE PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
BUT IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING GAVE ME GOOSEBUMPS JUST TO WATCH IT.
AND THAT TO ME IS GONNA BE HIS, THE PINNACLE OF HIS, UM, MY MEMORY TO HIM.
IF I EVER WANNA GET FIRED UP, I'M GONNA GO WATCH THAT.
ALTHOUGH I DIDN'T KNOW COMMISSIONER RUBIO AS LONG AS, UH, SOME OF THE OTHER COMMISSIONERS, IT WAS HARD NOT TO BE DRAWN IN BY HIS COURAGE AND HIS PASSION AND HIS DETERMINATION.
AND I LEARNED A LOT IN MY SHORT, UH, EXPOSURE, SHORT RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM.
AND ONE OF THE THINGS ABOUT THE LOSS IS I FELT HE WAS SOMEONE WHO WAS GONNA HELP AUSTIN GET IT RIGHT.
AND BY IT, I MEAN SO MANY OF THE SOCIAL JUSTICE INEQUITIES IN THIS CITY.
AND SO I FEEL A LITTLE LOSS OF HOPE.
SO I HOPE THAT THE PEOPLE HE'S BROUGHT ALONG AND MENTORED OVER THE WAY OVER THE YEARS WILL, WILL HELP RESTORE THAT.
UM, I CONCUR WITH MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS, UM, IN FEELING THIS LOSS QUITE KEENLY.
UM, I ALSO DIDN'T KNOW COMMISSIONER RUBIO AS LONG AS MANY OF YOU DID, AND I ONLY, UM, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET HIM IN PERSON AND HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIAL CONVERSATION ONCE.
UM, AND THAT WAS JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO AT THE PRESERVATION AUSTIN AWARD CEREMONY.
UM, TOOK TIME TO CHAT WITH BOTH MY HUSBAND AND MYSELF.
UM, BUT HE CERTAINLY IS, UM, A HERO IN, IN AUSTIN.
AND I HOPE THAT IN OUR CHARGE AS COMMISSIONERS, AS PRESERVATIONISTS AND IN JUST PRESERVING THE STORIES OF, OF SO MANY, UM, ESPECIALLY THOSE UNTOLD VOICES AND, UM, MARGINALIZED VOICES IN COMMUNITIES IN AUSTIN, THAT WE LOOK TO THE LEGACY OF COMMISSIONER RUBIO.
AND IT'S JUST AMAZING TO ME TO UNDERSTAND AND REALIZE HOW SIGNIFICANT THE LEGACY OF ONE SO YOUNG, UM, IS IN OUR CITY.
AND, AND I'VE TOLD A FEW FOLKS RECENTLY THAT, YOU KNOW, HE'S DEFINITELY ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE LOOKED UP TO AND, AND WANT TO BE WHEN I GROW UP.
UM, AND SO CERTAINLY IN IN MY OWN WORK AND IN IN ENDEAVORS AS A PROFESSOR, AS A PRESERVATIONIST, UM, I WILL DEFINITELY KEEP HIS LIGHT ALIVE AND LOOK TO HIS WORK FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT IN WHAT IT IS THAT WE DO, UM, ON THIS COMMISSION AND IN OUR WORK IN AUSTIN THANK YOU COM.
YEAH, I, UH, ONCE ASKED JUAN RAYMOND, SO HOW DO YOU, UH, YOU KNOW, CHASE ALL YOUR
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PRESERVATION PURSUITS AND STILL DO YOUR JOB? UH, I THINKING THAT REALLY THAT PRESERVATION WAS HIS, UH, HIS MAIN PASSION, HIS MAIN PURSUIT.AND THEN AS I GOT TO KNOW HIM A LITTLE BIT BETTER, I FOUND OUT THAT THAT PROBABLY WAS ONLY ONE THIRD OR MAYBE ONE FOURTH OF, UH, ALL THE THINGS THAT HE WAS CHASING, UH, LEARNED THAT HE WAS ALSO A YOUTH MINISTER.
UM, HE PARTICIPATED IN THE ACE MENTORSHIP PROGRAM FOR, YOU KNOW, POTENTIAL YOUNG ARCHITECTS.
I REMEMBER A YEAR OR TWO AGO HE WAS AWARDED AN EXHIBIT AT A CREEK SHOW, WHICH TIED IN HISTORY AND PRESERVATION.
I MEAN, SO MANY THINGS HE WAS DOING THAT, I GUESS I JUST HAVE TO AGREE WITH HARMONY THAT HE JUST DIDN'T STOP.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER LAROCHE.
UH, MY WORDS CERTAINLY CAN'T, UH, EVEN BEGIN TO DO JUSTICE TO THE MAN.
AND HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS SUFFICES TO SAY THAT, UH, IT'S A TREMENDOUS LOSS TO THE, THE CITY TO THIS COMMISSION.
UM, AS STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS, WE OFTEN LOOK AT THINGS MORE BLACK AND WHITE.
AND, UH, WHILE WE DIFFERED MANY TIMES, UH, HE WILL BE THE ONE THAT I WILL MISS THE MOST.
AND HE TAUGHT ME, UH, PASSION AND INSPIRATION THAT I COULD ONLY HOPE TO COME CLOSE TO ACHIEVING IN MY LIFETIME AND MY COMMITMENT ON THIS DIOCESE.
UH, LIKE SOME OF YOU, I, I DIDN'T KNOW JUAN RAYMOND OUTSIDE OF THE CONTEXT OF THIS, THIS GROUP, BUT, UH, OBSERVING HIS PASSION FOR PRESERVATION IN AUSTIN, UH, HERE IN THIS ROOM OR DOWNTOWN, UM, IT COMES AS NO SURPRISE THAT THAT SAME PASSION WAS APPLIED TO MANY AREAS IN HIS LIFE, AND HE ACHIEVED SO MUCH IN SO MANY PLACES.
SO IT IS A, A TERRIBLE LOSS FOR, FOR NOT JUST US IN PRESERVATION, BUT FOR MANY COMMUNITIES IN, IN AUSTIN.
I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO, UH, HAVE THAT MEMORY OF DECEMBER 12TH.
I WAS AT THE COUNCIL PRESENTATION AND THERE'S ABSOLUTELY, UH, IF YOU SEE IT ON TAPE, UH, IT WAS EVEN BETTER IN PERSON.
UH, HE WAS IN HIGH, HIGH JUAN RAYMOND FORM, AND YOU ALL KNOW WHAT THAT IS.
UH, AND HE WAS OBVIOUSLY EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE, UM, AND VERY INSPIRING.
UH, HE AND I HAD A LONG, UH, BUT VERY, UH, CLOSE, NOT A VERY LONG, BUT A VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP.
UH, HE APPROACHED ME EARLY IN HIS TENURE AND WAS ABLE TO GET UP TO SPEED VERY QUICKLY.
AND, UH, AT ONE POINT ASKED ME FOR, UH, I WAS VERY HONORED TO OFFER A LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION FOR A CITATION THAT HE WAS APPLYING FOR, AND I WENT BACK AND LOOKED AT IT.
AND I WOULD LIKE TO READ MY LAST PARAGRAPH OF MY LETTER FROM FEBRUARY, 1920, UH, 2024, THIS LAST YEAR.
UH, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S APP, IT'S APPROPRIATE AND IT CERTAINLY, UM, I DIDN'T WRITE IT THINKING IT WOULD BE A EULOGY BY ANY MEANS.
I SAID, ON A PERSONAL LEVEL, LET ME SAY THAT IT'S FUN AND ENJOYABLE TO WORK WITH JUAN RAYMOND.
HE NOT ONLY ENCOURAGES PARTICIPATION, HIS DEMEANOR AND EXCITEMENT EXEMPLIFY THE BEST QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP.
I'VE COME TO APPRECIATE THAT JUAN RAYMOND IS NOT ONLY ABLE TO DRAW PEOPLE TO HIS IDEAS, BUT HE'S LEARNING AND EXPANDING HIS OWN UNDERSTANDING FROM EACH EXCHANGE WITH OTHERS.
I THINK THAT'S PART OF THE REASON HE WAS SO ACCOMPLISHED AT SUCH A YOUNG AGE IS EVERY ENGAGEMENT FOR HIM WAS A CHANCE NOT ONLY TO CONVEY HIS IDEAS, BUT TO LEARN AND TO ABSORB SOMETHING NEW.
THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT JUAN RAYMOND RUBIO EXEMPLIFIES THE HIGHEST QUALITIES OF LEADERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE AS AN ASSOCIATE, A I A AMERICAN ASSOCIATION, UH, UH, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS MEMBER, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR CONTINUED WORK TOGETHER AND HIS CONTINUED PROFESSIONAL AND VOLUNTEER ACHIEVEMENTS.
I KNEW I WASN'T GONNA BE ABLE TO GET BETTER WITH WITHOUT HAVING TO DO THAT, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME THAT THAT THAT AMOUNT OF TIME WE HAD WOULD BE EIGHT MORE MONTHS.
I LEARNED SO MUCH FROM HIM AS WELL.
AND I THINK ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO ELEVATE, UM, HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, BUT ALSO HIS PERSONALITY AS A MODEL FOR FUTURE, UH, PRESERVATIONISTS, I THINK THAT IS THE LEAST WE CAN DO.
SO, AS I SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS MEETING, WE HAVE
[00:15:01]
A VERY EMPTY CHAIR.I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A VERY HARD ONE FOR ANYONE, ANY ONE OF US TO FILL.
BUT PERHAPS ALL TOGETHER, UH, WE'VE LEARNED SO MUCH AND WITH HIS CONTRIBUTION, WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO CONTINUE.
AT THIS POINT, I'M GOING TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO TABLE FURTHER DISCUSSION.
WE DO HAVE SOME PRESENTATION MATERIALS ABOUT, UM, CERTAIN ACTIVITIES THAT WE CAN PARTICIPATE IN TO HONOR JUAN RUB JUAN RAYMOND.
BUT I THINK IF WE WAIT TILL THE END OF THE MEETING, WE CAN GO THROUGH THOSE IN MORE DETAIL.
SO, UH, JUST AS WE HAD A MOTION TO TAKE THIS OUT OF ORDER, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO TABLE FURTHER DISCUSSION TILL LATER IN THE MEETING AND THAT WAY WE CAN PROCEED WITH THE AGENDA.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND WITH MS. UH, TREY HORTER.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE RAISE YOUR HAND.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND LET'S CALL ON
[Consent Agenda]
STAFF TO NOW GO THROUGH THE AGENDA.ITEM ONE ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA IS THE, UH, APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 4TH, 20, 24 MINUTES.
THIS ITEM IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
ITEM TWO IS A BRIEFING ON THE A ISD BOND PROGRAM.
ITEM NUMBER THREE C 14 H 20 24 0 1 0 3 13 0 8 SPRINGDALE ROAD IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT.
ITEM NUMBER FOUR C 14 H 20 24 0 1 7 1, UH, IS A HISTORIC ZONING APPLICATION AT SIX 10 BAYLOR STREET.
THIS ITEM IS POSTED FOR DISCUSSION AND OUR CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS.
TONIGHT WE HAVE ITEM FIVE, HR 20 24 0 9 5 1 4 2 AT 25 0 4 BRIDAL PATH.
THIS IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT.
ITEM NUMBER SIX, HR 20 24 1 6 9 8 AT 6 0 4 BRA STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, HR 20 24 1 6 5 8 3 6 AT 4 0 1 6 DUVAL STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT UNDER NATIONAL RE REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT APPLICATIONS.
NUMBER EIGHT, WE HAVE 20 24 1 2 3 0 6 0 AT 1003 MILE ROSE STREET.
THIS IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT, ITEM NINE, HR 20 24 1 4 8 2 7 8 AT 1702 WEST 30TH STREET.
THIS ITEM IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
ITEM 10 DA 2 2 4 0 8 9 5 22 AT EIGHT 10 WEST 11TH STREET WILL BE A DISCUSSION POSTPONEMENT THIS EVENING.
ITEM 10, HR 20 24 1 5 0 504 AT 1113 AND 1115 WESTLAND STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
ITEM 12, PR 20 24 1 5 9 6 3 2 AT 7 0 5 WESTLAND STREET IS A STAFF REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT.
ITEM 13, HR 20 24 1 6 3 0 9 2 AT 2 4 2 6 HARTFORD ROAD IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
IN OUR DEMOLITION RELOCATION APPLICATIONS, WE HAVE ITEM 14 DA 20 24 0 8 8 9 5 2 AT 84 0 1 HATHAWAY DRIVE.
THIS IS, UH, AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT.
ITEM 15, PR 20 24 1 5 9 1 1 1 AT 1606 GARDEN STREET IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
AND FINALLY, NUMBER 16 DA 20 24 1 6 5 5 2 6 2600 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
BOULEVARD IS OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOMEBODY WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK ON THAT ITEM, SO I WOULD REQUEST THAT WE PULL IT FOR DISCUSSION IF THAT'S OKAY.
UH, THAT CONCLUDES THE READING OF THE AGENDA.
I'D LIKE TO PULL ITEM 15 16 0 6 GARDEN STREET FOR DISCUSSION, PLEASE.
LET'S GO BACK TO 15 AND THAT WILL BE PULLED.
UH, AT THIS POINT WHAT I'LL DO IS LET ME READ THE ITEMS THAT ARE POSTED FOR CONSENT AND ANY ADDITIONAL ITEMS THAT ARE ON THIS AGENDA THAT SOMEBODY DOES WANT TO TALK ABOUT.
UH, SOMEONE IN THE AUDIENCE, YOU CAN GET MY ATTENTION IF IT STAYS ON THE AGENDA WHEN THIS PASSES, THEN THAT WILL BE THE ACTION.
UH, WHATEVER THE STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION IS, IS THE ACTION THAT WE WILL HAVE TAKEN AT THAT TIME ON YOUR CASE.
UH, PLEASE BE AWARE, UH, IF THERE IS A DEMOLITION AS PART OF THAT, THAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR A PACKET OF DOCUMENTATION AND OTHER, OTHER RE RECOMMENDATIONS OF STAFF, UH, AS, AS POSTED ON THE AGENDA.
SO AGAIN, THE CONSENT AGENDA AT THIS POINT, UH, ITEM NUMBER ONE ARE DECEMBER 4TH MINUTES.
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THE NEXT CONSENT ITEM IS ITEM NUMBER SIX AT 6 0 4 BRAS, AND THAT IS THE DRISCOLL HOTEL.AGAIN, IT OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
THE NEXT ITEM IS NUMBER 7 40 16 DUVAL STREET.
UH, THE REMODELED ATTACHED GARAGE IN A NEW CONSTRUCTION OF A CARPORT THAT'S OFFERED FOR CONSENT.
UH, ON THE CONSENT AGENDA ALSO IS ITEM NUMBER NINE.
THIS IS NEW CONSTRUCTION OF A SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENCE AND POOL AND HAD BEEN POSTPONED PREVIOUSLY.
ITEM NUMBER 11 IS THE NEXT CONSENT ITEM.
UH, THIS IS THE, UH, WEST LINE, UH, EXCUSE ME, UH, 1113 THROUGH 1115 WEST, WEST LYNN STREET IN THE WEST LINE NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT.
AND THIS IS THE, UM, UH, THE NOW'S, UH, UM, STORE, THE PARTIAL DEMOLITION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF THE WEST FACADE.
THE NEXT ITEM ON CONSENT IS ITEM NUMBER 13.
THAT'S 24 26 HARTFORD ROAD IN THE OLD WEST AUSTIN, NOR, UH, NATIONAL REGISTER HISTORIC DISTRICT, A NEW CONSTRUCTION.
UH, THE, THAT IS ALL OF THE ITEMS. SO AGAIN, NOBODY HAS ANY FURTHER NEED FOR DISCUSSION.
I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION MOVE TO PASS THE CONSENT AGENDA AS NOTED.
WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER LA ROCHE SECONDING, UH, AND COMMISSIONER COOK.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? UH, I I DID HAVE A DIS A SHORT DISCUSSION BEFORE WE PROCEED WITH NUMBER 11.
UH, 11 13, 11 15 WEST LYNN, UH, THERE WAS A LETTER OF SUPPORT THAT I WANTED TO DISCUSS LATER IN THE MEETING REGARDING RETAINING PARKING OFF OF 11TH STREET.
IS THAT APPROPRIATE TO BRING UP SEPARATELY FROM THIS CASE? DOES IT PERTAIN TO ANY ADDITIONAL CASE? UH, IT IS RELATED TO 11 13, 11 15 WESTLAND, BUT IT'S NOT RELATED TO, IT'S NOT CONTINGENT UPON THE APPROVAL OF THE PRESENTA OF THE APPLICATION.
SO IT'S KIND OF A SEPARATE SUPPLEMENTAL ISSUE.
WE DO HAVE A PLACE FOR ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS AT THE END OF THE AGENDA.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SUGGESTING? YEAH.
JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I COULD BRING IT UP THEN.
YEAH, THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
DIDN'T NEED TO BE BROUGHT UP IN CONJUNCTION.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THE, UH, CONSENT AGENDA? IT'S ALREADY BEEN MOVED AND SECONDED FOR APPROVAL.
HEARING NONE, I WILL CALL THE QUESTION THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
UH, THE CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED IF THAT WAS YOUR CASE.
CONGRATULATIONS, YOU'RE, YOU ARE DONE AND YOU CAN GO.
[Items 3, 5, 8, 12 and 14]
HAVE ARE THOSE POSTED FOR, UH, CONSENT OR FOR POSTPONEMENT, UH, WITHOUT ANY DISCUSSION.THIS IS AN APPLICANT REQUESTED POSTPONEMENT.
UH, ALL OF THESE UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE, WILL BE TO OUR FEBRUARY MEETING.
UH, SO THAT IS THE, UH, 1308 SPRINGDALE ROAD.
ALSO, ITEM NUMBER FIVE IS 25 0 4 BRIDAL PATH.
AGAIN, UH, OFFERED FOR POSTPONEMENT.
AND WE HAVE, UM, ITEM NUMBER 8 10 0 3 MAL PHRASE, UH, OFFERED FOR POSTPONEMENT.
AND LET'S SEE, ITEM NUMBER 12 AT 7 0 5.
WEST LYNN IS OFFERED FOR POSTPONEMENT.
AND ITEM NUMBER 14, UH, 8 4 0 1 HATHAWAY DRIVE IS OFFERED FOR POSTPONEMENT.
I BELIEVE THOSE ARE ALL OF THE POSTPONEMENTS.
AND UNLESS THERE IS A REASON TO DISCUSS THAT, THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
UH, AND I'LL NEED A MOTION IN A SECOND FOR POSTPONEMENT.
MOTION TO APPROVE THE POSTPONEMENTS AS NOTED.
AND THEN BEFORE, UH, WE TAKE THAT VOTE, I WILL NEED TO BE NOTED AS ABSTAINING, UH, ON ITEM NUMBER 14 FOR THE POTENTIAL FOR A CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
UH, AND I, THAT THAT'S APPROPRIATE TO PUT IN THE RECORD.
SO OTHERWISE, UH, THERE ANY OTHER CLARIFICATIONS ON THE POSTPONEMENT AGENDA? HEARING NONE, I WILL CALL THE QUESTION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE POSTPONEMENT, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
[10. DA-2024-089522 – 810 W 11th St. West Downtown National Register Historic District Council District 9]
POSTPONEMENT, UH, THAT WE CAN PICK UP AT THIS TIME.UH, THAT IS ITEM NUMBER 10, THE EIGHT 10 WEST 11TH STREET.
AND THAT IS, UM, AGAIN, A TOTAL DEMOLITION.
UH, IF WE GO AHEAD AND POSTPONE THAT TO OUR NEXT MEETING, I BELIEVE, IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, THAT WILL BE THE LAST CHANCE WE'LL HAVE.
THERE WILL BE A POSSIBILITY THAT AFTER THAT IT WILL TIME OUT.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THAT'S NOT A APPLICANT.
APPLICANT'S NOT IN AGREEMENT WITH THAT.
SO STAFF, DO YOU WANNA JUST GIVE US
[00:25:01]
A BACKGROUND BEFORE WE, UH, DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT WE'D LIKE TO POSTPONE? THANK, THANK YOU CHAIR.THIS IS A, UH, PROPOSAL TO DEMOLISH A CONTRIBUTING PROPERTY TO THE WEST DOWNTOWN AUSTIN HISTORIC DISTRICT.
UM, THE APPLICATION IS DUE TO TIMEOUT ON MARCH 3RD.
UM, SO THE FEBRUARY 5TH, HLC IS THE LAST CHANCE TO, UM, UH, MAKE A MOTION ON IT.
UM, IT'S BEEN PRO POSTPONED FOR SEVERAL SESSIONS NOW.
UM, AND, UH, COMMITTEE FEEDBACK IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT, IF ANY NEW CONSTRUCTION IS PLANNED OR PROPOSED.
IF A DEMOLITION T WANT, UH, WERE TO BE APPROVED, UH, TO 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 INTEREST IN NEIGHBORHOOD GROUPS.
UM, AND THE MOST RECENT PROPOSAL WAS TO, UH, POSTPONE THE APPLICATION TO ALLOW FOR COMMUNITY INPUT.
ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? AGAIN, THE ISSUE IS ONLY THAT OF POSTPONEMENT.
WHETHER WE SHOULD POSTPONE THIS OR HEAR THE CASE TONIGHT.
IS THE APPLICANT HERE THIS EVENING OR THE REPRESENTATIVE? YES, SIR.
UH, PLEASE COME TO THE MICROPHONE AND I'M ASSUMING THAT YOU WOULD PREFER US NOT TO POSTPONE IT, IS THAT CORRECT? GOOD EVENING.
DREW ELL, UM, REPRESENTING THE OWNER? THAT IS CORRECT.
WE WOULD NOT LIKE TO POSTPONE.
AND THEN HAVE YOU, IN HEARING OUR DISCUSSIONS FROM PAST MEETINGS, HAD ANY, UM, INDICATION FROM THE OWNER THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES OR HAVE YOU BEEN DISCUSSING ANY POSSIBILITY OF ALTERNATIVES TO TOTAL DEMOLITION AT THIS TIME? WE HAVE, UM, MET WITH THE COMMISSION OBVIOUSLY AS WELL AS THE NEIGHBORHOOD, SEVERAL TIMES WE'VE COLLECTED, UM, YOUR FEEDBACK AND THE OWNERS CONSIDERING ALL OPTIONS AT THIS TIME.
BUT WE HAVE NOT FINALIZED ANY PLANS.
UM, WE REALLY, THIS IS JUST WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS.
WE, UM, AGREE WITH WHAT, HOW IT'S OUTLINED IN THE STAFF REPORT, THAT THE, UM, PROPERTY DOES NOT MEET THE CODE REQUIREMENT FOR HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
AND SO WE WOULD RESPECTFULLY REQUEST TO RELEASE THE PERMIT AND MOVE FORWARD SO THAT WE MAY, UM, MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP AND, AND BEGIN CONSIDERING THOSE ITEMS AND PUTTING TOGETHER PLANS TO BRING BACK TO THE BODY.
AND AS I RECALL, WE ASKED IF THERE WERE PLANS BECAUSE VERY TYPICALLY THE JUSTIFICATION FOR AN DEMOLITION OFTENTIMES IS MADE CLEARER AS WE CONSIDER BOTH THE LOSS OF THE CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURE, BUT ALSO THE, THE REPLACEMENT.
AND SO AT THIS POINT, THERE'S NO CHANGE FROM THE OWNER.
WE DON'T HAVE AN INDICATION OF WHAT THE PLANS ARE.
UM,
AND SO WE HAVE AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMISSION, MET WITH THE NEIGHBORS SEVERAL TIMES AND WE HAVE AN OPEN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM AND HAVE LET THEM KNOW THAT WE ARE GOING TO COME TO THEIR MEETING, UM, TO PRESENT TO THEM PLANS WHEN WE HAVE THEM.
AND SO THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH RELEASING THIS PERMIT SO THAT WE CAN MOVE TO THAT NEXT STEP AND BEGIN THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
AND THE OWNER IS AWARE THAT BEING IN THE REGISTERED DISTRICT, WE WILL, WE WILL HAVE TO REVIEW THE NEW PLANS AS WELL? YES, WE ARE VERY AWARE OF THAT.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IS THERE ANYBODY HERE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK EITHER FOR OR AGAINST? AGAIN, ONLY THE QUESTION OF WHETHER WE POSTPONE OR TAKE THIS UP FOR FINAL ACTION TONIGHT.
I SEE NOBODY HERE TO DISCUSS THAT.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, UM, WE HAVE A REQUEST FOR A POSTPONEMENT AND WE HAVE A, UH, REQUEST FROM THE OWNER NOT TO POSTPONE.
UH, WHAT ACTION WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE REGARDING THIS ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA? MOVE TO POSTPONE.
IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER GROGAN.
ALRIGHT, UH, YOU'RE, WE CAN DISCUSS THIS IF, UH, THERE IS ANY NEED TO COMMISSIONERS.
I, I, I THINK IT'S WORTH SAYING FOR THE RECORD THAT THIS IS ONE WHERE I THINK
[00:30:01]
IF WE DID TAKE THIS UP AND IF WE DID RELEASE THE PERMIT, I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THE, THE FAINT HOPE THAT MAYBE SOMETHING COULD HAPPEN OVER THE NEXT THREE OR FOUR WEEKS WOULD BE GONE.BUT, UM, THE FACT IS, IS THAT THERE'S VALUE TO THIS STRUCTURE.
PERHAPS ONE LAST TIME THERE IS SOME OPPORTUNITY THAT COULD HAPPEN.
UH, AND HOLDING THAT HOPE OUT, UH, I BELIEVE IT IS WORTHY OF TRYING ONE MORE TIME.
UH, BUT THIS WILL BE BACK NEXT MONTH.
IF, IF THIS MOTION PASSES, I'LL, I'LL SAY I'M GONNA SUPPORT THE MOTION TO POSTPONE.
UM, IN THIS CASE, WE HAVE A DISTRICT WITH A HIGHLY ACTIVE, UH, GROUP OF HIGHLY QUALIFIED PEOPLE TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES WITH.
I APPRECIATE THE APPLICANT HAS DISCUSSED, BUT I HAVEN'T HEARD THAT ANYTHING'S ACTUALLY COME OUT OF THAT.
SO, UM, THERE ARE OTHER CASES WHERE THERE MAY BE OTHER PLANS IN, IN DISCUSSION.
RIGHT NOW WE HAVE A, JUST A DEMOLITION PERMIT AND WE HAVE AN EAGER AND INVOLVED, UH, COMMUNITY AND I, I'M JUST NOT SEEING ANY PROGRESS, SO I WANT TO GIVE IT EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ACHIEVE SOMETHING.
ANY COMMISSIONERS? ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? OKAY, I'LL CALL THE QUESTION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF THE MOTION TO POSTPONE, UH, TO OUR FEBRUARY MEETING, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND AND I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED, SO IT IS UNANIMOUS.
UH, WITH THAT, I BELIEVE WE MAY
[2. Briefing on the Austin Independent School District Bond Program]
PROCEED WITH OUR, UH, BRIEFING.THAT'S ITEM NUMBER TWO, A BRIEFING ON THE AUSTIN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT BOND PROGRAM.
WE HAVE DAVE ANDERSON, IS THAT CORRECT? WELCOME CHAIRMAN, MR. CHAIRMAN, MADAM VICE CHAIR COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS DAVE ANDERSON AND I'M HERE TO PROVIDE YOU A BRIEFING ON THE 2022 A ID BOND PROGRAM AND HOW THAT PROGRAM, YOU MAY HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH THAT PROGRAM.
UM, SO WE'LL, WE'LL, UH, NEXT, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
UH, SO WE'RE HERE TONIGHT TO DESCRIBE THE PURPOSE AND THE DRIVERS FOR THE PROGRAM.
I THINK, UH, AT SOME LEVEL, EVERYBODY KNOWS WHAT THOSE DRIVERS ARE.
UM, UH, WE WANNA PROVIDE BACKGROUND FOR HLC EVALUATIONS OF DEMOLITION PERMIT REQUESTS, AND WE WANT TO, UM, REALLY UNDERSCORE THE SIGNIFICANT, UH, SCHEDULE, UH, LIMITATIONS THAT WE'RE OPERATING UNDER.
UH, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF THE GOAL FOR THE EVENING.
UM, I WANNA BE RESPECTFUL OF YOUR TIME.
EVERYBODY SAYS THAT WHEN THEY GET UP HERE.
BUT, UH, AS A FORMER COMMISSIONER, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, THE LABOR OF LOVE THAT YOU UNDERTAKE.
UM, IF I'M GOING TOO FAST, PLEASE SLOW ME DOWN AND ASK QUESTIONS.
UH, THE AGENDA IS LAID OUT BEFORE YOU.
SO THE BOND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, COUPLE OF THINGS TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT HERE, UM, AS OPPOSED TO WHAT FOLKS MAY THINK ON THE SURFACE, THE BOND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS, UM, WAS COMPRISED OF NOT ONLY JUST THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF THE SCHOOLS, UH, THROUGHOUT THE DISTRICT, BUT IT ALSO TOOK INTO ACCOUNT SOMETHING CALLED THE EDUCATIONAL SUSTAINABILITY, UH, ASSESSMENT.
HOW FIT ARE THE SCHOOLS TO EFFECTIVELY TEACH OUR KIDDOS? UH, AND THEN, UH, OVERLAID BY A CONCEPT CALLED EQUITY BY DESIGN.
UH, AND I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS.
SO, SO AS THE DISTRICT DETERMINED WHICH SCHOOLS TO PUT ON THE BOND, ALL THREE OF THOSE COMPONENTS WERE A FACTOR.
UM, THE PROCESS BEGAN IN 2021, IT'S NOW 2025, SO IT'S BEEN A LONG PROCESS.
UM, AND THE BOND STEERING COMMITTEE TOOK ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IN AND PRODUCED THE LIST THAT, UH, THE VOTERS ENDED UP VOTING ON.
FACILITIES CONDITIONS, CONDITION ASSESSMENT, IT'S FAIRLY SELF-EXPLANATORY.
UM, EVALUATES THE PHYSICAL CONDITION OF THE SCHOOLS.
UM, LOW SCORE INDICATES UNSATISFACTORY FACILITIES, LOOKS AT SITES, CIVIL CRAWLSPACE AREAS, INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE, UM, EXTERIOR COMPONENTS, STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS, ET CETERA.
UH, ON AVERAGE, THE SITE CIVIL SCORE 82 SCHOOLS SCORED UNSATISFACTORY.
SO, UH, NEXT SLIDE REAL QUICK.
YOU'RE NOT INTENDED TO READ THIS, BUT THIS IS A SNAPSHOT OF THE, KIND OF, THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT WENT THAT, UM, THE, THE DISTRICT WENT INTO IN EVALUATING AND MEASURING FACILITY, UH, CONDITIONS.
THE EDUCATIONAL SUITABILITY ASSESSMENT.
[00:35:01]
ON MY SLIDE.HOW WELL DOES A FACILITY SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING? RIGHT? UH, INCLUDES ITEMS SUCH AS EXTERIOR, GENERAL BUILDING, SECURITY, CONTROLLABILITY OF LIGHTING, FURNITURE, ACADEMIC AND ADMINISTRATIVE SPACES, UH, FOOD SERVICES, ATHLETICS, WELLNESS, AND TECHNOLOGY.
HOW WELL CAN EACH OF THESE FACILITIES REALLY, UM, SERVE IN AN EDUCATIONAL, UH, ROLE? UM, YOU'LL SEE IN THE NEXT, UH, THE SECOND BULLET, THE WORST SCORING.
ESA CATEGORIES ARE ACADEMICS AND LEARNING ADMINISTRATIVE SPACES, FOOD SERVICES AND TECHNOLOGY.
UH, THE BEST SCORING, WHICH IS KIND OF EXCITING TO BE VERY HONEST WITH YOU, WERE OUTDOOR LEARNING AND ACTIVITY.
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND FURNITURE FIXTURES AND EQUIPMENT.
UH, IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, AGAIN, YOU'RE NOT INTENDED, THIS IS JUST A BRIEFING.
UH, BUT IT SHOWS AGAIN, THE LEVEL OF DETAIL AND THE EVALUATION THAT THE DISTRICT UNDERTOOK IN DETERMINING WHAT SCHOOLS WENT INTO THE BOND.
THIS IS THE EQUITY BY DESIGN OVERLAY, THE, THE THIRD LENS BY WHICH SCHOOLS WERE EVALUATED.
SO IT'S NOT JUST IS THE SCHOOL IN A, IN A, UH, IN A STATE THAT IS, UM, SUITABLE FOR, UH, PROPER EDUCATION.
IT'S NOT JUST THAT, UH, THE SCHOOL HAS, UM, THE PHYSICAL INTEGRITY TO, TO SERVE THE STUDENTS, BUT THE DISTRICT ALSO LOOKED DISTRICT-WIDE AT EQUITY ISSUES.
AND SO THOSE, AGAIN, UH, NEXT SLIDE.
SO YOU'LL SEE HERE, 52 SCHOOLS, UH, WITH HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED STUDENTS OVERLAP WITH HIGH SOCIAL AND VULNERABILITY, UH, CENSUS TRACKS.
NEXT SLIDE, 25 OF THOSE 52 SCHOOLS ALSO HAVE AVERAGE OR WORSE FACILITIES.
SO AGAIN, IT'S REALLY A MIASMA OF ALL OF THE, THOSE FACTORS THAT WENT INTO, UH, WHICH SCHOOLS WERE PUT ON THE BOND LIST.
NEXT SLIDE, COMMUNITY OUTREACH.
AGAIN, I WANT TO UNDERSCORE THAT THIS BEGAN FOUR YEARS AGO.
AS THE BOND WAS DEVELOPED, FOLKS WENT OUT TO THE COMMUNITY, THE BOND STEERING COMMITTEE, UH, SORRY, FEBRUARY 22, SO THREE YEARS AGO.
BUT IT WAS A ROBUST, AND MANY OF YOU MAY HAVE PARTICIPATED.
I DID, UH, ROBUST COMMUNITY OUTREACH, UH, PROGRAM, UM, THAT CULMINATED IN THE NEXT SLIDE, THE LANGUAGE, UH, THAT WA THE VOTERS APPROVED, UH, FOR THE 2022 BALLOT.
AS IT APPLIES TO THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION, THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS I WANTED TO POINT OUT.
FIRST THING IS THAT THERE IS, UH, UM, LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE.
TEXAS LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE ALLOWS A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ENTER INTO A SPECIAL, UM, AGREEMENT WITH A MUNICIPALITY, UH, FOR LAND DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS.
A ISD HAS SUCH AN AGREEMENT WITH THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
UH, AND, UH, DEMOLITION PERMITS ARE ADDRESSED SPECIFICALLY IN THAT DOCUMENT.
UM, YOU CAN READ THE, OH, SORRY, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE.
UM, FIRST BULLET IS JUST STATING THAT THE SECOND BULLET HAS THE DETAILS.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE MAY REVIEW AND RELEASE A DEMOLITION PERMIT ADMINISTRATIVELY WITHOUT THE REQUIREMENT OF A HEARING BEFORE THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION IF THE APPLICABLE PROJECT WAS INCLUDED IN THE SCHOOL DISTRICT BOND APPROVED BY VOTERS.
THIS GIVES THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY, UH, BUT, BUT THE OPERATIVE WORD IS MAY, RIGHT? AND SO THERE MAY BE SITUATIONS WHERE, UH, DEMOLITION PERMITS COME BEFORE THIS COMMISSION.
THAT'S WHY I'M HERE BRIEFING YOU ON THIS.
THE FIRST OF THOSE, UH, THAT BATCH WILL PROBABLY BE NEXT MONTH.
SO I JUST WANTED YOU TO HAVE THIS BACKGROUND.
UM, THE CITY AND THE, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICTS SHOULD COLLABORATE TO IDENTIFY PROJECTS, UM, THAT ARE OVER 50 YEARS OF AGE AND MEET THE REQUIREMENTS THAT YOU ALL ARE SO FAMILIAR WITH IN 25 2 3 52.
OBVIOUSLY, I DID NOT MEAN FOR YOU TO READ THIS 'CAUSE THE FONT IS TINY AND THIS IS YOUR, UH, OPERATING CREDO FOR, FOR, FOR WHAT YOU DO AS COMMISSIONERS.
I WILL POINT OUT, IF I CAN READ IT, UH, PROPERTIES THE AT LEAST 50 YEARS OLD AND REPRESENTS A PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANT, OF, OF SIGNIFICANCE OF AT LEAST, AT LEAST 50 YEARS.
ITEM TWO, THE PROPERTY RETAINS A HIGH DEGREE OF INTEGRITY THAT CLEARLY CONVEYS THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND DOES NOT INCLUDE ADDITION OR ALTERATIONS.
AGAIN, I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THIS BACKWARDS AND FORWARDS, BUT, UM, THE DISTRICT FEELS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANTED TO, TO RECOGNIZE, UH, WHAT YOUR CHARGE IS AS COMMISSIONERS.
[00:40:01]
SLIDE.SCHEDULE IMPLICATIONS, UNLIKE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.
THIS, UH, THE SCHEDULE ASSOCIATED WITH MODERNIZATION OF SCHOOL BUILDINGS IS VERY INTRICATE.
AND I THINK, AGAIN, THE SLIDE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE READ, BUT TO SEE HOW EVERYTHING IS COORDINATED SO CLOSELY.
UM, THE, THE FOCUS OF THE ENTIRE BOND PROGRAM IS TO MINIMIZE TEMPORARY CLASSROOM ENVIRONMENTS FOR STUDENTS.
AND MAX MAXIMIZE THEIR LEARNING POTENTIAL.
AS I, AS I STARTED TO SAY, AS OPPOSED TO DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, SCHEDULED DELAYS FOR SCHOOL PROJECTS COULD BUMP YOU WITH SEMESTER, COULD BUMP THOSE KIDS A YEAR, RIGHT? SO SCHEDULE IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT, UM, FOR THE, FOR THE STUDENTS.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FROM A FINANCIAL PERSPECTIVE.
WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY DOLLAR WE'RE SPENDING IS GOING RIGHT TO THE SCHOOLS.
UH, AND SO, UH, WE WANT YOU TO, TO TRY TO, WE ENCOURAGE THE COMMISSION TO KEEP THAT IN MIND AS YOU EVALUATE ANY SCHOOLS THAT MAY BE COMING TO YOU IN THE FUTURE.
UM, HERE IS A, UH, SORRY, WHAT, UH, ONE MORE SLIDE AFTER THAT PROGRAM SUMMARY.
THESE ARE SCHOOLS, UM, THAT ARE ON THE BOND THAT ARE OVER 50 YEARS OF AGE.
UH, JUST A COUPLE, JUST IN THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS.
WE'VE IDENTIFIED A COUPLE OF OTHERS.
SOME OF THESE, UH, PROJECTS ARE IMMINENT, SOME OF THEM ARE LESS IMMINENT, BUT THE INTENT IS TO BRING THOSE THAT THE STAFF, AS THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE HAS DETERMINED, UM, MAY BE APPROPRIATE FOR THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION TO REVIEW TO THOSE BEGINNING NEXT MONTH, UH, THE NEXT SLIDE, AND THOSE AFTER IT.
UM, I BELIEVE YOU SHOULD HAVE A COPY OF THESE IN YOUR BACKUP IF YOU WANNA READ, UH, EACH OF THE, BASICALLY SUMMARIES OF WHAT'S HAPPENING AT EACH OF THOSE SCHOOLS.
UH, ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT HOW THE FACILITY DESIGN PROCESS WORKED.
SO AT EACH OF THE SCHOOLS, UH, THERE'S A CAMPUS ARCHITECTURAL TEAM THAT MEETS, UH, AND EVALUATES HOW THE ARCHITECTURE, UM, WILL BE DONE FOR THESE, UH, WHETHER THEY'RE FULL MODERNIZATIONS OR MAYBE THERE'S A PARTIAL DEMOLITION.
UH, AND THOSE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S COMPOSED OF SCHOOL INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITY INDIVIDUALS, PROFESSIONAL REGISTERED ARCHITECTS, UM, PARENTS, SOME STUDENTS.
UM, AND SO THAT HAPPENS FOR EVERY SCHOOL ON THE BOND.
UM, AND THEY HAVE MET, WHEN DID THEY START MEETING FOLKS? THE CATS? UH, PROBABLY WITHIN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS.
SO THOSE, THOSE CONVERSATIONS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR A LONG TIME.
AND I JUST WANTED TO MENTION THAT BECAUSE IT UNDERSCORE, IT UNDERSCORES THE IMPORTANCE OF, OF EVALUATING HISTORIC ELEMENTS OF SOME OF THE SCHOOLS.
UH, FINALLY, THE FACILITY, UH, DESIGN PROCESS, AGAIN, THAT INVOLVES, UH, CAMPUS ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE, UH, MEETINGS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS.
THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMMUNITY MEETINGS ON EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THE SCHOOLS THAT HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN AS PART OF THE BOND PROCESS.
UH, AND THEN DEPARTMENT MEETINGS.
SO IN SUMMARY, SKIP TWO SLIDES.
THE SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN CAREFULLY SELECTED FOR MODERNIZATION OR OTHER IMPROVEMENTS BASED NOT ONLY ON THE PHYSICAL CONDITION, BUT ALSO ON THE EDUCATIONAL SUITABILITY.
AND IT'S ALSO BEEN LOOKED AT, UH, THROUGH A LENS OF EQUITY.
EACH SCHOOL HAS UNDERGONE A DESIGN PROCESS THAT BALANCES THE NEEDS IDENTIFIED ABOVE, WHILE ACCOMMODATING ANY HISTORICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SCHOOL OR THE PROPERTY ITSELF.
IN FEBRUARY, UH, ON MARCH, SO STARTING NEXT MONTH, THE INTENT IS TO, UH, BRING ANY SCHOOLS THAT MAY MEET THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION CRITERIA AS DETERMINED BY STAFF AND ALLOWED BY THE INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT TO THE HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION.
UM, THESE IN A PERFECT WORLD WOULD BE PRESENTED IN A SINGLE MEETING SO THAT THE DISTRICT HAS CERTAINTY TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, UNDERSTAND THAT PRACTICALITIES OF THAT, YOU KNOW, MAY DIFFER, BUT THAT'S THE INTENT.
UH, AND THAT'S WHAT WE DID IN FOR THE 2017 BOND.
UM, AND I JUST WILL, WOULD, WOULD WRAP UP BY SAYING, UM, WE APPRECIATE, UH, THE PRESERVATION, UM, ACTIVITIES THAT THE COMMISSION UNDERTAKES THE DISTRICT FEELS STRONGLY ABOUT, UH, THE HISTORY OF, UM, THE SCHOOLS THAT ARE ON THE BOND PROGRAM.
AND WE'RE HERE, UM, TO DO OUR BEST TO, TO CREATE A GREAT RELATIONSHIP HERE AND TO BE TRANSPARENT
[00:45:01]
AND JUST WANTED TO GIVE YOU A BRIEFING OF WHAT'S COMING YOUR WAY IN THE NEXT MONTH.UM, COMMISSIONERS, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF OUR PRESENTER? YES, I, I JUST HAD A COMMENT THAT, UM, APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE.
I REALLY UNDERSTAND THE PRESSURES AISD IS UNDER WITH THE CHANGING EDUCATION REGULATORY LANDSCAPE AS WELL AS TECHNOLOGY, DEMOGRAPHICS, UM, FINANCES, SECURITY, WE, WE TOTALLY UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, BUT, AND THAT YOU'RE COMING HERE AND ADDRESSING US.
I WAS JUST, UM, ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU KNOW, SCHOOLS ARE CLOSE TO THE HEART OF MANY COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND EVERYONE WOULD THINK THEIR LOCAL SCHOOL HAS HISTORY IN THEIR COMMUNITY, WANNA HAVE COMMUNITY VALUES.
SO I, I DO THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO, IS TO, TO ADDRESS THESE PROACTIVELY, WHICH WAS PART OF THE PRESERVATION PLAN, UH, DIRECTIVE.
BUT I WAS JUST CURIOUS, WAS HISTORIC VALUE CONSIDERED AT ALL IN ANY OF THESE AS, AS PART OF THE, ARE THERE ANY THAT STICK OUT IN YOUR MIND THAT YOU, YOU WERE PLANNING ON SAVING ANY, I GUESS THAT'S, THAT HAVE BE DISCUSSED NEXT MONTH, BUT I WAS JUST CURIOUS WHETHER IT WAS CONSIDERED AMONG ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER.
MICHAEL, DO YOU WANNA TAKE THIS? WE HAVE, UH, FOUR FOLKS FROM THE DISTRICT HERE TO ANSWER THE DETAILED QUESTIONS, SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO MICHAEL MANN.
AND PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD.
I AM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT FOR AUSTIN, ISD.
I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE DISTRICT FOR ABOUT 11 YEARS, UH, PART, UH, CONSULTANT AND FOR ABOUT SIX YEARS AS A DISTRICT EMPLOYEE, UH, BEEN THROUGH MUCH OF THIS PROCESS.
UM, I BELIEVE YOUR QUESTION WAS AROUND WHAT CONSIDERATIONS WERE TAKEN INTO, OR WHAT THINGS WERE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION, EITHER DURING BOND PLANNING OR DURING THE ACTUAL PLANNING OF THE NEW BUILDING OR RENOVATIONS FROM A HISTORIC PERSPECTIVE.
UM, DURING THE LONG RANGE PLANNING PROCESS THAT, UH, DAVE SO ELOQUENTLY LAID OUT, UM, THERE WERE, THERE WERE DISCUSSIONS.
IT WASN'T A PRIMARY TALKING POINT, THOUGH, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU.
UH, I'LL BE, I'LL ALWAYS BE HONEST WITH YOU.
UM, IT WASN'T ONE OF LIKE A SPECIFIC THING.
MORE DURING THE CAP PROCESS THAT CAMPUS ARCHITECTURAL TEAM PROCESS, IT'S VERY MUCH A DISCUSSION THAT HAPPENS, AND THAT'S A MORE APPROPRIATE TIME, PERHAPS, ALTHOUGH WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING AT DOING THINGS BETTER.
SO MAYBE THAT NEEDS TO BE A CONSIDERATION DURING LONG RANGE PLANNING AS WELL, MORE, MORE CONSIDERATELY.
BUT THAT CAMPUS ARCHITECTURAL TEAM PROCESS, ALL OF THAT COMES OUT, WHETHER IT'S, UM, 50 YEARS OLD OR NOT, UH, WHAT IS SIGNIFICANT TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, TO THE COMMUNITY, TO THE STUDENTS, TO THE STAFF.
UM, AND IT CAN BE ANYTHING FROM A MURAL ON THE WALL, UH, SOME SORT OF DEDICATION.
UH, BUT WE DO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION AND ABSOLUTELY LOOK AT THAT FROM ALL ANGLES.
UM, SO IT IS, IT IS TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION AND, AND VERY MUCH IMPORTANT TO US.
YEAH, I WOULD JUST ENCOURAGE YOU TO FOCUS ON THAT AS, AS THE COLLECTION OF BUILDINGS, BECAUSE WHEN WE SEE EACH BUILDING IN ISOLATION, IT'S HARD TO GET CONTEXT OF WHAT WE'RE SAVING, WHAT WE'RE NOT SAVING.
WE'RE JUST FOCUSING ON ONE BUILDING.
SO IF YOU COULD TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU IDENTIFIED AND WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO SAVE IT, IT MAY HELP THE CASE FOR THE OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHEN THEY COME FORWARD, WHEN THEY COME FORWARD.
WELL, I'M ACTUALLY, I'M GONNA, WELL GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER.
I, I GUESS I WAS JUST GOING TO THANK, AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENDANCE TONIGHT AND YOUR WILLINGNESS TO ADDRESS OUR QUESTIONS.
UH, I'M A LITTLE CURIOUS, AND I HAVE WORKED ON A NUMBER OF SCHOOL PROJECTS, UH, WITH OUR FIRM, BUT I'M, I'M CURIOUS ABOUT THE FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT, BECAUSE QUITE OFTEN THAT'S, UH, THAT'S WHERE PRESERVATION COMES INTO PLAY WHEN YOU DO THAT CONDITION ASSESSMENT AND YOU EVALUATE THE STRUCTURE OF THE MATERIAL TYPES, ET CETERA.
AND DO YOU, I KNOW YOU HAVE A, A GROUP OF CONSULTANTS, DO YOU EDUCATE THEM IN ANY WAY AS TO THE SENSITIVITY OF PRESERVATION WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENTS, BUT BY NATURE, UH, THE FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT, UM, WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT SCHOOL FACILITY OR, OR ANY OTHER BUILDING THAT'S, THAT'S BEING EVALUATED THAT WAY, IT'S A KIND OF AN INDUSTRY STANDARD.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT'S NOT, THAT'S NOT PART OF IT.
IT'S MORE OF A, UM, IT'S MORE BLACK AND WHITE, YOU KNOW, IS THE STRUCTURE GOOD? ARE THE ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS GOOD? IS THE PAINT GOOD? IS THE FLOOR FINISHED GOOD? IS THE ROOFING MATERIAL BEYOND ITS USEFUL LIFE? ARE THE HVAC COMPONENTS BEYOND THE ROOF USEFUL LIFE? HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE DOESN'T COME INTO PLAY, UH, WHEN TALKING ABOUT FACILITY CONDITION.
I THINK MAYBE YOU'RE GETTING AT SOMETHING ELSE, THOUGH.
ARE WE EDUCATING OUR EVALUATORS
[00:50:01]
AS TO THE SIGNIFICANCE? IS, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE ASKING? OR IT'S NOT TYPICALLY SOMETHING THAT'S TALKED ABOUT DURING THAT, THAT PROCESS.IT'S A LITTLE MORE KIND OF OKAY.
BUT I MEAN, IF I, IF I EVALUATE A HOLLOW PLATE TILE ROOF, FOR EXAMPLE MM-HMM
RIGHT? THAT'S A, THAT'S A DIFFICULT MATERIAL TO REPLACE.
AND I, I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THE BUDGET CHALLENGES THAT THE DISTRICT'S UNDER, AND I'M RESPECTFUL AND I APPRECIATE IT.
AT, AT THE SAME TIME, ARE WE EDUCATED ENOUGH TO ADVISE YOU THAT, HEY, THERE ARE REPLICATE TILES, THEY ARE AVAILABLE, YOU CAN DO IT.
AND, AND I SEE THAT WELL AS I WOULD DO IT AS PART OF A FACILITY CONDITION ASSESSMENT IF I WERE WORKING FOR YOU.
SO THAT'S KIND OF THE, THE CONTEXT OF MY QUESTION.
DOES THAT, DOES THAT HELP? IT DOES, YEAH.
UH, WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE OF THAT WITH MARTIN MIDDLE SCHOOL.
WE'RE REPLACING THE WINDOWS BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT ENERGY EFFICIENT.
THEY'RE BEYOND THEIR USEFUL LIFE.
BUT LET'S BE SENSITIVE TO WHAT WE GO BACK IN WITH.
SO THERE'S RESPECT OF THE ARCHITECTURE, IS THAT MORE OF THE, UH, THE TYPE OF THING? AND SO WE, WE DO WITH OUR DESIGN TEAMS, WALK THROUGH THAT, AND LET'S NOT GO IN THERE WITH SOMETHING THAT'S TOTALLY, UH, LET, LET'S LOOK FOR SOMETHING THAT'S IN KEEPING WITH THAT, WITH THAT HISTORICAL ELEMENT OF THE, OF THE BUILDING, IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
UH, I, I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, LIKE THIS IS ONE BODY IN PARTICULAR THAT IS LOADED WITH ARCHITECTURAL PRESERVATION TALENT, AND SO WE COULD PROBABLY FIND A WAY TO HELP FACILITATE A SEMINAR OR TWO IN TERMS OF THE SENSITIVITY OF SOME OF THOSE ASPECTS.
SO IF YOU'RE EVER IN NEED, NO, MAYBE REACH BACK OUT TO US.
I, AS A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER, I LIKE VOLUNTEERING THEIR TIME
COMMISSIONER LAROCHE
OBVIOUSLY THIS, THIS CAME TO YOUR ATTENTION PERHAPS BECAUSE WE MISSED A COUPLE OF STEPS EARLY IN THE PROCESS.
AND YET I THINK THIS GIVES US AN OPPORTUNITY TO THINK MORE BROADLY.
UH, THE DISTRICT WENT THROUGH AN IMMENSE BUILDING PROGRAM STARTING IN THE FIFTIES THROUGH THE SIXTIES AND EARLY SEVENTIES, AND NOT EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THOSE SCHOOLS IS OF THE SAME QUALITY OR HAS ALL THE ASSOCIATIONS THAT THEY WOULD BE WORTHY OF LANDMARK CONSIDERATION.
SO WE'RE TAKING THAT INTO ACCOUNT HERE, BUT ALSO THE VALUE OF THOSE SCHOOLS ARE NOT NECESSARILY JUST WORTHY OF DISCUSSION WHEN YOU HAPPEN TO NEED A BUILDING PERMIT.
SO THE REMAINING PROJECTS ARE ONLY PART, PERHAPS OF WHAT REALLY IS THE CONVERSATION THAT THIS HOPEFULLY MAY OPEN UP.
AND I'D BE WILLING TO PUT SOME TIME IN, UH, BOTH PERSONALLY AS WELL AS I THINK, DEDICATE SOME OF OUR COMMISSION, UH, ACTION SO THAT WE CAN HELP THE DISTRICT TAKE A BROADER VIEW OF YOU AS A LANDOWNER AND HAVING A WHOLE BREADTH OF VERY UNIQUE AND VALUABLE HISTORIC RESOURCES.
UH, SOME OF THEM MAY NOT BE TOUCHED YET, BUT MIGHT BE QUITE MORE WORTHY THAN SOME OF THEM ON OUR LIST.
AND IF WE COULD START MAKING SOME OF THAT EVALUATION, I, I KIND OF MAKE THIS AKIN TO WHAT WE DO WHEN NEIGHBORS APPROACH US AND WE'RE THINKING ABOUT A HISTORIC DISTRICT, AND THERE HASN'T BEEN ALREADY AN INVENTORY MADE.
AND SO THAT PROCESS OF DOING AN, UH, AN INVENTORY EVALUATING SOME OF THE, AT LEAST THE FIRST CUT OF WHAT IS THE MORE OR LESSER VALUES, I THINK THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE COULD MAYBE JUMP INTO BASED ON THIS, THIS, UH, REQUEST THAT YOU'RE MAKINGS A GREAT IDEA.
SO LET'S FOLLOW UP THEN AND, UM, AGAIN, MAYBE THROUGH STAFF AND THEN EVEN OFFLINE, UH, MICHAEL, YOU AND I HAVE, WE, WE KNOW HOW TO GET A HOLD OF EACH OTHER, SO GOOD.
LET'S, LET'S SEE WHAT WE CAN DO MAYBE TO, UH, LOOK AT THIS MORE BROADLY AND ANSWER THE QUESTION FOR, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE, YOUR EARLY 20TH CENTURY, UH, SCHOOLS ARE HERE BECAUSE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE FIGURED OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, THOSE WERE WORTH KEEPING.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE KNOW THOSE ARE OF VALUE.
SOME OF THESE MODERN ONES, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S GONNA TAKE SOME TIME TO REALLY MAKE SURE THE EXPERTS, UH, ARE ABLE TO WEIGH IN AND EVEN A CURSORY LOOK AT SOME OF THEM.
UH, I MEAN, I, I'M ALREADY IN MY MIND THINKING OF A FEW, UH, THAT PROBABLY ARE EXEMPLARY REPRESENTATIONS OF, UH, OUTSTANDING ARCHITECTURE FROM THAT ERA.
AND JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE DESIGNATED LANDMARKS DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T UPDATE THEM OR MAKE CHANGES, BUT IT WOULD ALL BE DONE WITH THE RESOURCES OF OUR COMMISSION AND THE STAFF, UH, AS WELL AS OTHERS WHO ARE SUPPORTERS OF PRESERVATION TO SEE THOSE PASSED ON IN FUTURE GENERATIONS AS TRULY REPRESENTATIVES
[00:55:01]
OF THOSE SPECIAL ERA THAT THEY CAME FROM.AND I, I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA.
UM, ALL OF THAT HELPS US WITH OUR PLANNING.
'CAUSE IT'S NOT, IT'S MULTIDIMENSIONAL, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FACTORS THAT WE CONSIDER WHEN WE'RE, WE'RE REPLACING BUILDINGS OR UPDATING THEM, MODERNIZING THEM.
AND I THINK IT ALSO MAY PUT AUSTIN IN A, A VERY GOOD POSITION WITH PERHAPS OTHER, UH, DISTRICTS NOT ONLY IN THE STATE, BUT POSSIBLY EVEN NATIONALLY.
'CAUSE I THINK THIS IS SORT OF, YOU KNOW, IN THE PRESERVATION MOVEMENT, MODERNISM IS JUST SORT OF SNEAKING UP ON FOLKS AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, OH, THAT IS HISTORIC, ISN'T IT? YOU KNOW? AND SO THAT'S THE THING.
A BIG BROAD PROGRAM LIKE THIS, I, WE, WE UNDERSTAND WHY IT MIGHT BE, YOU KNOW, AT FIRST BLUSH AN EASY THING TO OVERLOOK, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS IS THAT PERIOD OF TIME WHERE WE START REALLY EVALUATING, BUT ALSO ELEVATING THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE PUBLIC AND THEN OUR OWN RESOURCES TO REALLY BRING FORWARD THOSE ITEMS THAT ARE THE MOST SPECIAL FROM THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER? ALRIGHT, WELL THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE BRIEFING.
WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, THE AGENDA NEXT MONTH.
UH, I DON'T FEEL YOU, I KNOW YOU WANT A QUICK ACTION, BUT DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO RUSH IT ON OUR PART.
UH, AND THEN I THINK AGAIN, THIS MAY BE OPENING UP A BROADER DIALOGUE EVEN ON SOME OF THESE LONGER TERM QUESTIONS.
I DO WANT TO PASS ALONG MY CONDOLENCES FOR YOUR FELLOW COMMISSIONER, THE PASSING OF YOUR FELLOW COMMISSIONER.
SO, UM, PART GOES OUT TO Y'ALL.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, COMMISSIONERS.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, THAT BRINGS US UP TO OUR FIRST DISCUSSION ITEM AND THAT'S ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UH, SIX 10 BAYLOR STREET.
I WOULD LIKE TO POKE IN REAL QUICK, SAY WE HAVE, DO WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS TODAY? WE HAVE ONE PERSON.
YES, WE FINISHED OUR BRIEFING.
[PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL]
COMMUNICATION.YES, WE HAVE MR. ERIC STANDRIDGE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING AND, AND PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD.
UH, GOOD EVENING, UH, COMMISSIONERS.
UH, MY NAME IS ERIC STANDRIDGE.
I, UH, I SIGNED UP, UH, TODAY TO, UH, PUBLICLY THANK THE CHAIR FOR THEIR VOICE AS WELL AS COMMISSIONER RUBIO ON THE 1500 EAST HALL STREET CASE.
UH, UNDOUBTEDLY WITHOUT YOUR PARTICIPATION, BOTH JUAN RAMON'S AND YOUR VOICE WAS CRITICAL, WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THAT OUTCOME.
AND, UM, THINKING ABOUT HIM, I THOUGHT I WOULD COME HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU HOW WE MOVE THAT CASE FORWARD.
UH, HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON THAT CASE.
I WAS ON A LOT OF CALLS WITH HIM OVER THE FALL AND SUMMER, AND IT SEEMS FITTING THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS A GOOD OUTCOME.
AND, UM, I WANNA JUST THANK EVERYBODY, VOLUNTEERS, THEIR TIME FOR OUR CITY BECAUSE IT'S, UH, IT'S IMPORTANT.
WE THANK YOU SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR THE IMMENSE AMOUNT OF WORK.
WE, YOU KNOW, IT, IT IS TRULY A TEAM EFFORT.
UM, BUT YES, UH, TO HAVE A TALENTED TEAM PLAYER ALL OF A SUDDEN NO LONGER ON THE FIELD, WE FEEL HIS ABSENCE, ALL OF US.
AND, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S NO, THERE'S, THERE'S NOTHING WE CAN DO OTHER THAN JUST APPRECIATE JUST WHAT IT, WHAT A GIFT IT WAS TO HAVE HIM WITH US AT THE SAME TIME, UH, THANK YOU ALSO FOR THE BROADER CONVERSATIONS THAT I HOPE THIS STARTS.
UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES.
YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT FINISHED BY ANY MEANS IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD OR WITH SOME OF THE PROPERTIES THAT WE'RE ALREADY DISCUSSED, UH, AT THAT PRESENTATION.
AND THAT POSITIVE OUTCOME STILL WILL TAKE A LOT OF WORK AND WE KNOW THAT AND WE APPRECIATE YOU COMING FORWARD AND DON'T GIVE UP.
YEAH, THE WORK IS STILL AHEAD OF US, UH, AND THERE'S MANY, MANY RESOURCES.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN HARNESS THAT ALONG WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE COUNCIL, UH, AND BRING SOMETHING EVEN BETTER PERHAPS THAN WE ANTICIPATED.
AND IF, IF YOU WANNA KNOW ABOUT SOME OF THE SPECIFIC ITEMS THAT MIGHT BE IN THE FUTURE, UH, OR TO RECOGNIZE JUAN RAYMOND'S SERVICE, UH, UNFORTUNATELY IT'LL BE THE END OF OUR AGENDA, BUT WE WILL HAVE A BRIEFING OF STAFF IF YOU'D LIKE TO WAIT AROUND FOR THAT.
UH, THAT MIGHT BRING YOU UP TO, UH, UP ON SOME OF WHAT'S CURRENT.
I THINK NOW THAT WE HAVE HISTORIC DESIGNATION ON THAT PROPERTY, THE NEXT STEP IS TO KEEP AN EYE ON IT AND MAKE SURE THE WINDOWS AREN'T LEFT OPEN AND THE ROOF ISN'T CAVING IN AND THAT IT'S STABLE BECAUSE WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY NOW TO ISSUE A DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT, UH, IF THEY'RE NOT MAINTAINING IT PROPERLY.
AND YOU CAN LOOK AT THE IQ HURDLE, HOUSE ACROSS THE STREET IS KIND OF AN EXAMPLE, AS I'M SURE YOU'RE AWARE.
UM, SO WE HAVE THAT TOOL AT OUR DISPOSAL.
UH, WE NEED TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE HAD PROPERTY HISTORIC PROPERTIES GET TO THE POINT WHERE THE CITY REQUIRES A HISTORIC PROPERTY TO BE TORN DOWN BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S ERODED.
SO, UH, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT AS A TOOL THAT WE NEED TO USE MORE OFTEN TO MAKE SURE PEOPLE ARE TAKING CARE OF
[01:00:01]
THEIR BUILDINGS.SO IF YOU HAVE, MAY HAVE DAILY INTERACTION WITH THE BUILDING, IF YOU SEE THE WINDOWS LEFT OPEN, IF YOU SEE ISSUES THAT ARE SUCH THAT IT WOULD CAUSE PROGRESSIVE DETERIORATION, PLEASE NOTIFY STAFF AND, AND WE CAN GET IT, UH, BROUGHT UP ON AGENDA.
[4. C14H-2024-0171 – 610 Baylor St. Council District 9 ]
OUR CASES AND THE FIRST ITEM, UH, HISTORIC ZONING APPLICATION ITEM NUMBER FOUR, AND THAT'S 16 6 10 BAYLOR STREET CHAIR.I HAVE A CONFLICT WITH THIS PROPERTY, SO I'M GONNA STEP OUT AND ABSOLUTELY SAM, YOU CAN SNAG ME WHEN THE DUST SETTLES.
COMMISSIONER VOS IS OFF THE DAIS AND YOU MAY PROCEED.
UM, THE ELTON AND LUCY PERRY HOUSE LOCATED AT SIX 10 BAYLOR STREET IS, UM, A, UH, UM, OWNER SUPPORTED, UH, REZONING FOR HISTORIC ZONING.
UM, THE ZONING CHANGE FROM NMF FOUR HDNP TO MF FOUR H-H-D-N-P.
THAT'S FROM, UH, MULTI-FAMILY, MODERATE DENSITY, HISTORIC DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN, COMBINING DISTRICT TO MULTIFAMILY MODERATE DENSITY, HISTORIC DISTRICT, HISTORIC LANDMARK NEIGHBORHOOD PLAN.
COMBINING DISTRICT, UH, STAFF RECOMMENDS THE PROPOSED CHANGE, UM, ON THE QUALIFICATIONS OF ARCHITECTURE, COMMUNITY VALUE, AND HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS.
THE PERRY HOUSE, ALONG WITH ITS NEIGHBOR AT 6 0 8 BAYLOR, WHICH WAS BUILT BY THE SAME OWNERS, IS SET AT A HIGH ELEVATION OVERLOOKING DOWNTOWN AUSTIN.
CONSTRUCTED IN 1903 OF MASONRY AND STANDING TWO AND A HALF STORIES TALL, THE RESIDENTS WOULD, UH, THE RESIDENTS WOULD HAVE BEEN VISIBLE FROM A DISTANCE UPON ITS COMPLETION IN BODIES, THE QUEEN ANNE STYLE WITH DETAILS SUCH AS PLAING, GABLE WINDOWS, AND ORNATE BRACKETS, ENHANCING THE GRAND WRAPAROUND PORCH ON TWO FLOORS AS WELL AS THE GRAND STAIR UP FROM THE STREET LEVEL TO THE MAIN ENTRY.
THE PURE MIDDLE ROOF IS SET AT A MODERATE TO STEEP PITCH, WHICH CREATES AN EVEN MORE IMPOSING PHYSICAL APPEARANCE WHILE THE ARCHITECTS AND BUILDERS OF THE PERRY HOUSE CANNOT BE IDENTIFIED.
THE ARCHITECTURAL DETAILING AND OVERALL FORM EXEMPLIFY THE QUEEN ANNE STYLE IN CASTLE HILL AND THE BROADER WESTLINE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
THE PERRY FAMILY ORIGINALLY HAD TIES TO COLONIAL AMERICA, SPECIFICALLY RHODE ISLAND AND THE MARITIME INDUSTRIES.
ELTON PERRY MOVED WITH HIS FAMILY TO GALVESTON THEN IN THE REPUBLIC OF TEXAS AS A YOUNG CHILD AROUND, UH, OR SLIGHTLY BEFORE 1838 THERE.
HIS FATHER, JAMES B. PERRY, SERVED FOR MANY YEARS IN THE CUSTOM HOUSE AND GAINED, GAINED NOTORIETY AND INFLUENCE GIVEN THE PORT CITY'S IMPORTANCE AT THAT TIME.
ELTON'S OLD, OLDER SISTER, UH, SARAH CATHERINE PERRY, MARRIED GEORGE BALL WHO WOULD AMASS A LARGE ESTATE IN THE BANKING COMMISSION INDUSTRIES WITH THEIR FORTUNE.
THE COUPLE WOULD GIVE GENEROUSLY TO LOCAL CHARITIES AND WOULD LATER ESTABLISH A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN GALVESTON, WHICH WOULD SERVE AS GEORGE'S LEGACY UPON HIS DEATH IN 1884.
DURING THIS TIME, ELTON PERRY MARRIED LUCY ANN SMITH, A MINISTER'S DAUGHTER, WHICH REQUIRED THE FAMILY TO CONSISTENTLY MOVE CITIES, UM, EXCUSE ME, AN OCCUPATION OF WHICH REQUIRED THE FAMILY TO CONSISTENTLY MOVE CITIES.
THE COUPLE MARRIED IN GALVESTON AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER MOVED TO HARRISBURG.
NOW WITHIN THE CITY LIMITS OF HOUSTON.
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR FIRST DAUGHTER WAS BORN, THE COUPLE MOVED TO AUSTIN, POSSIBLY TO BE CLOSER TO LUCY'S FAMILY WHO HAD SET UP THE AUSTIN COLLEGIATE FEMALE INSTITUTE, UH, HIGHLY REGARDED PRIVATE INSTITUTION OF LEARNING FOR GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN.
DURING THIS TIME, ELTON'S SISTER SARAH BALL, WOULD DONATE HEAVILY TO THIS AND OTHER RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION INSTITUTIONS IN AUSTIN.
UPON HER PASSING IN 1904, MUCH OF HER STATE WENT TO ELTON AND LUCY, A PORTION OF WHICH THEY WOULD USE TO CONSTRUCT THE HOUSES AT 6 0 8 AND SIX 10 BAYLOR STREET, ELTON PERRY, WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY WORKED AS A MACHINIST IN GALVESTON AND HARRISBURG, SERVED AS AN ENGINEER FOR THE WASHINGTON FIRE COMPANY, THE SECOND FIRE STATION IN AUSTIN.
HE WOULD WORK CLOSELY WITH THE CITY, INCLUDING AT ONE POINT BEING THE ENGINEER OF THE STEAM ENGINE, RESPONSIBLE FOR PUTTING OUT THE TEXAS CAPITOL FIRE IN 1881.
AFTER THIS, HE ADVOCATED FOR AND WORKED WITH BRINGING FIRE HYDRANTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE TO LEVEL CITYWIDE THAT WERE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN OTHER POPULATION CENTERS ACROSS TEXAS AND THE REST OF THE UNITED STATES.
THROUGH THEIR LIVES, THE PERRY FAMILY HAD, HAS HAD STRONG CONNECTIONS WITH THE MARITIME AND BANKING INDUSTRIES IN TEXAS, AND SPECIFICALLY THE RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL AND FIRE PROTECTION SECTORS OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN DURING THE 19TH CENTURY.
THE TWO HOUSES AT 6 0 8 AND SIX 10 BAYLOR STREET ARE TWO NOTABLE AND PROMINENT EXAMPLES OF OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUSTIN WEST OF DOWNTOWN GENERALLY, AND THE CASTLE HILL NEIGHBORHOODS.
SPECIFICALLY DURING THE PERIOD, SLIGHTLY BEFORE, BUT ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, MORE LOTS WERE SUBDIVIDED.
INFRASTRUCTURE WAS BUILT TO ALLOW EASIER PASSAGE ACROSS SHOAL CREEK, AND AS A RESULT, MORE SINGLE FAMILY HOUSES WERE CONSTRUCTED IN THE AREA.
THIS DEVELOPMENT WOULD'VE EVENTUALLY REACHED AREAS BEING OCCUPIED BY, UH, FREEDMAN'S TOWN SUCH AS CLARKSVILLE.
BUT MANY OF THE MORE PROMINENT FAMILY LOTS WERE LOCATED AT HIGHER POINTS SUCH AS BAYLOR STREET OR PEMBER.
PEMBERTON HEIGHTS TO THE NORTH.
UPON COMPLETION OF THE HOUSE IN 1903, THIS AREA OF THE CITY WAS CONNECTED TO THE CORE OF THE CITY'S FIRST STREET
[01:05:01]
CAR LINE.UH, AND THE PROPERTY EMBODIES THE TYPE AND STYLE OF CONSTRUCTION THAT WAS OCCURRING AT THAT TIME IN WEST AUSTIN.
THE PROPERTY, ALONG WITH THE PERRY FAMILY WHO CONSTRUCTED IT, EMBODIED THE TYPES OF RESIDENTS MOVING TO THE TEXAS CAPITOL AT THIS TIME, AS WELL AS SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES THAT THE COMMUNITY WOULD NEED TO ADDRESS TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICES SUCH AS RELIABLE FIRE PROTECTION AND EDUCATION FOR FAMILIES OF MEANS WHO MAY REQUIRE MOVING TO THE CITY.
HEARING NONE, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, IS THE APPLICANT HERE WE WILL, UM, OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
IS ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THIS ITEM? PLEASE COME FORWARD AND THEN READ YOUR NAME INTO THE RECORD OF THE MICROPHONE.
I, GOOD EVENING, COMMISSIONERS.
I'D ALSO LIKE TO EXPRESS MY SINCERE CONDOLENCES ABOUT JUAN RAYMOND.
HE WAS A, A FRIEND AND SOMEONE THAT I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH AND ADMIRED GREATLY.
HE'S, HIS LOSS WILL BE FELT BY SO MANY.
UH, I'M HERE ON BEHALF OF THE OWNER AND, UH, AS THE APPLICANT WHO WROTE THE SUBMISSION TONIGHT, I'M HERE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
THIS, UH, BUILDING IS JUST A BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLE OF ARCHITECTURE IN WEST AUSTIN AND WAS, UM, PAINSTAKINGLY RESTORED, ESPECIALLY ON THE EXTERIOR, UM, BY THE CURRENT AND IMMEDIATE PAST OWNER.
AND, UH, AN INTERESTING FACT TO ME WAS THAT AT ONE POINT IT WAS UP TO 11 DIVIDED INTO 11 APARTMENTS.
AND SO, UH, TO PEEL AWAY ALL THAT LONG HISTORY AND CONSTRUCTION THAT COVERED UP ITS BEAUTY, UM, TOOK A LOT OF, UH, PERSEVERANCE AND I THINK THE OUTCOME IS EVIDENT AND OBVIOUS IN ITS BEAUTY.
ANY, ANY QUESTIONS OF OUR SPEAKER? THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, IN FACT, UH, IT IS VERY IMPRESSIVE TO SEE THE EXTENT.
I MEAN, I'VE, I'VE, I'VE KNOWN THE BUILDING FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.
AND TO SEE, UH, WHAT THOSE EFFORTS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DO TO TAKE A BEAUTIFUL, A, A, A BEAUTIFUL STRUCTURE LIKE THAT AND JUST MAKE IT SHINE, UH, IT, IT'S A ABSOLUTELY FIRST RATE AND IT'S ABSOLUTELY DESERVING.
SO, UH, WE CERTAINLY WANNA PASS ON OUR VERY BEST COMPLIMENTS TO THE OWNER AND, UH, THANK THEM FOR THAT.
UH, IT WOULD'VE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT, BUT REALLY A LABOR OF LOVE, UH, TO BE ABLE TO BRING THAT BUILDING UP TO ITS, UH, ITS TRUE GLORY.
ANY OTHER SPEAKERS ON THIS ITEM? OKAY.
I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
COMMISSIONER COOK, IS THERE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER MCCARTER, UH, LIVES IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND, AND ALL HANDS ARE RAISED.
SO, UH, COMMISSIONERS ENTERTAIN A MOTION, UH, MOVE TO APPROVE HISTORIC ZONING BASED ON ARCHITECTURE AND HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS.
IT'S BEEN MOVED BY COMMISSIONER COOK.
IS THERE A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
I WOULD SAY THIS IS ONE OF THE CASES THAT KIND OF SPEAKS FOR ITSELF AND, UM, SOME MAY SAY THAT GRAND BUILDINGS LIKE THIS DON'T NEED TO BE SAVED, BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE SO DIVIDED INTO 11 APARTMENTS AND CAUSE GREAT EXPENSE TO RESTORE BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL CONDITIONS.
SO, UH, WHILE WE ARE FOCUSED ON EQUITY AND SOME OF THE, THE SMALLER AND LESS GRAND HOUSES, WE NEED TO NOT FORGET THAT, UH, SOME OF THESE LARGER, EXTREMELY GRAND HOUSES, SUCH AS THIS ONE ARE AT RISK.
AND, UM, I'M VERY HAPPY TO SEE, UH, PROTECTION BEING PLACED ON THIS.
UM, I DON'T THINK I HAVE MUCH MORE TO ADD, BUT THANK YOU, OF COURSE, TO THE OWNERS FOR, UM, DOING ALL THE HARD WORK TO, TO KEEP THIS HOUSE
UH, I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE WHERE, UM, YOU LOOK AT IT AND SAY, WHY ISN'T THAT IN THE PROGRAM ALREADY? UH, IT IS, HAS SO MANY FEATURES, UH, ARCHITECTURALLY, UH,
[01:10:01]
SO MANY OTHER REASONS WHY IT'S, IT'S BEAUTY AND SPLENDOR REALLY IS A, AS A CIVIC, UH, RESOURCE, UH, ARE WORTHY.UH, BUT I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT, UH, TO GIVE APPROPRIATE NOTE TO THE PERRY FAMILY AND THE SEVERAL GENERATIONS THAT, UH, CONTRIBUTED.
UH, I THINK IT'S A FITTING, UM, INDICATION OF, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FOLKS WHO REALLY WERE ABLE TO CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY.
UM, THAT SAID, UM, IT STILL REQUIRES US TO TAKE A VOTE.
SO I'LL CALL THE QUESTION UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER CONVERSATION.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE, UH, HISTORIC ZONING REQUEST ON ITEM NUMBER 4 6 10 BAYLOR STREET INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
AND I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED WITH COMMISSIONER LAROCHE OFF THE DAIS, SO THAT IS UNANIMOUS.
ALRIGHT, CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
ALRIGHT, UH, AND FA IF YOU CAN LET CHUCK KNOW HE'S, HE'S WELCOME AGAIN.
[15. PR-2024-159111 – 1606 Garden St. Council District 3]
ITEM IS ITEM, LET'S SEE, THAT WOULD BE, UH, ITEM NUMBER 15.IS THAT RIGHT? COMMISSIONER ALVAREZ, YOU PULLED DOWN FOR DISCUSSION.
ALRIGHT, THAT'S 1606 GARDEN STREET.
UM, THIS PROPOSAL IS TO, UH, DEMOLISH A CIRCA 1912 HOUSE DESCRIBED IN THE 2016 EAST AUSTIN HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY AS A HOUSE BUILT WITH THE NATIONAL FOLK STYLE INFLUENCES.
THE PROPERTY AT 1606 GARDEN STREET IS A SINGLE STORY L-SHAPED HOUSE WITH A STEEPLY PITCHED FRONT GABLE ROOF FACING THE STREET TO THE RIGHT OF THE GABLE, WHICH COVERS ONE ARM OF THE L-SHAPE AND IS THE FRONT DOOR, WHICH IS LIKELY IN THE PLACE OF A PREVIOUSLY ENCLO ENCLOSED PORCH, WHICH HAS BEEN CONVERTED INTO AN INTERIOR ROOM.
TWO REPLACEMENT NINE, NINE WINDOWS ARE PRESENT AT THE FRONT FACADE.
AT THE PEAK OF THE FRONT GABLE IS A CIRCULAR ATTIC VENT.
THE WALLS OF THE ENTIRE HOUSE ARE CLAD IN HORIZONTAL WOOD SIDING, WHICH IS IN GOOD CONDITION.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE HOUSE IS ELEVATED ON PIERRE BEAM AND IS COVERED BY A CONCRETE SKIRT SINCE ITS CONSTRUCTION.
IN 1912, THE PROPERTY HAS HAD NUMEROUS OWNERS AND RENTERS WHO, WHO RESIDED THERE FROM ITS CONSTRUCTION UNTIL AT LEAST 1935.
LEWIS AND EMILY PETERS OWNED THE HOUSE AND LEWIS WORKED AS A DRIVER AND SALESMAN AT VARIOUS LOCAL COMPANIES, OFTEN IN THE OIL INDUSTRY AFTER BEING VACANT OR OCCUPIED BY RENTERS IN THE 1940S.
THE HOUSE WAS OWNED BY PABLO AND MARIA MELENDEZ, FOLLOWED BY JUAN IN GUADALUPE, UH, DELGADO, AND FINALLY BY FRANK AND, UH, FANNIE ESTRADA.
ALL OF THESE O OCCUPANTS WORKED LOCALLY WITH FRANK ESTRADA WORKING AS A DRIVER AND MECHANIC, MUCH LIKE LEWIS PETERS, THOUGH THERE WERE SEVERAL FAMILIES THAT OCCUPIED THE HOUSE, WHOSE STORIES CONTRIBUTED TO THE GENERAL THEMES AND POPULATION LIVING IN EAST AUSTIN.
THERE WAS NEVER A LONG-TERM OWNER OF THE PROPERTY AFTER IT WAS AFTER IT WAS VACATED BY PETER'S FAMILY.
THE 2016 EAST AUSTIN HISTORIC RESOURCE SURVEY RECOMMENDS THE PROPERTY AS CONTRIBUTING RESOURCE TO EITHER A POTENTIAL NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT OR A LOCAL HISTORIC DISTRICT.
PROPERTIES MUST MEET TWO CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
STAFF HAS EVALUATED THE PROPERTY AND DETERMINED THAT IT DOES NOT MEET TWO CRITERIA, AND THEREFORE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO ENCOURAGE REHABILITATION AND ADAPTIVE REUSE, THEN RELOCATION OVER DEMOLITION, BUT RELEASE THE PERMIT UPON COMPLETION OF A CITY OF AUSTIN DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE.
DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF COMMISSIONER ALVAREZ? YOU PULLED THIS FOR DISCUSSION.
DID YOU HAVE SOME SPECIFIC QUESTION OF STAFF? UH, NO, NO, NOT TO THE STAFF.
SO AT THIS POINT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, WE'LL OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
IS THE APPLICANT AVAILABLE? ARE THEY HERE? YES.
PLEASE COME FORWARD AND READ YOUR NAME INTO THE RECORD AS YOU APPROACH THE, UH, THE PODIUM.
UM, THERE AM D PAR AND I'M A RESIDENT OF TRAVIS COUNTY.
AND ARE YOU SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF THE APPLICANT? YES.
UH, SO GO AHEAD AND, AND TELL US THEN, UH, YOUR, UH, REQUEST IS FOR A TOTAL DEMOLITION OF THE PROPERTY? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO TELL US ABOUT THAT? NO.
UH, COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OF THE SPEAKER? UH, YEAH, I JUST HAD A QUESTION FOR THE APPLICANT LOOKING AT THE SURVEY.
UM, SEEING, UH, SOME, I GUESS SOME INTERESTING POSSIBILITIES HERE AND ALSO SOME POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.
UH, AT THE FRONT, MORE OR LESS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FRONT YARD OF THE LOT, THERE IS A 24 INCH PECAN TREE, WHICH LIKELY COUNTS AS
[01:15:01]
A HERITAGE TREE.UM, THAT WOULD LIKELY LIMIT THE, UH, FOOTPRINT OF ANY NEW CONSTRUCTION SHOULD THIS EXISTING HOME, UH, BE DEMOLISHED.
UM, THE HOME AS THIS IS UNDER THE CANOPY OF THE TREE AND LIKELY WITHIN THE CRITICAL ROOT ZONE.
SO, UH, I'M JUST SAYING THAT THAT'S CRI, THAT'S, UH, SQUARE FOOTAGE THAT WOULD LIKELY BE LOST UPON A TOTAL DEMOLITION.
UM, THE HOME BACKS TO AN ALLEY, WHICH I'M SEEING OTHER NEIGHBORING PROPERTIES HAVE, UH, LOOKS LIKE ACCESSORY DWELLING UNITS THAT OPEN UP THERE.
SO POTENTIAL FOR AN ADDITION THERE.
UH, UH, IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE A GOOD CANDIDATE FOR AN EXPANSION LIKELY TO THE REAR, WHERE THERE MIGHT BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRESERVE THE ARCHITECTURE OF THIS HOME, UH, WHICH WHILE DOES NOT MEET LANDMARK, UH, REQUIREMENTS, IT DOES SATISFY I THINK THE ARCHITECTURAL CRITERIA FOR A LANDMARK.
I'M NOT SURE, UH, ARE YOU THE APPLICANT AWARE OF, UH, THE HOME INITIATIVE, UH, INCENTIVES FOR PRESERVATION WHERE IF YOU MAINTAIN THE ENTIRETY OF THE FACADE, UM, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO BASICALLY NOT COUNT THE, SOME OF THE, UH, PRESERVED SQUARE FOOTAGE TOWARDS NEW CONSTRUCTION? SO BASICALLY YOU CAN BUILD MORE THAN YOU WOULD'VE BEEN ABLE TO BUILD IF YOU STARTED FROM SCRATCH? NO, WE ARE BUILDING A FAMILY HOUSE, SO WE HAVE CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS, SO WE HAVE TO STICK TO THAT.
AND DID YOUR, DO YOUR PLANS TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE POINT THAT YOU'RE PROBABLY GONNA HAVE TO MOVE YOUR FACADE BACK QUITE A BIT DUE YEAH.
OUR ARCHITECT HAS LOOKED AT THE SURVEY, SO WE ARE AWARE THAT WE HAVE TO STAY AWAY FROM THE CRITICAL ROOT ZONE.
SO I TAKE IT THAT YOU'VE, YOU'VE THOUGHT THROUGH WHAT IT WOULD BE TO MAKE USE OF THAT HOUSE IN SOME FORM YES.
AND HAVE DETERMINED THAT FOR YOUR PLANS THAT JUST, THAT WOULD, WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE.
SO WE'VE CONSIDERED THE PROTECTED TREES AND TWO ON 1606 GARDEN, AND THEN ALSO IN 1604 GARDEN, WHICH IS CLOSE TO THE LOT LINE.
SO WE'LL, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THE, THE RESIDENCE IS GONNA BE AWAY FROM THE CRITICAL ROOT ZONE.
BUT YOUR, YOUR REQUEST IS TO DEMOLISH THE BUILDING THAT'S THERE AND IT, YOU KNOW, IT HAS, IT HAS HISTORY, THOUGH IT MAY NOT MEET SOME OF THESE CRITERIA.
THERE IS VALUE IN THAT AREA TO BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN SOME OF THAT INTEGRITY.
SO, AND, AND OF COURSE YOU'RE NOT REQUIRED, IT'S NOT IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT TO SHOW US WHAT YOUR CURRENT PLANS ARE, BUT, UM, AGAIN, OUR, OUR CHARGE IS TO TRY TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO KEEP OR, OR BE ABLE TO ADAPT, UH, WHEN WE HAVE SOMETHING WITH THAT, THAT TYPE OF HISTORY AND, AND ITS CONTRIBUTION TO CONVEYING WHAT AUSTIN HAS BEEN.
SO, AGAIN, THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT I, I TAKE IT.
YOU, YOU HAVE BEEN CONSIDERING BUT HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO WORK INTO YOUR PLANS, IS THAT CORRECT? CORRECT.
COMMISSIONERS, IS THERE ANY OTHER QUESTION OF THE OWNER? OKAY.
HEARING NONE, WE THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
UH, IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS ITEM? OKAY.
THEN WE'LL CLOSE, TAKE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
DO I HAVE A MOTION? COMMISSIONER WARD? IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
AND SIR, YOU'RE FIN WE'RE FINISHED WITH THE PUBLIC HEARING, SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
I'LL MOVE TO RELEASE THE APPLICATION.
IS THERE A SECOND? COMMISSIONER MC MORTER.
OKAY, COMMISSIONER, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK TO YOUR MOTION? UM, I THOUGHT, UH, AS I MENTIONED THAT THERE IS ARCHITECTURAL QUALITY TO THIS BUILDING AND I I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THE APPLICANT FULLY AWARE OF, UM, WHAT I SAW, SOME EXISTING LIMITATIONS, BUT ALSO SOME OPPORTUNITIES.
AND, UH, IN DOING SO, I THINK I'VE DONE WHAT I THOUGHT I COULD DO FOR TODAY.
YEAH, I, I THOUGHT THAT COMMISSIONER ALVAREZ MADE GREAT POINTS AND IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT THOSE WERE NOT COMPELLING OR APPLICABLE IN THIS PARTICULAR SITUATION.
IT'S, IT'S UNFORTUNATE TO LOSE THE, THE HOUSE, BUT I DON'T
[01:20:01]
SEE ANY OTHER RECOURSE, SO.ANY OTHER DISCUSSION? ALL RIGHT.
HEARING NONE, UH, I WILL GO AHEAD AND CALL THE QUESTION, THE QUESTION, UH, THE, THE MOTION ON THE TABLE IS TO RELEASE THE DEMOLITION PERMIT.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
AND THAT IS 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 IN FAVOR.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED? WE HAVE, UH, COMMISSIONER, UH, DUDLEY, UH, IS AGAINST, UH, THAT'S ONE OPPOSED, THAT MOTION STILL PASSES.
UH, SO THAT, THAT IS APPROVED.
[16. DA 2024-165526 – 2600 E Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Council District 1]
ITEM NUMBER 16, AND THAT'S 2,600 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD.AGAIN, ANOTHER DEMOLITION REQUEST.
ITEM 16 IS A PROPOSAL TO DEMOLISH A CIRCUS 1972 AUXILIARY HOSPITAL BUILDING TO CONSTRUCT A NEW MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT AT 2,600 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR BOULEVARD.
THIS IS THE CAPITAL AREA RESEARCH AND RADIATION CENTER.
IT'S A ONE STORY MID-CENTURY MODERN HEALTH SERVICE FACILITY DESIGNED BY PAGE, SUTHERLAND AND PAGE, AND CONSTRUCTED BY JC EVANS COMPANY.
THE BUILDING IS HORIZONTALLY ORIENTED WITH A DRAMATIC CARPORT EXTENSION AT THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
BOULEVARD ELEVATION, AND A LARGELY WINDOWLESS STREET PRESENCE.
IT IS CONCRETE WITH APPLIED STUCCO, CONCRETE WALLS, SEVEN FEET THICK AND CEILINGS FOUR FEET THICK.
WERE ENGINEERED TO SHIELD PHYSICIANS AND TECHNICIANS FROM THE RADIATION EQUIPMENT WITHIN HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL.
THE FIRST HOSPITAL TO ALLOW BLACK DOCTORS IN AUSTIN WAS ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED ON EAST 11TH STREET IN 1940 TO ADDRESS THE BURGEONING DISPARITY IN CARE BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE HOSPITALS IN SEGREGATION ERA AUSTIN, IT WAS RELOCATED TO EAST 19TH STREET.
THE NEW HOSPITAL WAS DESIGNED BY CHARLES HENRY PAGE, WHO HAD LATER HELPED TO FOUND PAGE SUTHERLAND AND PAGE, THOUGH THE MAIN HOSPITAL WAS DEMOLISHED IN 1991 AND REPLACED BY CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, ITS SITE RECEIVED A TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION MARKER IN 2021.
AN EFFORT SPEARHEADED BY HISTORIAN ANNE ROGERS, WASHINGTON HOLY CROSS RESIDENT, UH, MR. BARRY MCBRIDE, WHO IS HERE TODAY AS DESEGREGATION SLOWLY TOOK HOLD IN THE CITY, HOLY CROSS FURTHER DISTINGUISHED ITSELF AS A PROGRESSIVE ESTABLISHMENT BY EARNING GRANTS FOR NEW HOSPITAL BUILDINGS, INNOVATIVE TREATMENTS, AND CUTTING EDGE EQUIPMENT.
IN 1965, PAGE SUTHERLAND AND PAGE DESIGNED THE HOSPITAL'S ICONIC FIVE FIVE STORY CIRCULAR NURSING FACILITY.
THE SEPARATE CANCER CENTER OPERATED BY THE CAPITAL AREA RESEARCH AND RADIATION FOUNDATION, AND ALSO DESIGNED BY PAIGE WAS APPROVED FOR INSTALLATION.
FIVE YEARS LATER, FOLLOWING THE APPROVAL OF FEDERAL FUNDING FOR A REGIONAL RADIATION FACILITY IN AUSTIN, THE NEW CANCER CENTER WAS SELECTED TO HOUSE CENTRAL TEXAS'S FIRST COBALT 60 RADIOTHERAPY DEVICE AND A LINEAR ACCELERATOR DESIGNED TO TREAT DEEP TUMORS WITH HIGH VOLTAGE X-RAYS.
THE CENTER WAS ALSO UNIQUE IN THAT IT WAS AN OUTPATIENT ONLY TREATMENT FACILITY INTENDED TO TREAT UP TO 100 PATIENTS A DAY.
IT CONTAINED AUSTIN'S FIRST X-RAY THERAPY SIMULATOR, WHICH ALLOWED PHYSICIANS TO PLAN TREATMENT AND PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC TASKS.
THE BUILDING ITSELF APPEARS TO RETAIN MODERATE INTEGRITY.
HOWEVER, THOUGH THE CANCER CENTER ITSELF IS INTACT, ITS HOSPITAL CAMPUS CONTEXT HAS BEEN DEMOLISHED.
THE BUILDING NOW VACANT CONTAINS HAZARDOUS RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS THAT MAKE REUSE POTENTIALLY UNSAFE.
THE BUILDING IS CONSTRUCTED WITH MID-CENTURY MODERN DESIGN ELEMENTS BY PAGE SUTHERLAND AND PAGE, BUT ITS CONTEXT IS PART OF A LARGER HOSPITAL.
CAMPUS IS GONE THOUGH IT IS MEMORIALIZED BY A STATE HISTORICAL MARKER.
THE PROPERTY IS ASSOCIATED, UH, WITH HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL, UH, TO WHICH THAT MARKER REFERS.
AND THE CANCER CENTER WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN AUSTIN.
THIS PROPERTY DOES POSSESS UNIQUE LOCATION, PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTIC OR SIGNIFICANT FEATURE THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE CHARACTER, IMAGE OR CULTURAL IDENTITY OF THE CITY, NEIGHBORHOOD, OR A DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP.
HOLY CROSS WAS THE FIRST HOSPITAL SYSTEM TO EMPLOY AFRICA, AFRICAN AMERICAN DOCTORS IN SEGREGATION ERA, AUSTIN AND THE CAPITAL AREA RESEARCH AND RADIATION CENTER PROVIDED LIFESAVING CARE TO THE ENTIRE CENTRAL TEXAS AREA.
THOUGH THE COMMISSION DOES NOT HAVE JURISDICTION OVER THE NEW BUILDING, THE APPLICANT DID SHARE THE, UH, DESIGN INFORMALLY WITH THE A RC, UH, LAST MONTH TO RECEIVE FEEDBACK.
AND THE COMMITTEE FOUND THAT THE REPLACEMENT DESIGN APPROPRIATELY HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPORTANT HISTORY OF HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL AND WE'RE COMFORTABLE APPROVING THE DEMOLITION, CONSIDERING THE NEW DESIGN.
THEREFORE, THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO CONCUR WITH THE COMMITTEE FEEDBACK AND RELEASED THE DEMOLITION PERMIT UPON RECEIPT OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN DOCUMENTATION PACKAGE.
ANY QUESTIONS OF STAFF? OKAY, HEARING NONE, UH, I'LL GO AHEAD AND OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND IS THE APPLICANT HERE? YES, PLEASE COME FORWARD.
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HELLO, COMMISSIONERS.I'M LEAH BOJO WITH JENNER GROUP HERE ON BEHALF OF THE APPLICANT, AND I DO HAVE A SHORT PRESENTATION.
AND IF YOU COULD GO, SO, SO OBVIOUSLY WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT 2,600 EAST MLK.
UM, HERE'S THE SITE MAP JUST TO GIVE EVERYONE, UM, CONTEXT OF WHERE THIS SITE IS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF CEDAR AND EAST MK.
UM, THIS IS ABOUT A JUST UNDER TWO ACRE SITE, AND LIKE LEN DESCRIBED, IT INCLUDES THE A HUNDRED, THE, UM, 1972 AUXILIARY HOSPITAL BUILDING THAT SERVED AS THE CANCER AND RADIATION CENTER.
UM, THE SITE IS CURRENTLY ZONED G-O-V-C-O-N-P, AND THERE IS AN ACTIVE REZONING CASE, UM, ALSO WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE PROCESS, UM, TO CHANGE IT, TO, TO DEVELOP THE MIXED USE PROJECT THAT, THAT WE, UM, SHOWED TO THE A RC.
UM, AS, AS CALLAN DESCRIBED, UM, THIS WAS THE FIRST HOSPITAL TO ALLOW BLACK DOCTORS, UM, TO OPERATE AND WORK IN AUSTIN.
IT OPENED IN 1941 AND WAS RECO RELOCATED TO THIS SITE IN 1951.
THE MAIN HOSPITAL WAS DEMOLISHED IN IN THE LATE EIGHTIES IN 1991 IN ORDER TO BUILD THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL THERE.
YOU CAN SEE, UM, AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN, CAMPBELL.
UM, I, I DO WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT THERE IS NO QUESTION I THINK THAT THIS SITE IS HISTORIC AND, AND, UH, MR. MCBRIDE AND OTHERS HAVE WORKED HARD TO GET THE HISTORIC MARKER, UM, ON THE SITE.
SO I, I WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE NOT, UM, DISPUTING THAT.
I THINK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, UM, AS YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE, IS THAT, UM, REALLY WHAT'S LEFT HERE ON THE SITE IS NOT MUCH, UM, THERE'S NOT MUCH LEFT AFTER THE, THE DEMOLITION, UM, FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.
SO THIS IS WHAT THE SITE LOOKED LIKE AS, AS CALLAN DESCRIBED.
AND THEN IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SITE, UH, THE NEXT SLIDE YOU CAN SEE THIS.
AND THEN THE NEXT ONE SHOW THAT, UM, IT'S REALLY, UM, PRETTY UNRECOGNIZABLE.
AND ALSO, AS YOU SEE IN THE STAFF REPORT, THIS BUILDING HAS, UM, FOUR TO SEVEN FOOT THICK, UM, WALLS AND, AND STRUCTURES INSIDE OF IT BECAUSE IT WAS A RADIATION CENTER TO PROTECT PEOPLE.
SO, UM, THE, THE HEALTH ASPECTS OF THE STRUCTURE ARE QUESTIONABLE.
AND THEN ALSO JUST THE PHYSICAL STRUCTURE IS NOT ONE THAT CAN REALLY EASILY BE REUSED.
UM, SO AS I SAID, THE THE STRUCTURE IS 50 YEARS OLD AND THE SITE ITSELF IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY IMPORTANT SITE.
UM, BUT I THINK THE INTEGRITY OF THE STRUCTURE IS, IS CLEARLY NOT THERE.
UM, IF YOU COULD GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I'LL JUST QUICKLY RUN THROUGH THE ARCHITECTURE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION AND COMMUNITY VALUE THAT STAFF COVERED IN THEIR REPORT.
UM, SO, UM, THE, THE ONLY, I BELIEVE THE ONLY UM, POINT THAT WAS MADE BY STAFF, UH, ALONG THESE LINES IS THAT THAT DID HAVE A MID-CENTURY MODERN DESIGN BY PAIGE, SUTHERLAND AND PAIGE.
HOWEVER, AGAIN, THE CONTEXT IS, UM, I MEAN GONE IS SORT OF AN UNDERSTATEMENT TO SAY OF, UM, REGARDING WHAT'S THERE, WHAT'S LEFT THERE ON THE SITE TODAY.
UM, AS WELL AS THE, THE, UM, RECOGNITION OF THE STYLE OF THE BUILDING AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I THINK THOSE HAVE ALL BEEN, UNFORTUNATELY HAVE BEEN REMOVED ALREADY.
UM, SO THE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION, IN MY OPINION, IS THE STRONGEST POINT.
UM, AND OBVIOUSLY THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED AND TO BE PROMOTED.
UM, THERE IS, I THINK THE IMPORTANT POINTS ON THIS, ON THIS CRITERIA ARE THAT, UM, THE, UM, SITE WHERE THE HOSPITAL ORIGINALLY WAS SITTING, UM, ON EAST 12TH STREET DOES HAVE A MARKER ON IT ALREADY.
SO THAT BUILDING WAS THERE, I BELIEVE FROM 1941 TO 51, AND THEN I BELIEVE IN 51 IT MOVED TO THE SITE THAT IT'S, THAT, THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY.
SO THAT ORIGINAL SITE DOES HAVE A MARKER ON IT, WHICH I THINK IS IMPORTANT.
AND THEN ALSO THANKS TO THE WORK OF SOME COMMUNITY MEMBERS, UM, THANK YOU.
THERE IS, UM, A SITE, A MARKER COMING TO THIS SITE THAT WOULD ALSO DESCRIBE THAT HISTORY, UM, IN, IN DETAIL AND, AND MAKE SURE FOLKS KIND OF UNDERSTAND THAT, UM, THAT IMPORTANCE.
UM, AND THEN THE NEXT, UM, SLIDE IS JUST THE COMMUNITY VALUE, WHICH AGAIN, I THINK RELATES REALLY TO THE SITE ITSELF, NOT TO THE STRUCTURE THAT'S LEFT ON IT.
UM, SO THE NEXT SLIDE IS, UM, THE BUILDING AGAIN, WHICH YOU'VE SEEN A FEW TIMES NOW.
UM, AND I, THE REASON I WANNA BRING IT UP HERE IS 'CAUSE I DO WANNA BRING TO THE FULL COMMISSION, UM, THIS A SIMILAR, THE RENDERINGS THAT YOU SAW, UM, FOR THE BUILDING, WHICH WE WERE, IT WAS SUGGESTED TO US THAT WE SORT OF REFERENCED THAT ROUND CIRCULAR, THIS ROUND CIRCULAR BUILDING THAT WAS HERE BEFORE.
UM, AND MAKE, UM, TRY TO SORT OF REMIND PEOPLE OF THAT ICONIC BUILDING.
IT WAS ACTUALLY NOT THAT LONG AGO THAT WAS TORN DOWN.
IT WAS IN, I THINK IT WAS IN 91 AND IT WAS FINALLY DEMOLISHED.
UM, SO THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THAT REMEMBER THAT ROUND STRUCTURE, UM, WHICH IS WHY WE REALLY TRIED TO INCORPORATE THAT.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU CAN SEE, UM, THIS INCORPORATES THAT ROUND CORNER AND THAT SORT OF CORNER OPENING TO THAT, UM, TO CEDAR AND EAST MLK.
UM, IT ALSO, UM, INCORPORATES A STEP BACK AT THE SIX AT 60 FEET, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT IS NOT AS MUCH RELATED TO THE HISTORIC STRUCTURE, BUT IT IS RELATED TO, UM, THE ZONING, WHICH WE WERE PLANNING TO INCLUDE IN
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OUR ZONING ORDINANCE.UM, SO THAT, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE WERE ASKED, UM, BY THE COMMUNITY RELATED TO THE HISTORIC, UH, DISTRICT THAT'S ACROSS THE STREET.
SO THEY SAID, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE SORT OF REFERENCE THAT AND KEEP THE FORM THE SAME.
AND SO THAT'S WHY THAT SETBACK IS THERE.
AND THAT WOULD BE, UM, INCLUDED IN THE ZONING ORDINANCE AS WE'RE, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING.
UM, SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE YOU CAN SEE THAT WHAT WE'VE ALSO PROPOSED IS A MURAL.
UM, WE WERE THINKING THAT IT WOULD FACE THE SCHOOL, WHICH SEEMS LIKE A GREAT PLACE FOR PEOPLE, THE THE KIDS THAT GO TO CAMPBELL ELEMENTARY TO, TO SEE THAT HISTORY AND HAVE SORT OF A STORY.
THIS IS JUST TO SORT OF SHOW WHERE IT WOULD GO.
UM, AND THEN IT WOULD KIND OF WRAP AROUND CEDAR THERE.
UM, AND SO WE HAVE ALSO IN CONVERSATIONS JUST AS RECENTLY AS YESTERDAY WITH MR. MCBRIDE DESCRIBED THAT NOT ONLY WOULD WE COMMIT TO THIS MURAL, BUT WE WOULD ALSO, WHEN IT, WHEN THE TIME COMES, WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY A LITTLE WAYS OFF, WE WOULD BE HAPPY TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY ON MATERIALS ARTISTS, WHAT THIS, YOU KNOW, WHAT WHAT IS ON THERE TO SORT OF TELL THE STORY OF THIS HOSPITAL AND ITS IMPORTANCE AND ITS PRIOR LOCATION AND KIND OF TRY TO MAKE THOSE CONNECTIONS.
UM, THE NEXT SLIDE IS ACTUALLY, I MEAN, THIS IS LESS, LESS RELATED, BUT THIS IS WHAT THE VIEW FROM THE WESTWOOD LOOK LIKE.
AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THIS STEP BACK.
UM, AND THEN WITH THAT I WOULD ASK, UM, FOR YOUR APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST THAT STAFF AND A RC ARE MAKING TO RELEASE THE DEMOLITION, UM, PERMIT FOR THE STRUCTURE AND, UM, LET US CONTINUE ON WITH OUR, WITH OUR REZONING PROCESS, INCLUDING THOSE, UM, COMMITMENTS.
UM, COMMISSIONERS, ANY QUESTIONS OF OUR SPEAKER? OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
IS THERE ANYBODY ELSE HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THE DEMOLITION REQUEST? OKAY, HEARING NONE, IS THERE ANYBODY HERE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION? PLEASE COME FORWARD AND IF THERE'S SEVERAL SPEAKERS, UH, JUST BE READY TO COME TO THE MICROPHONE IF THERE'S GOING TO BE SEVERAL OF YOU SO WE CAN GET YOUR TESTIMONY QUICKLY.
MY NAME IS BARRY MCBRIDE AND I'D LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THE COMMISSION TONIGHT AND ALSO WANT TO AGAIN, OFFER CONDOLENCES TO, UH, JUAN RAMON RUBIO, WHO I GOT TO KNOW VERY WELL.
IT WAS QUITE HELPFUL TO ME ON ANOTHER VERY SIMILAR PROJECT THAT I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT TONIGHT.
SO, UH, HIS MEMORY WILL BE CHERISHED AND HE WAS A GREAT ASSET TO OUR COMMUNITY.
BUT TONIGHT, UH, WHAT I WANTED TO DO WAS MENTION THAT, UH, THE WORD, UH, IN A OPPOSITION TO IS, UH, IT'S SORT OF A MISNOMER.
IT'S NOT THAT, UH, I AM IN A OPPOSITION TO DEMOLITION BECAUSE IN ORDER FOR REDEVELOPMENT OR FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT TO TAKE PLACE, THERE IS GONNA HAVE TO BE SOME TYPE OF EITHER DEMOLITION, RELOCATION OR SOME MODIFICATION OF THE EXISTING STRUCTURE.
UH, WHAT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT BRIEFLY IS ABOUT POSSIBLY INCLUDING, UH, THE FACT THAT THE, UH, STRUCTURE THAT'S THERE NOW AND THE ORIGINAL HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL IS GETTING A, UH, AN OFFICIAL HISTORIC DESIGNATION BY THE TEXAS HISTORICAL COMMISSION THAT MS. BOJO MENTIONED THAT HAS NOT BEEN, UH, PLACED ON THE SITE YET, AND IT HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETED WHEN IT COMES TO FINALLY GETTING IT IN POSITION TO BE PLACED ON THE SITE.
IT IS NEAR IN COMPLETION RIGHT NOW AS WE SPEAK.
AND, UH, YOU'RE REFERRING, YOU'RE REFERRING TO A PLACE MARKER FOR THE SITE.
AND AN ADDITIONAL MARKER IS BEING DONE FOR THAT SITE BECAUSE THERE WERE, IN FACT, TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS FOR HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL.
THIS LOCATION THAT WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT AT 2,600 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD IS THE SITE OF THE FINAL LOCATION FOR HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL.
THE ORIGINAL SITE ON EAST 11TH STREET IS WHERE THE MARKER IS NOW FOR THAT HOSPITAL, WHICH, UH, COINCIDENTALLY IS WHERE I WAS BORN,
BUT THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LOCATION WE'RE SPEAKING ABOUT ON EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED.
AND IN FACT, NOT ONLY IS THE LOCATION WHERE THE HOSPITAL, UH, SITE IS HIGHLY SIGNIFICANT, SO IS THE ADJACENT SCHOOL RIGHT NEXT TO IT, ELLO CAM ELEMENTARY, AS WELL AS THE NEIGHBORHOOD ADJACENT TO THE PROPERTY AS WELL, WHICH IS THE SAME NEIGHBORHOOD THAT I LIVE IN.
AND THERE ARE MEMBERS OF THAT COMMUNITY WHO WERE THERE NOW.
AND THAT COMMUNITY ALSO BEARS HOLY CROSS IN THE NAME OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS CALLED ROGERS, WASHINGTON, HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL, HOLY CROSS NEIGHBORHOOD DISTRICT, AND THAT IS WHERE WE ALL LIVE.
AND THAT NAME HOLY CROSS COMES FROM THE NAME OF THE HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL.
UH, THAT WAS, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE, UH, THE SITE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT NOW.
BUT THE POINT THAT I WANT TO MAKE IS THAT BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEMOLITION, WHICH WOULD MEAN TEARING DOWN THE PROPERTY AND REPLACING IT, UH, UH, AT SOME FUTURE DATE, ONE OF THE THINGS
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THAT WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE OF IS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSIONS, UH, WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP AND WITH OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES, UH, WHO WOULD HAVE AN INTEREST, UH, POSSIBLY IN WHAT'S GONNA REPLACE THE BUILDING THAT'S THERE NOW, WHEN THAT'S DONE.AND TYPICALLY THAT IS DONE WHEN THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT DEMOLITIONS OF SIGNIFICANT HIGHLY HISTORIC PROPERTIES.
AND, UH, AND ONE OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO ASK IS THAT WE SOMEWHAT SLOW DOWN THE PROCESS OF DEMOLITION APPROVAL, UH, ONLY BECAUSE THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, ALONG WITH POSSIBLY SOME INTERESTED PARTIES WHO MAY BE HERE TONIGHT TO SPEAK AS WELL, MAY HAVE AN INTEREST IN TALKING TO MS. BOJO AND OTHER PEOPLE CONNECTED WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE THERE TO SEE, UH, UH, TO EXPRESS OUR CONCERNS AND OUR INTEREST IN MAKING SURE THAT CERTAIN THINGS OCCUR FOR THE, FOR EXAMPLE, PROTECTION OF THE STUDENTS AND THE SCHOOL, UH, AND THE TEACHERS WHO ARE GOING TO THE SCHOOL, THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTY.
UH, THE NUMBERS OF THINGS HISTORICALLY CONNECTED WITH THE HOSPITAL THAT WE MAY WANT TO SEE INCORPORATED INTO THE NEW STRUCTURE THAT WE MAY WANT TO TALK TO THE DEVELOPERS ABOUT HAVING THOSE KINDS OF DISCUSSIONS ARE SIGNIFICANT.
THEY'RE VERY IMPORTANT, AND THEY'RE TYPICALLY, UH, ASPECTS OF A NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT IS DONE IN A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD THAT TAKES PLACE PRIOR TO DEMOLITION WHEN THERE IS SOMETHING TO DEMOLISH.
UH, AND THAT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT FROM THE STANDPOINT THAT THE ORIGINAL HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL THAT WAS DONE THERE ON THAT SITE AT 2,600 EAST MARTIN LUTHER KING BOULEVARD, WHEN IT WAS TORN DOWN AND DEMOLISHED IT, ALL OF A SUDDEN, VERY HURRIEDLY WAS DEMOLISHED AND TORN DOWN VERY UNCEREMONIOUSLY.
AND THAT'S SO UNFORTUNATE BECAUSE OF THE UNIQUE BENEFITS AND THE VITALITY THAT IT GAVE TO THE EAST AUSTIN COMMUNITY DURING THE NEARLY 50 YEARS THAT IT WAS IN EXISTENCE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN IT JUST DISAPPEARED.
AND NO ONE WANTS TO SEE THAT HAPPEN TO THIS PARTICULAR SITE WHERE THERE IS A NEW DEVELOPMENT THAT'S GONNA REPLACE IT, WHERE WE NOW AS A NEIGHBORHOOD AND AS A COMMUNITY NOW HAVE THE TIME TO EXPRESS OUR INTERESTS AND OUR CONCERNS, UH, AND ALSO OUR RESPECT FOR THE DEVELOPERS WHO WANT TO COME IN AND DEVELOP AND IMPROVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UH, SO THIS CAN BE A WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR EVERYONE.
SO I WANTED TO ALSO, UH, MENTION THAT, UH, UH, THERE MAY BE OTHERS WHO MAY WANNA SPEAK ON THIS SUBJECT, BUT MY, MY PARTICULAR CONCERN IS THAT WE GIVE CONSIDERATION TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND TO THOSE ELEMENTS THAT I JUST MENTIONED, SO THAT ALL OF US CAN HAVE THE BENEFIT OF, OF, UH, EACH OTHER'S INPUT.
AND SO THE DEVELOPERS, WHEN THEY DO GO FORWARD WITH THAT DEVELOPMENT WILL KNOW THAT THEY DID ALL THE RIGHT THINGS AND FOLLOWED ALL THE RIGHT STEPS DURING THE PROCESS OF PRE-DEVELOPMENT AND NOT LOOK BACK AND SAY, WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THIS, AND WE SHOULD HAVE DONE THAT WHEN THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DONE.
UH, IF WE HAD ONLY TAKEN THE TIME TO TAKE A STEP BACK, SLOW THE PROCESS DOWN AND JUST DO IT.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR INTEREST AND CONSIDERATION FOR AND FOR, AND FOR THE TIME TO SPEAK MUCH.
MR. MC, THANK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR THE WORK THAT YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS HAVE DONE FOR THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, UH, AND ALSO IN RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE, UH, OF THE HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL, UM, IN, IN ALL ITS FACETS.
WE DO VERY GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS.
UH, LET ME MAKE SURE COMMISSIONERS, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTION OF THE SPEAKER? OKAY, THANK YOU.
WE'LL CALL UP, UH, ADDITIONAL SPEAKERS.
UH, I AM A LIFELONG RESIDENT OF EAST AUSTIN, BORN AND RAISED.
UM, MY FATHER HAS A HOME THAT WAS BUILT IN THE NEIGHBORING ROGERS, WASHINGTON HOLY CROSS NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, IN 1960S.
UH, I AM A CURRENT RESIDENT OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, AS ARE TWO OTHER ATTENDINGS HERE, PAT CALHOUN AND, UH, STEVEN WEBB.
UH, WE HAVE A CONCERN BECAUSE IN SEEKING THE HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION, UH, WE WERE TRYING TO PRESERVE THE UNIQUE QUALITIES OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS UNIQUE HISTORIES.
UM, AND SO EVEN THOUGH THE HOLY CROSS PROPERTY THAT'S AT ISSUE HERE, UH, IS NOT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IT FALLS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET.
AND TO BE HONEST, THE WE HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE AN ORGANIZED NONPROFIT, HISTORIC
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DISTRICT, UH, NEIGHBORS WHO LIVE WITHIN CERTAIN PROXIMITY OF THIS DEVELOPMENT RECEIVE NOTICE.BUT OUR ORGANIZED, OUR GROUPS DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS.
UM, AND SO WE WOULD LIKE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED.
UH, I'M INCLINED TO OPPOSE THE DEMOLITION, UH, BUT I WOULD REQUEST A POSTPONEMENT.
UM, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE'S A REQUEST FOR A ZONING CHANGE, AND THAT'S SCHEDULED FOR HEARING NEXT MONTH.
UH, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT WE WILL BE OPPOSING THAT ZONING CHANGE.
THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT WE WILL SUPPORT IT, BUT THE DEVELOPER HAS NOT GIVEN US ANY INFORMATION.
WHAT I SAW TONIGHT, UH, WAS MY FIRST TIME SEEING THEIR PLANS.
UH, I WOULD LIKE TO INVITE MS. LEAH, UH, TO ADDRESS OUR GROUPS, TO ADDRESS OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND GIVE US SOME IDEA OF, OF WHAT SHE HAS IN MIND BECAUSE, UM, AGAIN, WE'VE REQUESTED OUR HISTORIC DESIGNATION OUT OF CONCERN AND ANYTHING THAT HAPPENS THAT CLOSE TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, WE DON'T KNOW THE IMPACT THAT IT'S GOING TO HAVE.
WE DON'T KNOW THE IMPACT ON OUR SCHOOLS EVEN.
UH, WE WOULD JUST ASK THAT YOU NOT RUSH THIS AND GIVE US A, A CHANCE TO MAYBE EVEN BE A PART IT.
UM, PAT, DID YOU HAVE ANYTHING THAT YOU WANTED TO ADD? NO.
YES, PLEASE, PLEASE, UH, PROCEED TO TOWARDS THE MICROPHONE, MS. POOL.
IS THERE ANYBODY WHO HAS ANY QUESTIONS THAT MS. POOL? THANK YOU.
GOOD EVENING, AND THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY.
UM, MY PARENTS, UH, BUILT THE HOME THAT I'M IN IN THE, UM, LATE 1950S.
AND, UM, WE'VE WORKED VERY, VERY HARD ON ACHIEVING THE HISTORIC, UM, DISTRICT DESIGNATION.
UM, I DITO WHAT, UM, UM, BARRY MCBRIDE HAS SAID, AND ALSO WHAT, UM, MARILYN POOL WEBB HAS SAID.
I WOULD ADD THAT, UM, WE DO HAVE A CONCERN ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES THAT NEED TO BE DONE.
UM, GIVEN THAT THAT WAS A RADIATION, UM, FACILITY, UM, THERE'S BEEN NO MENTION OF THAT KIND OF, UM, UM, IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, THE DENSITY AND THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING THAT WE'RE, WE ARE BEING SHOWN, UM, AS IT IMPACTS THE SCHOOL THAT'S NEXT DOOR.
AND, UH, ALSO THE TRAFFIC THAT OUR NARROW STREETS ALREADY NARROW STREETS WILL HAVE.
SO THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE'D LIKE TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET WITH THE DEVELOPER AND DISCUSS.
THERE MAY BE OTHER POSSIBILITIES, UH, FOR THAT, UM, FOR THAT, UM, PARTICULAR SITE.
AND, UH, AGAIN, WE JUST LIKE TO HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY BEFORE THE DEMOLITION BEGINS.
WE JUST FEEL THAT WE NEED TO HAVE SOME CONSENSUS AS TO WHAT GOES THERE AND EXPLORE ALL OF THESE, UM, UH, AVENUES THAT WE'VE MENTIONED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, MR. CALHOUN.
ANY, ANY, UH, QUESTIONS? THANK YOU.
UH, YES, UH, UH, CHAIRMAN, UH, COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS STEVEN WEBB, AND, UH, I'M, UH, RELATIVELY NEW TO AUSTIN.
I ONLY HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE 76 WHEN I CAME DOWN HERE TO, UH, TO GO TO, UH, LAW SCHOOL.
SO I GUESS I'M ALMOST A CAR BAGGER
UM, UH, I, HOWEVER, I DO NOW LIVE, UH, WITH MY WIFE AT 1906, UH, MAPLE, WHICH IS, UH, A, A SHORT ONE BLOCK WALK AWAY FROM THE SITE, UH, UNDER CONSIDERATION BY THE
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COMMISSION.AND, AND I WILL ECHO EVERYTHING, UH, UH, THAT MY WIFE AND, UH, MY NEIGHBOR HAVE ALREADY SAID ABOUT, UH, THE LACK OF INFORMATION.
UH, I WILL ADD THAT, UH, PART OF MY PRACTICE, UH, WAS IN THE AREA OF, UH, OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW, THAT TYPE OF THING.
AND, AND I AM CURIOUS WHEN I HEARD FOR THE FIRST TIME, UM, THAT THERE, UH, MAY BE SOME, UH, HAZARDOUS, UH, MATERIAL, UH, UH, ON SITE, WHICH WOULD, I WOULD THINK CALL FOR SOME KIND OF SPECIFIC REMEDIATION AND SPECIFIC NOTIFICATION TO GO ALONG WITH ANY DEMOLITION PLAN.
YOU DON'T JUST SIMPLY, UM, DEMOLISH, UH, AN AREA THAT COULD EVEN BE A SUPERFUND SITE AS FAR AS WE KNOW, UH, GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE, UH, HAZARDOUS MATERIAL.
SO, UH, I THINK, UH, WE DESERVE TO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL, UH, INFORMATION, UH, SOME VERY SPECIFIC INFORMATION ON EXACTLY HOW AND WHEN AND WHO IS GOING TO BE, UH, UH, DEMOLISHING, UH, THIS, UH, UH, THIS BUILDING.
AND, AND I THINK THAT IT'S, UH, NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK, UH, THAT THE COMMISSION, UH, UH, GIVE US, UH, SOME TIME TO HAVE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE APPLICANT.
ANY OTHER? I I WILL SAY, JUST FOR THE RECORD, A AS, AS MUCH AS WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE ISSUE OF THE RESIDUAL MATERIALS THERE ON SITE, THAT'S UNFORTUNATELY NOT OUR JURISDICTION AS PRESERVATIONISTS, BUT THERE ARE CERTAINLY AVENUES THAT WILL NEED TO BE PURSUED.
AND ANYTHING WE CAN DO TO HELP, THAT CERTAINLY IS AN IMPORTANT ELEMENT.
BUT JUST, JUST TO BE CLEAR, THAT'S NOT PART OF OUR, OUR, OUR OVERSIGHT.
BUT I WOULD, UH, UH, UH, BUT IF WE CAN GIVE HELP YOU GET MORE TIME TO GET THAT
BUT IN TERMS OF OUR OVERSIGHT, THAT'S, THAT'S NOT WITHIN OUR PURVIEW.
BUT THANK YOU, UH, ANY OTHER SPEAKERS? ALRIGHT.
HEARING NONE, UH, BY OUR, UH, COURTESY, WE ALLOW THE, UH, ORIGINAL APPLICANT A TIME TO REBUT.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THAT TIME, MS. POJO, I APPRECIATE THAT.
UM, I DO, I DO WANNA RESPOND AND HOPEFULLY PROVIDE SOME ASSURANCES, UM, TO THE NEIGHBORS.
UM, I HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH WITH MR. MCBRIDE SINCE THE FIRST ONSITE MEETING WE HAD WAS IN SEPTEMBER AFTER WE MET AT THE CODE REQUIRED COMMUNITY MEETING FOR THE ZONING CASE.
SO WE HAVE BEEN IN TOUCH FOR SEVERAL MONTHS AND I, I WANNA PROVIDE, THE ASSURANCES I WANNA PROVIDE ARE THAT, UM, THE REMEDIATION, ALL OF THOSE THINGS WILL HAVE, THE DEMOLITION ITSELF ISN'T PLANNED TO HAPPEN RIGHT NOW.
IT'S JUST THAT GOING BEFORE THIS BODY AND GETTING APPROVAL FROM A PRESERVATIONIST STANDPOINT IS REQUIRED EARLY.
AND, UM, WE REALLY, WE THINK IT ACTUALLY SERVES EVERYONE FOR US TO GET THROUGH THIS STEP BEFORE WE GO THROUGH THE REST OF THE ZONING CASE.
BECAUSE IF THERE IS DIRECTION, LIKE THE CURVATURE OF THE STRUCTURE, THE STEP BACK AT 60 FEET, THINGS LIKE THAT, THOSE CAN BE INCORPORATED INTO THE ZONING ORDINANCE.
SO IT REALLY SERVES EVERYONE, I THINK, IN MY OPINION, FOR THIS TO HAPPEN FIRST AND THEN TO CONTINUE WITH THE ZONING PROCESS THAT APPLICATION'S IN REVIEW.
BUT OUR PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULE, LIKE MR. MCBRIDE DESCRIBED, UM, WE GO TO PLANNING, WE'RE RIGHT NOW SCHEDULED TO GO TO PLANNING COMMISSION IN FEBRUARY.
SO, UM, I WILL, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS ABOUT PUSHING THIS DATE OUT BECAUSE THERE WILL BE A RIPPLE EFFECT THAT WILL AFFECT THE REST OF THE CASE.
AND WE DO HAVE SOME, UNFORTUNATELY, SOME TRANSACTIONAL DEADLINES.
WE, WE HAD SOME DELAYS ON THE FRONT END THAT, SPEAKING OF RIPPLE EFFECTS THAT BEGAN WHEN THE A RC MEETING IN NOVEMBER WAS CANCELED FOR LACK OF QUORUM.
WE HAD BEEN PLANNING TO COME IN DECEMBER.
WE REALLY WANTED TO GO TO A RC BEFORE WE CAME TO THIS FULL COMMISSION.
SO WE, WE ALREADY HAVE HAD SOME PUSHING THAT'S HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THINGS THAT ARE OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL, LIKE THE, THE QUORUM ISSUE AT THAT NOVEMBER ARC MEETING.
UM, SO I, I WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT WE MOVE FORWARD TONIGHT, BUT I ALSO WANNA PROVIDE ASSURANCES TO YOU THE COMMISSION AND ALSO TO THE NEIGHBORS IN ADDITION TO MR. MCBRIDE WHO WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED YESTERDAY ABOUT SCHEDULING A MEETING WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO, UM, TO TALK ABOUT ALL OF THIS.
I ALSO HAVE A MEETING WITH THE ROSEWOOD NEIGHBORHOOD NEXT WEEK.
I'M HAP YOU KNOW, I AM, I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE MYSELF AVAILABLE TO YOU AND, AND WHEN THE THINGS THAT WE COME UP WITH FROM
[01:50:01]
THAT MEETING CAN POTENTIALLY BE INCORPORATED INTO A ZONING ORDINANCE, AND WE ARE OP WE ARE OPEN TO THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE'VE ALREADY MADE SOME OF THOSE COMMITMENTS.YOU KNOW, SO, SO I, I WOULD ASK THAT WE DO MOVE FORWARD JUST WITH JUST THIS SMALL PIECE, KNOWING THAT WE ARE VERY FAR OUT FROM THE ACTUAL DEMOLITION ITSELF AND THE, AND THE RECONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW BUILDING.
AND WE EVEN HAVE A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME BEFORE WE GET TO THE NEXT STEP IN THE ZONING PROCESS WHERE WE CAN DISCUSS THESE THINGS AND INCORPORATE THEM IN.
I, I UNDERSTAND WHERE EVERYONE'S COMING FROM, BUT I, I HAVE TO MAKE THAT REQUEST ON BEHALF OF MY CLIENT.
ANY QUESTION OF THE APPLICANT? ALRIGHT, IF NONE, THEN I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND IS THERE A SECOND? UH, SECONDED BY, UH, COMMISSIONER EVANS.
UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF CLOSING THE PUBLIC HEARING INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HANDS.
AND I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED, SO IT'S UNANIMOUS.
COMMISSIONERS, I'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION.
COMMISSIONER EVANS, VICE CHAIR EVANS.
UH, I MOVE THAT WE, UH, HAVE A POSTPONEMENT ON THIS, UH, ON THIS PARTICULAR CASE.
I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS MIGHT NOT FALL INTO OUR PURVIEW, BUT I THINK THERE'S SOME SUBSTANTIVE ISSUES THAT NEED TO BE DISCUSSED AND WHATEVER TAKES PLACE ON THIS SITE COULD AFFECT THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, THE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO I THINK, UH, THERE'S TIME FOR DISCUSSION IF WE CAN GET THAT.
WE HAVE A MOTION TO, UH, POSTPONE.
ALRIGHT, UH, COMMISSIONER EVANS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPEAK, UH, AT MORE LENGTH ABOUT WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE WITH THE POSTPONEMENT? CERTAINLY.
UH, I THINK, UH, EVERYONE WHO CAME TO SPEAK TONIGHT HAD SOME PRETTY COGENT ARGUMENTS ABOUT WHAT SOME OF THEIR CONCERNS ARE.
UH, AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY NEED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE TYPE OF HOUSING, UH, MAYBE EVEN THE, THE PRICE POINTS OF HOUSING, BECAUSE, AS SOMEONE MENTIONED, UH, COULD AFFECT THE SCHOOL.
UH, THERE ARE ALSO SOME ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS THAT COULD, AGAIN, AFFECT THE SCHOOLS.
AND SO IF THERE'S A WAY TO, UH, TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE CONCERNS, I WAS PLEASED TO HEAR MS. BOJO ISS WILLING TO GO TO SOME OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS.
AND BECAUSE SHE INDICATED THAT IT'S GOING TO PROBABLY BE A LENGTHY PROCESS IN TERMS OF ANY ACTUAL DEMOLITION, I THINK THIS COULD BE A WIN-WIN IF THESE KIND OF DISCUSSIONS COULD GO GO FORWARD.
AND COMMISSIONER DUDLEY? UM, YES, I'M, UH, ESSENTIALLY SECONDING WHAT, UH, COMMISSIONER VICE CHAIR EVANS, UM, JUST SAID IT'S REALLY REFRESHING TO SEE THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE SPEAKING IN REGARDS TO THIS PARTICULAR CASE.
UM, HAD THERE NOT BEEN ANY INDIVIDUALS DESIRING TO SPEAK, I WOULD'VE ASKED THAT THIS, UH, PARTICULAR CASE BE PULLED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA.
UM, I'M ALSO THANKFUL THAT THE, UM, THE DEVELOPER IS HERE AS WELL AND WILLING TO WORK WITH THE COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT I ALSO HAVE, UH, SOME ADDITIONAL CONCERNS, UM, THAT THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS SPOKE TO.
ONE, IN REGARDS TO, UM, POTENTIAL, YOU KNOW, REMEDIATION OR MITIGATION.
I KNOW THAT'S NOT OUR PURVIEW, BUT AGAIN, IN UNDERSTANDING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FOR THE COMMUNITY.
BUT ALSO TO KNOW IF PERHAPS, UM, YOU KNOW, IF, TO KNOW THAT THE DEVELOPER HAS DONE ANY DUE DILIGENCE, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, THESE KINDS OF STRUCTURES HAVING BEEN USED IN THIS WAY BEFORE, UM, BEING PRESERVED OR REUSED OTHERWISE.
UM, IT, IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO SEE BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN.
UM, AND SPEAKING TO THE ARCHITECTURAL PLANS, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT THE ORIGINAL 1940 STRUCTURE THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED ON THE SITE BY CHARLES PAGE WAS MORE OF A MODEST HORIZONTAL, UM, YOU KNOW, LOW RISE STRUCTURE.
UM, MUCH EMPHASIS HAS BEEN PLACED AND RIGHTFULLY SO ON THAT LANDMARK CYLINDRICAL ADDITION.
UM, BUT THAT WAS ALSO AN ADDITION, UH, TO THE ORIGINAL BUILDING.
AND SO I THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE, MAYBE SIGNIFICANCE MIGHT BE OFFERED TO THE LATTER EDITION, WHICH IS THE, UM, ALSO CONSTRUCTED BY PAGE.
AND SO WE HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF THAT PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, ARCHITECTURAL DYNASTY, IF YOU WILL, IN AUSTIN.
UM, AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SITE, AND EVEN THIS LAST EXISTING COMPONENT OF THE HOSPITAL THAT'S PRESENT, THAT IS ACTUALLY MUCH MORE, UM, YOU KNOW, AESTHETICALLY AND, AND ARCHITECTURALLY SIMILAR TO THE, THE 1940 ORIGINAL STRUCTURE FOR THE HOLY CROSS HOSPITAL THAT WAS CONSTRUCTED THERE.
SO I ARGUE THAT THERE, THERE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE
[01:55:01]
SIGNIFICANCE, ARCHITECTURAL SIGNIFICANCE, UM, TO THIS, UM, EXISTING BUILDING IN, UH, IN ADDITION TO THE HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SIGNIFICANCE THAT, UM, THAT ARE APPARENT WITH, UH, THIS PARTICULAR SITE.ANY OTHER? YES, COMMISSIONER LAROCHE.
MAY WE HEAR FROM THE, UH, A RC AND, AND THEIR THOUGHTS? I, I HEARD STAFF GAVE A RECOMMENDATION.
COULD YOU GIVE US A BIT MORE CONTEXT? COMMISSIONER COOK, COMMISSIONER GROGAN? YEAH, I WOULD SAY WE WERE GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE PLAN, UH, GIVEN THE ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY OF WHAT'S LEFT VERSUS THE WHOLE COMPLEX.
DOES THAT BUILDING AS YOU PASS, IT REALLY CONVEY THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BUIL OF WHAT WAS THERE.
AND, UH, IN THIS CASE BEING NOT NATIONAL REGISTERED DISTRICT, THEY DON'T EVEN REALLY HAVE TO PROVIDE THE PLANS FOR WHAT THEY'RE REPLACING IT WITH.
THAT THIS WERE JUST PURELY A DEMOLITION CASE AND WE WEREN'T DISCUSSING WHAT WAS GOING THERE, WHICH WE REALLY SHOULDN'T BE.
'CAUSE THIS IS DEMOLITION OR NOT DEMOLITION.
UH, WE JUST DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THERE WAS ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY TO JUSTIFY, UH, INITIATING A HISTORIC ZONING CASE.
I THINK THAT IS, UM, I, I THINK THERE WERE A LOT OF ISSUES RAISED, AND I'M GONNA SUPPORT THIS MOTION BECAUSE, UM, ALTHOUGH THERE APPEARS TO BE SOME COMMUNICATION GOING ON, I THINK THERE COULD BE MORE.
AND I THINK THERE ARE MORE OPPORTUNITIES SPECIFICALLY FOR THE REFLECTION OF THE IMPORTANT HISTORY OF THAT SITE.
UM, I'M GLAD WE HEARD IT AND, AND, YOU KNOW, SAW PICTURES OF THE BUILDING THAT USED TO BE THERE AND THE, UM, YOU KNOW, TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANT HISTORY.
AND I THINK MAYBE THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO REFLECT THAT BETTER.
SO TO BE VERY SPECIFIC IN OUR FINDINGS OF FACT ABOUT WHY I'M SUPPORTING THE POSTPONEMENT, IT REALLY HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH REMEDIATION OR ENVIRONMENTAL OR WHAT'S GOING THERE IN DENSITY AND TRAFFIC, WHICH IS REALLY ALL BEYOND OUR PURVIEW, BUT SPECIFICALLY TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, FIND THE BEST WAY TO REFLECT THE HISTORY IN THE NEW BUILDING, WHETHER IT BE A KIOSK OR, YOU KNOW, IMPROVEMENT OF THE MURAL, BUT SOMETHING MORE TO BETTER REPRESENT WHAT WAS THERE THAN WHAT REMAINS.
AND I'LL ADD, I WAS SUPPORTING THE MISSION WELL AS WELL, AND I OBVIOUSLY WHAT WE WERE PRESENTING A RC, UM, AS COMMISSIONER COOK SAID WE WERE, UM, IN AGREEMENT WITH, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE THE COMMUNITY FEEDBACK AT THAT TIME.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S WHAT HAS SWAYED ME TODAY TO, UM, AGREE WITH POSTPONING.
I, I GUESS, UM, THE DILEMMA I HAVE IS HOW IS IT THAT WE FACILITATE THE PROCESS MOVING FORWARD TO VALIDATE THE POSTPONEMENT? IS IT THROUGH ANOTHER MEETING WITH THE A RC TO KIND OF CONFIRM THAT SOME OF THOSE CONCEPTS AND IDEAS WERE INCORPORATED? BECAUSE WHAT I'M HEARING COMMISSIONER COOK SAY IS NOT NECESSARILY ABOUT THE STRUCTURE, IT'S MORE ABOUT THE SITE.
AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, A CONTAMINATED STRUCTURE IS YOU'RE NOT GONNA WIN THAT BATTLE.
BUT, BUT A, CAN WE DISCUSS WHAT DOES POSTPONEMENT DO FOR US? I MEAN, IF I'M THE APPLICANT AND I'M THE NEIGHBORHOOD CAN, IS IT UNDER OUR PURVIEW TO USE THE A RC AS A FURTHER VALIDATION THAT THOSE THINGS ARE BEING INCORPORATED CULTURALLY INTO THE SITE? IS THAT A FAIR USE OF THAT BODY? AND I'M SPEAKING TO THE CHAIR NOW IN TERMS OF YEAH, NO, I, I, I UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING AND I THINK IT IS DEFINITELY APPROPRIATE.
UH, WE HAD THE APPLICANT BRING THIS TO A MORE INFORMAL DISCUSSION, AND WITHIN THAT CONTEXT, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, IT WAS VERY PRODUCTIVE.
BUT WE'VE EXPANDED THE CONTEXT AND NOW ADDING THE EXTRA VOICES, I THINK, UM, THERE, THERE ARE ISSUES THAT I BELIEVE, I'M, I'M HOPEFUL THAT A CONVERSATION BASICALLY THAT CONTINUES WOULD BE PRODUCTIVE DURING THAT PERIOD OF TIME.
SO IT'S NOT JUST DELAY FOR DELAY'S SAKE IS WHAT I THINK YOU, I'M, I'M, I'M HEARING YOU, YOU SUGGEST, AND I WILL ADD, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC HEARING'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PROCESS, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE ACTUALLY HAD THAT.
SO WHEN IT FIRST CAME TO THE A RC, WE GAVE OUR OPINION, BUT OUR OPINION, ALTHOUGH, YOU KNOW, WE ARE SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS, IS NOT THE END ALL BE ALL.
AND I THINK THE PUBLIC HEARING IS A BIG PART OF THAT.
AND I THINK COMMUNICATION WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS A BIG PART OF THAT.
AND, UH, I JUST WANT TO ENCOURAGE THAT PROCESS, NOT JUST SPEAKING TO US AND, AND IGNORING THE NEIGHBORS, BUT MAKING SURE THE NEIGHBORS FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN, THEY'VE BEEN HEARD IN THE PROCESS AS WELL.
AND SO WE HOPE, WE HOPE THAT IN 30 DAYS TIME,
[02:00:01]
THIS WILL COME BACK TO THE DAIS AND WE'LL GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO EVALUATE WHETHER THAT'S OCCURRED OR NOT.IS THE, IS THE GOAL FOR THE POSTPONEMENT, IS WHAT I'M UNDERSTANDING.
AND, AND I THINK THAT'S FAIR IN, IN THAT CONSIDERATION.
I, I WOULD SUPPORT THE MOTION AND I WOULD NOTE WE HAD ANOTHER CASE EARLIER IN A NATIONAL REGISTER DISTRICT THAT WE POSTPONED FOR THE FIFTH MONTH.
NOW, I THINK WITH THE VERY SAME GOAL OF MAKING SURE THAT ALL VOICES ARE HEARD AND COMMUNICATION TO ITS GREATEST EXTENT HAS BEEN HAD TO MAKE SURE, UM, HISTORY'S BEST REPRESENTED, ESPECIALLY SINCE IN RELATION TO THE COMMUNITY THAT'S MOST IMPACTED.
LET ME JUST SAY, I'M GONNA SUPPORT VICE CHAIR EVANS YOUR MOTION AS WELL.
UH, THOUGH WHAT I, AND I DO APPRECIATE IN PARTICULAR, UH, YOU'RE REMINDING US IT, THOUGH IT MAY NOT BE WITHIN THE ROGERS, WASHINGTON HOLY CROSS, UH, DISTRICT, ITS IMPACT IS ABSOLUTELY UNQUESTIONED.
AND TO BE ABLE TO GET THIS RIGHT AND HAVE THAT LEVEL OF, UM, UH, CONNECTION, I THINK IS, IS GONNA BE TIME WELL SPENT.
UH, AND I CERTAINLY HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT BOTH THE NEIGHBORS AND THE OWNER AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVE WILL BE MAKING GOOD USE OF THAT TIME.
I DO WANT TO JUST FOR THE RECORD, BACKTRACK A LITTLE BIT SO THERE'S NO MISUNDERSTANDING.
UH, AS MUCH AS I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY EXPECTS US TO BE EXPERTS ON RADIATION, 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT, UH, THE FACT IS THIS IS QUITE A UNIQUE BUILDING AND I AM INTRIGUED ABOUT THESE SEVEN FOOT THICK CONCRETE WALLS.
AND WHAT ARE THEY, HOW DO YOU DEMOLISH THEM OR IS THERE SOME WAY, I MEAN, MAYBE I, I DON'T KNOW IF, IF, IF THEY HAVE, UH, UH, ANY KIND OF, UH, POTENTIAL LIFE, UH, OR WERE THEY COMPROMISED SOMEHOW IN THE COURSE OF BEING PROTECTION FOR RADIATION? I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
SO I WOULD HOPE THAT IF NOTHING ELSE, UH, THE OWNER WOULD HELP ENLIGHTEN US A LITTLE BIT.
SO I DON'T WANNA BE HANDS OFF ABOUT THIS ISSUE, I'M KIND OF CURIOUS ABOUT IT, BUT IT IS OBVIOUSLY WHETHER IT IS SAFE OR NOT SAFE, WE'RE JUST NOT SKILLED ENOUGH TO KNOW.
BUT IT IS CERTAINLY A, A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR, NOT ONLY TO THE BUILDING AND WHY IT WAS BUILT, BUT ALSO WHAT THE EFFECT, UH, IN THE LONG TERM IS IN THE REMOVAL OF THIS BUILDING.
SO WE DO ASK, UH, I DO ASK THAT YOU MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S, UH, AT LEAST SOME UPDATE THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE CAN MAKE USE OF, UH, IN OUR, IN OUR NEXT DISCUSSION WITH Y'ALL.
UH, AGAIN, ASSUMING THE MOTION PASSES.
ALRIGHT, COMMISSIONERS, ANY OTHER DISCUSSION, WE HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND TO POSTPONE THIS ITEM TILL OUR FEBRUARY MEETING.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE INDICATE BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED AND SO THAT MOTION PASSES.
WE WILL SEE YOU ALL IN FEBRUARY.
THANK YOU AGAIN FOR ALL OF YOUR EFFORTS.
ALRIGHT, UH, COMMISSIONERS, THAT IS THE LAST OF OUR CASES AND THAT BRINGS US UP NOW TO ITEM
[17. Discussion and possible action on recommendation to honor Commissioner JuanRaymon Rubio and his service to the Historic Landmark Commission. (Part 2 of 2)]
NUMBER 17, UH, WHICH WE BEGAN AND THEN TABLED.BUT, UH, WE NOW HAVE A DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON RECOMMENDATIONS TO HONOR COMMISSIONER JUAN RAYMOND RUBIO AND HIS SERVICE TO THE HISTORIC LANDMARKS COMMISSION.
AND I'M GONNA CALL ON STAFF TO GO AHEAD AND GIVE US AN UPDATE.
KIM MCKNIGHT, UH, DIVISION MANAGER FOR THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION DIVISION, ALSO KNOWN AS THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE.
UM, WE HAVE BEEN IN COMMUNICATION WITH MULTIPLE PEOPLE, UH, AND ORGANIZATIONS RELATED, UM, TO, UH, COMMISSIONER RUBIO.
I WANTED TO GIVE YOU JUST SORT OF A, A BRIEF UPDATE ABOUT THE VARIOUS THINGS THAT ARE UNDERWAY.
UH, SATURDAY PRESERVATION AUSTIN, WHICH IS A NONPROFIT PRESERVATION GROUP, UM, OF WHICH, UH, COMMISSIONER RUBIO SERVED AS A BOARD MEMBER ON WHICH HE SERVED AS A BOARD MEMBER, UH, IS GONNA HAVE A SERVICE FROM ABOUT THREE TO FIVE O'CLOCK.
AND IF ANYONE HERE DOES NOT HAVE THE DETAILS OF THAT, UM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I'LL BE SURE TO GET THAT TO YOU.
UM, REMARKS WILL START AROUND 4:00 PM IF THAT SOUNDS RIGHT.
IT WILL BE AT, UM, THEIR, UH, OFFICE.
UM, YEAH, IT'S THE MCFARLAND MCBEE HOUSE, I BELIEVE IS WHAT IT'S CALLED NOW.
UH, ADDITIONALLY AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 30TH, WHICH IS THE FIRST CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF THE YEAR, UM, OUR NEW MAYOR, PRO TEM, UH, VANESSA FUENTES, WHO APPOINTED COMMISSIONER RUBIO TO THIS BODY, IS GOING TO, UM, WORK WITH US TO MAKE SURE TO HAVE A, A POSTHUMOUS, UH, DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD BESTOWED UPON COMMISSIONER RUBIO AND HIS
[02:05:01]
FAMILY.UM, THEY WILL BE IN TOWN AND, UM, ARE PLANNING TO JOIN AND I'LL BE, UM, SURE TO EMAIL YOU MORE INFORMATION AND DETAILS.
IF I'M NOT MISTAKEN, I BELIEVE THAT THAT PORTION OF THE COUNCIL MEETING STARTS AROUND NINE O'CLOCK IN THE BOARD AND COMMISSION ROOM.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S CHANGED AND IT'S USUALLY SOMETHING THEY DO AHEAD OF THE MEETING.
I'LL BE SURE TO LET YOU KNOW THE DETAILS.
THAT'S MY RECOLLECTION, SO DON'T HOLD ME TO THAT.
BUT IT'S USUALLY A FIRST THING IN THE MORNING, UM, ACTIVITY.
UM, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THEY'LL ALSO HAVE A MOMENT OF SILENCE DURING THE, TO THE COUNCIL MEETING ITSELF IN HONOR OF COMMISSIONER RUBIO.
SO THAT'S THURSDAY, JANUARY 30TH.
UM, GIVEN THAT THAT AWARD TAKES PLACE BEFORE THE NEXT HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING, WE MIGHT TALK ABOUT, UM, A WAY TO SORT OF HIGHLIGHT THAT AWARD AT THE NEXT MEETING MORE FORMALLY.
UM, I'M NOT SURE HOW THAT, WHAT THE SHAPE OF THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE PRESERVATION COMMUNITY THAT TUNES INTO THESE MEETINGS KNOWS THAT THAT AWARD WAS GIVEN.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, WE HAVE A, UM, CELEBRATION OF THE PRESERVATION PLANS PASSAGE AND KIND OF A KICKOFF TO THE IMPLEMENTATION PHASE TENTATIVELY, BUT SOMEWHAT IT'S MOVING FORWARD, BUT WE HAVEN'T GIVEN YOU FORMAL NOTIFICATION HAPPENING ON WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY THE 12TH.
UH, THE LOCATION IS GONNA BE FIESTA GARDENS.
CARIB BERTRAN IS GONNA BE COORDINATING THAT AND YOU WILL RECEIVE FORMAL NOTIFICATION.
UM, I THINK WHAT'S LIKELY TO HAPPEN AT THAT MEETING IS A PROCLAMATION FROM MAYOR PRO TEM FUENTES, AS ALONG WITH OTHER INTERESTED COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, KIND OF A CALL TO ACTION FOR THE PLAN IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, AND EITHER THE PROCLAMATION AND OR THE SPEAKING POINTS FOR THAT EVENING WILL, UM, ACKNOWLEDGE AND RECOGNIZE COMMISSIONER RUBIO'S CONTRIBUTIONS.
UM, I IMAGINE THAT WE'VE COMMUNICATED SORT OF ALL OF THESE ACTIVITIES, SOME OF WHICH ARE CONFIRMED, MOST OF WHICH ARE CONFIRMED AT THIS STAGE, UH, WITH THE FAMILY, WITH PRESERVATION AUSTIN AND WITH HIS EMPLOYER ARCHITECTS.
UH, THERE'LL PROBABLY BE SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS, UM, IN MOTION GIVEN HIS ENORMOUS PROFESSIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FIELD.
UM, HIS, YOU KNOW, ALMA MATER OF TEXAS TECH AND OR OTHER UNIVERSITIES HE WAS INVOLVED IN.
I'M NOT APPRISED OF ANY OF THAT AT THIS STAGE, BUT IF I'LL CERTAINLY LET YOU ALL KNOW OF, OF THINGS AS THEY, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVE FORWARD.
ANY QUESTIONS, COMMISSIONERS? WE THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UH, AND AGAIN, UM, THIS WILL CERTAINLY BE ONGOING AS WE HONOR HIS, HIS MEMORY.
[20. Architectural Review Committee – Updates from the December 11, 2024 meeting. ]
UH, THE COMMITTEE, UH, REPORTS.I THINK THAT, UH, AT THIS POINT, LET ME, I THINK WE'VE HAD SOME DISCUSSION, BUT WE LEMME CALL ON THE ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE, UH, FOR THEIR DECEMBER MEETING.
UM, HAD A COUPLE OF INTERESTING CASES.
UM, THAT YOU ALL SAW IN YOUR BACKUP, THE 40 16 DUVAL WITH A CARPORT IN HYDE PARK.
UM, THAT WAS TOOK UP AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME JUST BECAUSE OF THE, THE DETAILS AND THE NUANCES OF, UM, THE DESIGN GUIDELINES.
BUT, UM, THAT'S THE KIND OF THING WE DO AT THE A RC.
AND THE DRISCOLL HOTEL WAS REALLY VERY INTERESTING.
THE BACKSIDE OF THE DRISCOLL HAVING HAD A 60 REMODEL, WE GOT TO SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN THE, IN THE THIRTIES AND I BELIEVE IT WAS A TROST AND TROST PROJECT, WHICH I DIDN'T, DIDN'T REALIZE.
BUT, UH, WE HAD SOME CONVERSATION ABOUT WHETHER THE WORK NEEDED TO BE A FULL RESTORATION.
IT KIND OF GOT IT CLOSER TO WHAT IT WAS, BUT NOTED THAT WE DIDN'T NEED TO REQUIRE A FULL RESTORATION.
UH, BUT, UH, TWO ADDITIONAL ITEMS RELATED, AND I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW TO BRING THESE UP, BUT WE SAW NOWS AND, UM, WE'VE APPROVED NOWS, BUT I WANTED TO, UM, CAN I MAKE A MOTION ON THIS TO, UM, THERE WAS A LETTER OF SUPPORT THAT I BROUGHT UP INDEPENDENTLY THAT ENDED UP THAT THE APPLICANT'S, UM, THE HOLDER OF THE RESTRICTIVE COVENANT WITH THE APPLICANT TO PRESERVE THE FACADE ALSO WANTED TO RETAIN THE PARKING ALONG 10TH STREET.
I THINK ALL OF US THAT MAY HAVE GONE TO HAVE A BURGER AT THE, AT THE, UH, STORE, THE FOUNTAIN SODA FOUNTAIN, UH, PROBABLY PARKED THERE ON 11TH STREET AND THAT DIRECT INTERACTION WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD RATHER THAN GOING INTO A PARKING GARAGE AND COMING UP WAS PRETTY IMPORTANT.
AND I BROUGHT THAT UP INDEPENDENTLY AND, AND I OFFERED, UH, TO A LETTER OF SUPPORT AND I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION TO ISSUE THAT IN THE NAME OF THE FULL COMMISSION.
IF I CAN GET A SECOND, I'LL READ THE WHOLE TEXT FOR IT AND SEE IF WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT.
IS THAT AN APPROPRIATE ORDER? UH, WELL BEFORE WE DO, UH, THIS IS, THIS IS AN ITEM FROM COMMISSION, BUT THIS IS NOT BEEN POSTED IN ADVANCE.
SO IS THAT GOING TO BECOME A PROBLEM? WE'VE DISCUSSED THIS WITH MARY MARRERO OR HER LAWYER.
SHE SAID THAT BECAUSE IT'S A NON-CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT, UH, THERE WAS NOBODY HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST IT, UH, THAT IT WOULDN'T BE TOO BIG AN ISSUE TO, UH, GO AHEAD
[02:10:01]
AND APPROVE THIS IN A MOTION.AND, AND IN THIS CASE, THIS IS NOT SPECIFIC TO THE CASE THAT WAS PASSED OTHER THAN THERE ARE ADDITIONAL ITEMS THAT ARE RELATED TO IT THAT THIS WOULD CERTAINLY BE, UH, RELEVANT AT LEAST TO, UH, THE COMMISSION'S BUSINESS.
CORRECT? THERE ARE SOME ISSUES OF INTEGRITY THAT ARE CURRENTLY NOT BEING ALLOWED BY THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT THAT EVERYONE WANTS TO DO.
UM, AND THERE WAS ALSO IN THE BACKUP A LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIFICALLY ON THIS MATTER.
SO IT WAS SOMEWHAT POSTED, UM, IN THAT THE SUBJECT WAS BROUGHT UP WITH A LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO IF I MAY READ, UH, PLEASE, PLEASE PROCEED.
WHEN IT POSTED ON JANUARY 6TH, 2025, THE HISTORICAL LANDMARK COMMISSION TOOK PUBLIC COMMENT CONSIDERED DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR THE PROJECT LOCATED 11 13 11 15 WEST LYNN STREET PROJECT HAS ALSO HAD FRONTAGE ON WEST 12TH, WHERE HEAD AND PARKING HAS SERVED THE SITE FOR THE PAST 74 YEARS.
HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION STRONGLY SUPPORTS PERPETUATION OF THIS PARKING TO BE MAINTAINED TO SERVE THE PROPOSED REDEVELOPMENT OF THE SITE.
THE BASIS FOR THE SUPPORT IS AS FOLLOWS, THE NOW'S PHARMACY AND ANTHONY'S LAUNDRY BUILDING WAS CONSTRUCTED IN 1951 AND AN INTEGRAL COMPONENT OF THE OPERATIONS WHERE THE PLACEMENT OF PARKING ALONG WEST 12TH STREET, 12TH STREET PARKING SERVE THE COMMUNITY WITH AVAILABLE PARKING FOR QUICK AND EASY ACCESS TO THE TWO BUSINESSES.
THE DEVELOP OF THE NEW PROJECT IS BOUND BY RESTRICTED COVENANTS AS WELL AS WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE HLC TO MAINTAIN THE EXACT APPEARANCE TO THE ANNOUNCED FACADE ALONG WEST 12TH, INCLUDING THE EXISTING MURAL.
THIS WELL WEST 12TH STREET PARKING HAS BEEN ENTWINED AND CONNECTED WITH HISTORICALLY IMPORTANT FACADE SINCE ITS CONSTRUCTION, THE WEST TRAIL STREET PARKING IS AS HISTORIC TO THE FABRIC OF THE COMMUNITY AS THE STRUCTURES THE NATURE OF THE PARKING ON WEST TRAIL STREET HAS NO MORE IMPACT WITH THE VEHICLES ON WEST TRAIL STREET THAN WHAT JUST EXISTS TODAY.
THIS PARKING HAS BEEN THERE FOR 74 YEARS WITH NO KNOWN ISSUES.
THOUGH BEYOND OUR EXPERIENCE IN PURVIEW, IT SEEMS THE DEAD END OF 12TH STREET ONE BLOCK WEST WOULD PRECLUDE US FROM BECOMING A HIGHER TRAFFIC STREET IN THE FUTURE, AS MIGHT BE THE CASE WITH WESTLAND STREET WHERE HEAD AND PARKING IS BEING REMOVED AS PART OF THIS PROJECT.
THEREFORE, ON JANUARY 8TH, 2025, HISTORIC LANDMARK COMMISSION HAS VOTED TO STRONGLY SUPPORT RETAINING THE WEST 12TH STREET PARKING.
AND THAT'S, I WOULD MOVE TO VOTE IF WE'RE ALL IN SUPPORT OF THAT AND CAN SPEAK IN ONE VOICE.
AND I HEARD, UH, COMMISSIONER RO, YOU SECONDED THE MOTION? YEAH, I DID.
I MIGHT HAVE WORDSMITHED THAT A LITTLE BIT, BUT THAT'S FINE.
UH, UNLESS YOU NEED TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE, UH, WE DON'T NECESSARILY NEED TO DISCUSS THIS OTHER THAN COMMISSIONERS ANY QUESTIONS OF THE APPLICANT? ANY DISCUSSION? ALRIGHT.
THE ONLY THING I'M GONNA SAY BEFORE WE CALL THE QUESTION IS THAT, UM, I THINK DUE TO THE VERY UNIQUE NATURE OF THIS BEING A TRAFFIC ISSUE, IT HAS TIMELINESS TO IT.
AND I WANT TO THANK COMMISSIONER COOK FOR YOU TAKING THE INITIATIVE.
UH, EVEN IF OBVIOUSLY WE'RE DOING CATCH UP, UH, I WANT TO GO ON THE RECORD COMMISSIONERS.
DON'T START RUNNING UP TO THE DIOCESE WITH A BUNCH OF LAST MINUTE LETTERS.
OKAY,
SO AT THAT, LET ME CALL THE QUESTION, UH, ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF SUPPORTING THE LETTER AS READ BY COMMISSIONER COOK, INDICATED BY RAISING YOUR HAND.
I SEE ALL HANDS RAISED IS UNANIMOUS.
UH, COMMISSIONER COOK, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WELL, AND WE DO HAVE ANOTHER ITEM, UH, NEEDING A NEW COMMISSIONER.
I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS FOR THE, ON THE COMMITTEE.
UM, WE'LL, WE WILL POST THAT AT THE NEXT MEETING.
UH, UH, I WILL SAY THAT THE OTHER ARCHITECT ON THE COMMITTEE WHO HAS GENEROUSLY VOLUNTEERED TO JUMP IN, WILL, HOPEFULLY, JAIME, WILL YOU BE ABLE TO ATTEND THE NEXT, THE NEXT, UH, A RC MEETING, UM, AT THAT POINT, AT LEAST UNOFFICIALLY, UH, NEXT WEDNESDAY I'LL DO MY BEST.
I MAY BE TRAVELING FOR WORK, BUT, UH, I'LL DO MY BEST TO TO JUMP IN.
AND, UH, AGAIN, SINCE HE'S VOLUNTEERED AND, UH, AND, AND AS, AS FAR AS I KNOW, THE ONLY AVAILABLE ARCHITECT, UH, COMMISSIONER DUDLEY, YOU'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO PUT YOUR HAT IN THE RING IF YOU WANT.
WE'LL HAVE, UH, THE POSITION OPEN AT OUR NEXT MEETING AND WE'LL THEN BE ABLE TO FILL THAT.
UM, PRESERVATION PLAN COMMITTEE,
[21. Preservation Plan Committee – Updates from the December 16, 2024 meeting. ]
UH, VICE CHAIR EVANS.YOU AND I WERE AT THAT MEETING AND WE DIDN'T GET TOO FAR BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN WE HEARD ABOUT THE NEWS FROM COMMISSIONER RUBIO'S PASSING.
SO IT, IT IS JUST MORE SADNESS TO REPORT MORE THAN ANYTHING.
WE IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND HAD A LITTLE BIT OF RECOLLECTION AND THEN DECIDED TO POSTPONE THE, THE MEETING TILL THE NEXT ONE.
AND I'M HOPING THAT THE WEATHER DOESN'T STAND IN THE WAY OF THE, UH, NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING, SO, YEAH.
ALRIGHT, WELL, UH, AT THIS POINT I THINK WE'VE COMPLETED THE BUSINESS.
UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER ITEMS, THEN I WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN.
[02:15:01]
MOVED.THOSE IN FAVOR? RAISE YOUR HAND.