[3:00 PM – Call to Order ]
[00:00:04]
TIME IS NINE 3:00 PM I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THIS HISTORIC DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION MEETING FOR WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 19TH, 2026.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE? MAMON.
AND GIBBS HERE WE HAVE A QUORUM.
MAY I HAVE TRANSLATION SERVICES? PLEASE INTERPRET.
THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION IS AN ADVISORY BOARD APPOINTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL.
I AM J MURRAY GIBBS CHAIRMAN AND THE VICE-CHAIR IS JEFFREY FESSOR.
IT IS THE FUNCTION OF THE COMMISSION TO ADVISE THE CITY MANAGER AND ALL RELEVANT CITY DEPARTMENTS CONCERNING ALL APPLICATIONS FOR PERMITS FOR PROPERTIES IN SUR DISTRICTS FOR LANDMARKS ON CITY PROPERTY AND THE RIVER IMPROVEMENT OVERLAY AND FOR DEMOLITIONS.
AND CONSIDERING WHETHER TO RECOMMEND APPROVAL OR DISAPPROVAL OF AN APPLICATION FOR CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS.
THE COMMISSION SHALL BE GUIDED BY THE CITY'S UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE AND DESIGN GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS THAT HAVE BEEN ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL AND APPEAL OF A DECISION BY ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICIAL CAN BE FILED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CITY'S UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE.
IF ANYONE PRESENT WISHES TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OR IN OPPOSITION TO ANY ITEM ON TODAY'S AGENDA, PLEASE SIGN UP ON THE PUBLIC COMMENT SHEET.
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO SIGN UP.
IF YOU ARE THE OWNER OF OR REPRESENTATIVE FOR A PROJECT ON THE AGENDA.
YOU'LL BE, YOU WILL BE CALLED ON AS THE CASE IS CALLED.
CASE REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE GIVEN NO MORE THAN 15 MINUTES TO PRESENT THEIR CASE WITH AN ADDITIONAL TWO MINUTES TO RESPOND TO PUBLIC COMMENTS.
SPEAKERS FOUR OR OPPOSED TO A CASE WILL BE LIMITED TO TWO MINUTES.
EACH SPEAKERS MAY ALSO SIGN UP TO YIELD THEIR TWO MINUTES TO ANOTHER SPEAKER WHO HAS SIGNED UP.
ANYONE WHO IS YIELDING THEIR TIME MUST BE PRESENT AT THE TIME THE SPEAKER IS CALLED UPON.
SPEAKERS WILL BE CALLED UPON IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY ARE SIGNED UP FOLLOWING PUBLIC TESTIMONY.
ANY COMMISSIONER MAY CALL UPON ANY SPEAKER TO RESPOND TO FURTHER QUESTIONS.
APPROVAL BY THE COMMISSION DOES TAKE THE PLACE OF ANY TYPE OF PERMIT.
PERMITS MUST TO BE OBTAINED FOR ALL WORK.
CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR WORK APPROVED BY THE COMMISSION WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU WITHIN 10 DAYS.
NO WORK OF ANY TYPE IS TO BE STARTED WITHOUT OBTAINING THE APPROPRIATE CITY PERMITS.
AFTER A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION AT THIS TIME, PLEASE SILENCE YOUR CELL PHONES.
OKAY, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
UM, WE DO HAVE A QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT.
IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN WHERE WE'RE PROMOTING OUR ANNUAL HOME REPAIR FARE.
UM, THIS YEAR'S EVENT WILL BE ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, UM, ON SATURDAY.
UM, BETWEEN, I THINK WE START AT NINE, UM, 10.
THIS IS A FREE EVENT OPEN TO ANY ANYONE IN THE PUBLIC WHO WANTS TO ATTEND, LEARN MORE ABOUT MAINTAINING AND TAKING CARE OF THEIR, THEIR OLDER HOME.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIVE IN HISTORIC DISTRICT TO PARTICIPATE.
THERE WILL BE LIVE DEMONSTRATIONS AND RESOURCES AND A FREE TREAT GIVEAWAY AND MORE.
UM, SO BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE.
THE EASIEST WAY IS JUST GOOGLING HOME REPAIR FAIR SAN ANTONIO.
YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND IT.
UM, GO AHEAD AND REGISTER IF YOU WANT TO, UH, RECEIVE REMINDERS BY EMAIL.
UM, IF NOT, WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.
[ Approval of minutes for the HDRC meeting of August 5, 2026.]
WITH THAT WE CAN TAKE ACTION ON MEETING MINUTES FROM OUR LAST MEETING, WHICH WAS AUGUST 5TH.MR. CHAIRMAN, I MOVE FOR APPROVAL OF THE MEETING MINUTES FROM AUGUST 5TH, 2026.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE, MA'AM? AYE.
[CONSENT AGENDA The consent agenda consists of items recommended by staff for approval or approval with stipulations that the applicant accepts. Any member of the public who would like to speak on a consent agenda item may sign up and speak prior to the commission’s vote on the consent agenda. Commissioners may request to remove any item from the consent agenda to consider it individually. All items on the consent agenda will be considered for approval by one motion adopting the items with staff findings and recommendations. ]
CAN DRAW YOUR ATTENTION TO THE SCREEN.UM, I WILL NOTE THAT ITEM SEVEN AND NINE WILL BOTH BE HEARD INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, THOSE ARE BEING PULLED AT THE REQUEST OF THE APPLICANT TO BE HEARD INDIVIDUALLY.
UM, SO THEY WILL NOT BE INCLUDED ON ANY ACTION ON CONSENT ITEMS. UM, WE DO NOT HAVE ANY IN-PERSON SPEAKERS FOR ITEMS ON CONSENT, BUT YOU WILL FIND A FEW LETTERS OF SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION IN YOUR PACKETS.
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CHAIRMAN, I'D LIKE TO PULL ITEM FOUR FOR, UH, DISCUSSION.ITEM FOUR, OTHER ITEMS. ALL RIGHT.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE FOR THE BALANCE OF THE CONSENT AGENDA? MR. CHAIR? I'D LIKE TO MOTION TO ACCEPT ITEMS NUMBER 1 2 3 4, 5 6 4 WAS TOLD FOUR, UH OH.
ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? MAY HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE, MA.
IF YOU'RE ON THE CONSENT AGENDA AND YOUR ADDRESS IS 1979, PAP FARMS 31 0 1 BROADWAY, 2 29 MADISON, FOUR 15 WICKS 1601 BUENA VISTA AND ONE 15 QUEENS CRESCENT.
YOUR CASE HAS BEEN APPROVED AND YOU DO NOT NEED TO STAY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THIS HEARING.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE CONTACT A MEMBER OF STAFF.
CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS OR COMMISSION ACTION LETTER WILL BE PREPARED AND EMAILED TO YOU WITHIN 10 DAYS.
[4. Address/Description: VIA Silver Line HDRC Case No.: 2026-185 Public Property: Yes – VIA Silver Line Historic District Name: Main/Military Plaza, St. Paul Square, Dignowity Hill RIO District: RIO-7 Neighborhood Assn Name: Downtown Applicant: Christine Vina, AIA/VIA Metropolitan Transit Request: VIA Silver Line Bus Stop improvements, bus shelter construction, signage, landscaping, exterior and site modifications at various locations City Council Dist.: 1, 2, 5 ]
I'LL PULL UP ITEM NUMBER FOUR, UH, VIA SILVER LINE AND THE APPLICANTS ARE HERE IN PERSON.CAN THE APPLICANT STEP UP TO THE PODIUM PLEASE? GOOD AFTERNOON.
I'M WITH, UH, VIA METROPOLITAN TRANSIT IN OUR SPECIAL PROJECTS OFFICE.
UM, MET WITH YOU A COUPLE WEEKS AGO ON THE GREEN LINE AND TODAY WE'RE HERE FOR THE SILVER LINE.
UM, VICE CHAIR PITZER AND WE'VE REVIEWED THE, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE STAFF AND AGREE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THOSE.
UM, ONE OF THEM IS THE, UH, BEING ABLE TO TRY TO LOOK AT CONSOLIDATING ELEMENTS.
AS I MENTIONED LAST TIME, WE HAVE VERY SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS FOR THESE COMMUNICATION BOXES.
UM, THERE IS ONE LOCATION AT CITY HALL RIGHT ACROSS FROM CITY HALL AND COMMERCE STREET THAT WE HAVE A VIA INFORMATION CENTER AND WE ARE ABLE TO LOCATE THOSE ELEMENTS IN A UTILITY CLOSET.
SO WE HAVE REMOVED THAT BOX, UM, TOTALLY FROM THAT LOCATION AND WE CAN LOOK AT, UM, ANY OTHER POSSIBILITIES.
BUT WE HAVE, UH, REDUCED THE HEIGHT OF THOSE, UM, BECAUSE OF THE FEWER ELEMENTS THAT ARE LOCATED IN THE BOXES.
AND THEN, UH, THE SECOND ITEM ABOUT CHANGING THE COLOR, WE WILL DO THAT, UH, TO DIMINISH THE, THE COLOR IN THE, THE URBAN LANDSCAPE.
AND THEN, UH, THE ARCHE ARCHEOLOGICAL REPORT WILL PROVIDE, PROVIDE THAT AS WELL.
UM, ON ALL OF THE BUS SERVICE STATIONS, UH, THERE APPEARS TO BE A VALIDATOR AND A TVM.
AND IS THERE ANY WAY IN ORDER TO CLEAN UP THE SITE TO HAVE A LARGER HOUSING TO INCORPORATE BOTH UNITS RATHER THAN TWO SEPARATE UNITS? WE HAVE LOOKED AT THAT ACTUALLY, UM, AS PART OF OUR DUE DILIGENCE.
AND THEY ARE TWO SEPARATE FUNCTIONS.
UM, AND THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO, AT THIS TIME, THE TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T PROVIDE FOR THAT.
UM, THEY'RE ALSO THE, THE TVM, THE TICKET VENDING MACHINE IS USED FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT PREVIOUSLY PURCHASED A TICKET, WHETHER THROUGH AN APP OR ANY OTHER MEANS.
AND SO, UM, THE VALIDATOR IS SIMPLY, UM, AS YOU GET ON THE BUS TO VALIDATE.
SO THERE, THERE ARE TWO SEPARATE FUNCTIONS I KIND OF LOOK AT.
UM, LIKE THE DC METRO FOR AN EXAMPLE, WHEN YOU GO DOWN AND YOU PURCHASE A TICKET AT THE BIG GOAL, YOU KNOW, SEVEN FOOT MACHINE, AND THEN YOU GO THROUGH THE TURNSTILE.
SO THAT TURNSTILE IS EQUIVALENT TO OUR VALIDATOR.
SO EVERYONE WILL USE THE VALIDATOR.
IT'S A MUCH SMALLER, UM, ELEMENT, BUT NOT EVERYONE WILL BE USING THE TICKET VENDING MACHINE.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF EQUIPMENT.
WE DO HAVE A, UM, I DID BRING A CUT SHEET OF, OF EACH JUST TO, TO SHOW, UM, THERE'S QUITE A BIT OF EQUIPMENT WITHIN THAT TBM, UM, IN TERMS OF, I DUNNO IF YOU WANNA, THIS IS THE TBM.
I'VE GOT, UM, ART HETA HERE WHO'S OUR A A RT PROJECT MANAGER, AND BO OUR ENGINEER ON THE PROJECT.
IF, UM, NEED ANY TECHNICAL, UM, INQUIRIES.
I WAS JUST THINKING THAT YOU'RE PUTTING THESE, UH, NEW STATIONS
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ACROSS TOWN MM-HMMAND I WOULD THINK THAT WITH THE NUMBER OF, UH, NUMBER OF, UH, STATIONS YOU'RE INSTALLING, THAT A CUSTOM HOUSING COULD BE DEVELOPED THAT WOULD INCORPORATE BOTH OF THESE UNITS JUST TO ELIMINATE SOMETHING ELSE ON THE GROUND.
UH, I DON'T KNOW HOW, UH, THE PLATFORM VALIDATOR.
IT LOOKS FAIRLY SMALL AND, UH, IS IT, UH, SUBJECT TO VANDALISM MORE SO THAN IF IT WAS IN A LARGER, UH, HOUSING WITH A TVM? NO.
UM, WE, THERE ACTUALLY WERE SOME, UH, ORIGINALLY SOME ADDITIONAL CAMERAS PUT ON THE COMMUNICATIONS BOX THAT WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE PULLED THOSE OFF 'CAUSE IT'S ANOTHER ELEMENT.
UM, AND THEN ALSO SUBJECT TO VANDALISM.
BUT THESE ARE FAIRLY, UM, ROBUST INTACT UNITS WITHOUT ANY, YOU KNOW, PARTS THAT, UM, SOMEBODY CAN PULL OR YANK.
I MEAN, CERTAINLY SOMEBODY CAN DAMAGE THE SCREENS, YOU KNOW, IF THEY WANT TO BAD ENOUGH, BUT THEY'RE PRETTY STOUT IN TERMS OF TECHNOLOGY.
DO ANY OTHER COMMISSIONS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THIS APPLICANT? YES.
COULD THEY, PER CHANCE, BE PLACED BACK TO BACK TO ALLOW ACCESS TO BOTH SIDES? THE, UM, WELL, I DON'T KNOW IF THERE IS A, UH, I BELIEVE THERE'S A FAN, UM, VENTILATION ON THE BACK OF THE TVM.
I DON'T KNOW IF ON THE VALIDATOR IF THERE'S ANY.
UM, SO I KNOW THE, THE FAN UNIT GOES, THE, THE VENTING GOES ACROSS THE BACK, SO THAT MIGHT BE A PROBLEM.
WE'VE, WE'VE TRIED TO PULL THEM TOGETHER AS TIGHT AS POSSIBLE SO PEOPLE WHO ARE QUEUING UP WOULD NOT INTERRUPT THE PEDESTRIAN PATH.
UM, FOR PASSENGERS OR FOR, FOR PEDESTRIANS THAT ARE NOT USING THE, THE BUS, SURE.
IF THE VENTING GOES ALL THE WAY ACROSS THAT OTHER BOX, IT, IT WOULDN'T WORK.
BUT IF IT JUST COMES OUT ONE SIDE, IT MIGHT WORK.
SO, UM, WE HAVE PUT THEM SIDE BY SIDE.
WE'VE LOOKED AT EACH LOCATION TO STRATEGICALLY LOCATE THEM, AND WE HAVE MOVED QUITE A FEW OF THEM, UM, TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE NOT IMPEDING, UM, THE, THE NATURAL PEDESTRIAN PATH.
PERHAPS EVEN, UM, TOWARDS ONE SIDE, THE, NOT THE BACK, NOT THE FRONT, BUT ON ONE SIDE OF IT, UH, THE NARROW SIDE PERHAPS.
THEY GENERALLY ARE LOCATED SIDE BY SIDE, SO THEY TRIED TO FORM A, A GROUPING RATHER THAN SEPARATE THEM.
I'M LOOKING AT YOUR PAGE 17 AND AT THE FACILITY STOP ON HEF AND SYCAMORE STREETS.
THIS IS THE, UH, EASTER WESTBOUND, LET'S SEE.
AND YOU HAVE A GABLE ROOF SHELTER.
UH, WHY DIDN'T THIS STOP? GET ONE OF THE NEW SHELTERS? WHY DID, WHAT, WHY DID THIS STOP NOT RECEIVE ONE OF THE NEW SHELTERS? BECAUSE THE, UH, BUSINESS OWNERS ORGANIZATION THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING QUITE CLOSELY WITH, IN FACT, WE JUST MET WITH THEM AGAIN TODAY.
I THINK WE'VE MET ABOUT FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES.
UH, THEY SPECIFICALLY ASKED THAT THEY LIKE THIS PARTICULAR SHELTER, THEY WANTED, UM, TO STAY MM-HMM
AND SO WE'VE, UM, AGREED TO, UH, REFURBISH IT.
UM, AND IF I COULD JUST ADD SO AT THIS SPECIFIC SURE, SIR.
ART HER WITH VIA, UH, SO AT THIS SPECIFIC LOCATION, WE ARE NOT DOING THE LEVEL BOARDING, SO WE ARE NOT TOUCHING, AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF SPECIAL EVENTS THAT MAY BE OCCURRING AT THE ALMO DOME.
IT WOULD ALLOW MORE BUSES TO LINE UP ALONG THE CURB TO ALLOW FOLKS TO GET ON AND OFF DURING SPECIAL EVENT SERVICE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE NOT DOING LEVEL BOARDING THERE AS SUCH.
IT DIDN'T REQUIRE ANY NEW, UH, SHELTER TO GO ON, ON TOP OF IT.
AND FORTUNATELY HERE AT THIS LOCATION, THERE'S PLENTY OF SIDEWALK DEPTH TO ALLOW PLENTY OF STACKING OF OR LINING UP OF PEOPLE, AS WELL AS PEOPLE BEING ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR MM-HMM
THEIR WALK, UH, THROUGH THAT AREA.
IF A LOT OF FOLKS WERE WAITING FOR THE BUS THERE MM-HMM
UM, BECAUSE YOU COULD PUT THE NEW STRUCTURE WITH THE NEW SHELTER TOP WITHOUT THE OTHER, UM, ASPECTS LIKE THE RAISED PLATFORM AND OTHER INFRASTRUCTURE.
YOU, YOU COULD, THE, THE PROBLEM HERE THOUGH, IS YOU WOULD REQUIRE SOME DEEP PIERS THAT GO ABOUT 25 TO 35 FEET.
AND BECAUSE OF THE SENSITIVITY OF ARCHEOLOGICAL ISSUES, WE ALSO
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DIDN'T WANT TO EVEN, DIDN'T WANNA DO THAT, GET, GET THERE.UM, BECAUSE I THINK THAT SHELTER LOOKS REALLY, REALLY APPROPRIATE IN FRONT OF THE HISTORIC HOUSE.
IT'S A, IT'S A, AN APPROPRIATE SHELTER FOR THAT LOCATION.
THE OTHER QUESTION I HAVE IS ON BOTH OF THE, THERE'S AT LEAST TWO, MAYBE THREE, UM, FACILITIES GOING THROUGH DITY HILL HISTORIC DISTRICT, CORRECT.
ALL CHERRY, THERE'S, UH, WELL, THERE'S ONE ON CHERRY THAT'S ON THE EDGE.
AND THEN OLIVE, UM, OLIVE AND PINE.
BUT, UM, WILL THERE BE, I DON'T SEE ANY GRAPHICS IN HERE.
WHAT KIND OF WAY FINDING GRAPHICS WILL YOU INCLUDE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE HISTORIC DISTRICT? BECAUSE IT'S, UM, YOU'RE, YOU'RE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT ON THE EDGE.
YOU'RE GOING RIGHT THROUGH THE MIDDLE.
UM, DURING THE GREEN LINE DEVELOPMENT MM-HMM
UM, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT FOR ANY OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS, AND THIS FALLS THROUGH WITH SILVER LINE AS WELL, THAT THE SILVER, EXCUSE ME, THE, HIS, THE NEW SHELTERS IN THAT ARE GONNA BE LOCATED IN HISTORIC DISTRICTS WILL BE ALL GREEN.
THE, NOT JUST THE CANOPY, BUT THE ENTIRE STRUCTURE.
UM, THE IDEA WAS FIRST INITIATED BY, UM, MONTEVISTA ASKING THAT IT RECEDE BACK INTO THE LANDSCAPE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
THERE ARE, UM, SEVERAL THAT ARE AROUND TREES.
UM, AND SO YES, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THEM.
AND SO THIS IS, UM, THE NARROW, I BELIEVE THIS IS ALL OF THESE PART OF OUR PRESENTATION.
UM, 'CAUSE WE HAVE SOME OTHERS BEYOND THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS.
UM, SO THIS IS A NARROW STATION.
UM, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE DEPTH TO DO A FULL CURBSIDE STATION, SO THIS IS A BIT MORE NARROW AND IN DEPTH.
I, IT'S EIGHT AND A HALF FEET.
UM, AND AGAIN, THE CANOPY AND ALL THE STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS WILL BE THE, UM, DARK GREEN.
AND, AND WE JUST, UM, HAD A MOCK UP OF THAT THIS WEEK, UM, WITH THE ART PANEL AND THE, THE DRAWING, UH, THE NEXT PAGE OVER SHOWS THE PROPERTY LINE.
SO, UM, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF JUTTING OUT WITH THE PROPERTY LINE WHERE THE FACILITY IS.
UM, IS THAT NEWLY ACQUIRED PROPERTY? IT'S ON NUMBER 27.
UM, YEAH, PERHAPS YOU CAN ACQUIRE MORE
THAT'S THE EXTENT OF MY QUESTIONS.
COMMISSIONER VELAZQUEZ? NO, SIR.
UH, ON THE EASTBOUND COMMERCE AT HEF, UH, YOU INDICATE THAT THE, UH, STATION WILL BE RELOCATED UNDER THE BRIDGE AT ST.
DO YOU HAVE A NEW SITE PLAN FOR THAT? UM, WE DON'T YET.
AND THAT'S WHY IN YOUR PACKET, IT SHOWS THAT IT, I BELIEVE THERE'S A, A DOTTED LINE.
DID YOU INCLUDE THE SITE PLAN? THAT KIND OF, UH, AREA WITHIN THE, THE DOTTED LINE WILL MOVE.
THE COMMUNICATIONS BOX IS DIRECTLY UNDER THE SHELTER BETWEEN THE TWO VERTICAL SUPPORTS, UM, OF THE BRIDGE.
AND THEN THERE IS A, UM, PARALLEL PARKING DRIVE THERE, AND IT JUTS OUT, UM, INTO THE TRAVEL LANE RIGHT WEST OF, UH, THIS SITS OFF THE, UH, EXTENT OF THE SITE OF THE, UH, PHOTOGRAPH.
AND, UM, THE BUS WILL PULL IN PARALLEL TO THE CURB RIGHT IN FRONT OR EAST OF THAT BULB OUT.
AND SO THE FRONT OF THE BUS, WHEN IT'S DOCKED, UM, IF YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S A FLY ALARM THAT'S RIGHT AT THE TRASH RECEPTACLES.
OUR SIGNAGE, WHICH WE CALL A FLY LINE, IS RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THE, THE TWO CITY TRASH RECEPTACLES.
THE FRONT OF THE BUS WILL DOCK THERE, AND THERE'S THE TICKET VENDING MACHINE AND THE VALIDATOR KIND OF HIDDEN RIGHT BEHIND IT.
SO THAT'S AN EXAMPLE OF SIDE BY SIDE.
UM, AND SO THE, IT'LL BE A 60 FOOT BUS THAT WILL DOCK THERE AND THEN MOVE FORWARD.
THERE WAS AN EXISTING BENCH THERE.
AND SO, UM, WE KEPT THAT BENCH FOR THEM BECAUSE IT DID NOT INTERRUPT WITH THE LOCATION OF THE THREE DOORS THAT OPEN ON FROM THE BUS.
SO THIS ONE DOES NOT GET THE, UM, THE CANOPY.
AND THAT WAS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED THAT, UM, THE ORGAN, THE ST.
PAUL SQUARE ORGANIZATION IS DOING A LOT OF THEIR OWN IMPROVEMENTS ALONG THIS STRETCH WITH OUTDOOR DINING AND
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OTHER THINGS.SO THEY WANTED US TO MOVE THIS, UM, STOP IF WE COULD, AND WE ANALYZED IT AND WE COULD DO IT.
WE, WE BROUGHT IT BACK FROM THE CORNER.
SO IN FACT, THE TWO STATIONS WILL BE ALMOST RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM EACH OTHER.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF JUST PUTTING ONE VALIDATOR ONLY ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET WHEN YOU HAVE TWO STATIONS? ONE EASTBOUND, ONE WESTBOUND? UM, JUST THE TICKET MACHINE.
NOT THE VALIDATOR, SORRY, THE TICKET VENDING MACHINE.
SO THAT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CAN GO ACROSS THE STREET, GET THEIR TICKET, AND GO GET VALIDATED WHEN THEY GO UP ABOARD THE BUS.
THAT WAY WE'RE MINIMIZING, IN THIS CASE, FOR EXAMPLE, HERE ON THE COMMERCE, AND YOU GOT RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET OR ANOTHER ONE, YOU CAN MINIMIZE THAT TO BE ONE.
AND THEN THE SAME CASE WOULD BE OVER ON THE, EVEN THE CHERRY STREET.
AND THAT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE TRAFFIC, BUT I MEAN, I'M THINKING IT CREATES MUCH, AND IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, MUCH MORE MIDBLOCK CROSSINGS.
AND IF I'M A VISITOR AND I'M GOING APPROACHING MY STOP, ESPECIALLY IF I'M SEEING THE BUS, I WANNA BE ABLE TO QUICKLY ACTIVATE IT.
AND ALSO I BELIEVE THEY'RE SERVING WELL, ACTIVATION IS THE VALIDATOR AND YOU NEED THE TICKET.
I MEAN, EXCUSE ME, THE TICKET VENDING MACHINE.
BUT LIKE, OKAY, SO I'M JUST SAYING I'M A CAR USER.
I HAVE TO GO THROUGH, YOU KNOW, A QR CODE TO BUY A TICKET AND PAY MY PARKING.
SO THERE COULD BE LIKE POTENTIALLY JUST A QR CODE SAYING, OKAY, GET YOUR TICKET HERE, OR PHYSICAL WALK ACROSS THE STREET HERE.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF, UH, WALKING BETWEEN THE, THE CROSSWALK IS RIGHT UP THERE.
SO BESIDES THE MIDBLOCK CROSSINGS, UH, WE ALSO HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE FOR THOSE THAT ARE JUST, UH, CASH CARRYING, UH, PASSENGERS THAT DON'T HAVE ACCESS TO SMARTPHONES OR, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
UH, AND THEN IN ADDITION TO THAT, THAT, UH,
HERE YOU'RE JUST PUTTING IN MIDBLOCK A BIG MACHINE.
THE, AND, AND, UH, THE OTHER ISSUE IS BACKUP.
IF ONE GOES DOWN, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE ACROSS THE STREET FOR SOMEONE TO USE.
BUT HAVE YOU DONE A STUDY TO FIND OUT HOW MANY CASH PAYERS THERE ARE? ACTUALLY, RIGHT THERE, IT'S ABOUT 50% OF OUR WRITERS ARE, ARE CASH PAYER IN GENERAL.
BUT FOR THIS STATION, JUST SO WE'RE MINIMIZING IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS, THE AMOUNT OF MACHINES THAT YOU'RE PUTTING UP.
WE DON'T, NO, NO, WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT.
OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THESE APPLICANTS? ALRIGHT, MAY I HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE, MR. CHAIR? I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE AS PRESENTED WITH STAFF STIPULATIONS SECOND SPIN.
UH, MR. CHAIR, CAN I MAKE AN AMENDMENT JUST TO REMOVE THE CITY HALL STOP SINCE THAT IS NOT THE CASE ANYMORE, MAKING SURE THAT IT'S REMOVED FROM THE MOTION? I MEAN, I'M, I'M FINE WITH THAT.
UH, ARE YOU GOOD WITH THAT, SIR? MAKING A MOTION.
I IS IS THAT, UH, IN ACCORD WITH WHAT V'S.
EXPECTATIONS ARE? SO THE, THE COMBOX ISN'T THERE, THET, VM AND THE VALIDATOR ARE THERE.
SO THAT PORTION IS STILL IN THE, UH, IN THE APPLICATION.
I'M SORRY, I MISUNDERSTOOD THEM.
ANY MR. ESPINO? YES, I, UM, JUST HAVE SOME OBSERVATIONS.
I, UM, I HAVE GREAT RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE SILVER LINE AS THE AESTHETIC IS CONCERNED.
I HAD CONCERNS ABOUT THE GREEN LINE.
I WAS HOPING THAT AS THIS PROJECT, THE A RT MOVES FORWARD THAT SOME REFINEMENTS COULD OCCUR.
FOR INSTANCE, THE NUMBER OF BOXES, CONTROL BOXES, LOCATION CREATING, UH, BROADER, UH, AND LARGER FACILITIES STOPS SO THAT MORE PEOPLE COULD BE IN PLACE, BUT NOT RIGHT UP AT THE CURB WHILE WAITING.
UM, AND ALSO THE AESTHETIC OF THE STATION.
NOW THAT SAID, I ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THE WHOLE IDEA OF THE A RT, THE ROUTES, UM, JUST THE GENERAL LOCATION OF THE STOPS.
I AM A VIA WRITER, SO I AM COMPLETELY ON BOARD, PARDON THE PUN, ON THIS KIND OF A PROJECT.
AESTHETICALLY SPEAKING, I THINK IT, UM, UH, COULD HAVE GONE A LITTLE BIT FARTHER OR FURTHER IN TERMS OF NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, RESPONSES.
AND I THINK WE HEARD THIS DURING THE, UH, GREEN LINE DISCUSSION.
HOW DO WE MAKE SOME OF THESE STOPS IN HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS AND DESIGNATED HISTORIC DISTRICTS BEGIN TO FIT AND RESPOND TO ITS ACTUAL SETTING? UH, WE KNOW OTHER CITIES DO IT ALL THE TIME.
UH, WE HAVE ONE CASE HERE, THE ONE ON HEF IN SYCAMORE
[00:25:01]
THAT ACTUALLY LOOKS PRETTY APPROPRIATE, UM, FULLY ACKNOWLEDGING IT'S NOT THE SAME ANIMAL OR THE ASSEMBLY OR THE COLLECTION OF EQUIPMENT THAT YOU NEED, BUT THAT'S WHERE THE ARCHITECTURE AND THE DESIGN COME IN.SO I, I'M DISAPPOINTED TO SEE THAT THE AESTHETIC IS JUST A HIGHLY FUNCTIONAL SHELTER THAT'S USED EVERYWHERE ON THE LINE WITHOUT REGARD TO, UH, THE REAL AESTHETIC.
WHETHER IT'S GOING ALONGSIDE, ADJACENT THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, OR IN THIS CASE, WE'RE RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE.
AND I, UH, IT'S A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
AND MY HOPE IS IN THE FUTURE LINES, BECAUSE THERE ARE, WHAT, LIKE THREE OR FOUR LINES, UM, POSSIBLY, UM, IN THE FUTURE THAT THOSE FUTURE LINES UTILIZE, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE CARE OR SENSITIVITY TO THE RESPECTIVE NEIGHBORHOODS, ESPECIALLY HISTORIC DISTRICTS.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER VELASQUEZ.
I WANTED TO BRING UP IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS ON THE, UM, ART PANEL.
THERE IS A, UH, PLAQUE ON EVERY ART PANEL THAT MENTIONS THE STUDENT'S NAME THE SCHOOL, UM, BUT IN THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS, WE ARE ALSO GOING TO BE TAKING THE INFORMATION FROM THE CITY'S WEBSITE ABOUT THAT SPECIFIC HISTORIC DISTRICT INPUTTING IT ON THE PLAQUE IN THOSE STATIONS.
WELL, MR. CHAIR, JUST TO, UM, SOME GENERAL, UM, UH, COMMENTS JUST AS WE MOVE FORWARD, UH, APPLAUD VIA AND, AND INNOVATING, UH, FORMS OF, UH, UH, BETTER SERVICE, TRANSPORTATION FOR THE CITIZENS IS VERY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND I, AND I RECOGNIZE THAT IT'S A ROLLOUT OF, UM, HOW, HOW DOES THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO GOING ABOUT IT? AND, AND NOT, NOT NECESSARILY TO BE A CONTRADICTION TO WHAT MY FELLOW COMMISSIONER SAID, BUT I'VE ALWAYS FELT THAT ONE OF THE, UM, THE LIMITATIONS OF DESIGN IN SAN ANTONIO IS, IS THE NEED TO BE SITE SPECIFIC FOR EVERY DIFFERENT LOCATION.
BECAUSE IF, IF, AND I WOULD JUST ASK VIA, OR JUST TO PUT ON THE, ON THE, THE CRITERIA TABLE THAT YOU ALSO LOOK AT, UM, UM, UH, LIKE THE L SYSTEMS AND THE SUBWAY SYSTEMS, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, CHICAGO, UM, FOR, UH, UH, STRATEGIES FOR HOW TO HAVE A HOLISTIC SOLUTION FOR EVERY SITUATION.
AND THEN THE TWEAKS CAN BE PER SITUATION, BUT THAT THE, THE COMMUNICATORS AND THAT THE TICKET BOOTHS ARE NOT SEEN AS THIS THING THAT HAPPENS OUTSIDE OF THE, THE SITTING EXPERIENCE OR THE WAITING EXPERIENCE.
BUT THAT SOMEHOW THE, THE WAITING AND THE TICKETING AND ALL OF THAT IS TREATED AS ONE HOLISTIC MACHINE AND THAT THAT MACHINE GOES FROM PLACE TO PLACE.
THE REASON I, I MENTIONED CHICAGO, 'CAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE CHICAGO DOES EVERYTHING FROM A HISTORIC STANDPOINT, BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY ALSO DO IS THEY USE A LOT OF, OF, OF, UH, GALVANIZED STEEL.
SO THAT EVERY EXPECTATION IS THIS SUSTAINABLE METAL MATERIAL THAT IS THE SAME COLOR EVERYWHERE, WHICH IS IN A WAY NOT EVEN A COLOR, BUT THEY'RE ABLE TO, UH, THEN DEAL WITH, UH, UH, THEIR GRADINGS ARE DESIGNED, THEIR LIGHT FIXTURES ARE DESIGNED, THEY'RE THE SAME EVERYWHERE.
SO THAT THE GENERAL EXPECTATION IS THAT IT'S GOOD DESIGN NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, WHICH CAN AT THE SAME TIME GET US OUT OF THE HABIT OF SAYING THAT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN AND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN.
BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, PERHAPS IT'S PRETTY HERE, PRETTY THERE NOT SO PRETTY OVER HERE VERSUS HIGHEST STANDARD OF HOLISTIC DESIGN AND SETS AN EXPECTATION FOR THE VISITOR OR FOR THE CITIZEN TO SAY, I KNOW HOW THE MACHINE WORKS, I KNOW WHERE IT'S LOCATED, I KNOW WHERE I SIT AND I KNOW HOW THE BUS GETS HERE.
UH, SO JUST JUST TO FOOD FOR THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS WE DON'T JUST LOOK AT THE BUS SYSTEMS, BUT THAT WE ALSO LOOK AT SOME OF THESE, UH, OLDER, OLDER OTHER MEANS THAT SEEM TO DO, SEEM TO HAVE ALREADY SOLVED THE PROBLEM.
HOW DO YOU HOLISTICALLY DESIGN THE MECHANISM AS A, AS AS ONE OBJECT.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE? MAMMON? AYE.
THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH FOR YOUR TIME.
[7. Address/Description: 544 HAMMOND AVE HDRC Case No.: 2026-200 Neighborhood Assn Name: Highland Park Applicant: Michealangelo Valdez/MB General Construction, LLC. Request: Front porch modifications City Council Dist.: 3 ]
SEVEN, PLEASE.ITEM NUMBER SEVEN ON THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION AGENDA CASE NUMBER 2 0 2 6 DASH 205 4 4 HAMMOND AVENUE.
THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR APPROVAL TO RECONSTRUCT THE UPPER AND LOWER DECKS OF THE EXISTING FRONT PORCH ONLY WITHIN THE GABLED
[00:30:01]
ROOF FORM.STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL TO RECONSTRUCT THE FIRST FLOOR PORCH AND SECOND STORY BALCONY WITH IN KIND MATERIAL WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS THAT THE APPLICANT SUBMIT A DETAILED DRAWING DEMONSTRATING THAT THE PROPOSED RAILING AND VALUES STRAY MEET THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE PORCH REHABILITATION, EXCUSE ME, FROM THE PORCH REHABILITATION POLICY GUIDE THAT THE APPLICANT SPECIFIES A TONGUE AND GROOVE DECKING MATERIAL THAT MEASURES THREE INCH IN WIDTH AND IS INSTALLED BACK TO FRONT COMPLIANT WITH THE PORCH REHABILITATION POLICY GUIDE AND SUBMIT MATERIAL SPECIFICATIONS TO STAFF PRIOR, UM, TO THE ISSUANCE OF A COA, WE HAVE APPLICANT MICHELANGELO VALDEZ HERE.
UM, MICHELANGELO IS HERE ON BEHALF OF THE HOMEOWNER.
I DO BELIEVE THIS PROJECT IS BEING PHASED FOR THESE TWO PORTIONS.
AND THEN ONCE UM, RESOURCES AND FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE, THE REMAINDER, UH, WILL HAPPEN.
MICHELANGELO IS HERE TODAY TO, UM, TALK TO YOU ABOUT THE STIPULATION OF TONGUE AND GROOVE DECKING.
SO, UM, Y'ALL WANT TO USE TONGUE AND GROOVE AND I JUST THINK THAT IT DOESN'T ALLOW FOR ADEQUATE DRAINAGE.
SO WE WANT TO USE STANDARD WEATHERIZED DECKING ON THAT.
WE CAN KEEP THE HANDRAILS THE SAME FOR ALL Y'ALL'S RECOMMENDATIONS AND THE DESIGN APP, BUT JUST FOR ADEQUATE DRAINAGE.
'CAUSE I BELIEVE THAT'S WHAT CAUSED THE ROTTEN IN THE FIRST PLACE.
SO TONGUE AND GROOVE CREATES KIND OF ONE SOLID STRUCTURE AND DOESN'T ALLOW FOR PROPER DRAINAGE.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHERE I'M AT.
QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? YEAH, I, I'M SORRY.
UM, COMMISSIONER VELAZQUEZ QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? I DIDN'T PULL THE, OH, I KNOW.
THEY DID, YEAH, THEY PULLED THIS, THEY PULLED THIS CASE.
SO I'M JUST ASKING, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT, SIR? THANK YOU.
I DO HAVE SOME PHOTOS OF THE LIKE PORTION THAT IS EXISTING THAT WE'RE NOT TOUCHING, AND IT'S THE SAME MATERIAL THAT I WOULD WANT TO USE RATHER THAN TONGUE AND GROOVE IF THAT.
AND HERE'S THE ACTUAL MATERIAL WA UP.
COMMISSIONER HOLLAND, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE? NO, NO QUESTIONS.
UM, SO WE'RE GONNA LOOK AT, UH, UH, SUBSTITUTE MATERIAL HERE, RIGHT? YES.
UM, YOU REALIZE THAT THERE SUBSTITUTE MATERIALS THAT ARE ALSO TONGUE AND GROOVE? YES.
RIGHT? UM, NOT JUST SPACED, UM, DECKING.
SO, SO THE MATERIAL WE WOULD USE HAS A VERY, VERY SLIGHT GAP, SUPER SLIGHT, AND THE TONGUE AND GROOVE KIND OF SOLIDIFIES TOGETHER AND CREATES JUST ONE SUBSTRATE.
AND WE DON'T WANT WATER TO SIT ON TOP OF THE DECK OR SIT ON THE BOTTOM PORTION OF THE DECK.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO AVOID THAT.
BUT THERE'S A, SO THE, I GUESS THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE WOULD BE PROPERLY SLOPING YES.
AND YOU'RE TAKING THAT INTO CONSIDERATION.
YOU STILL GET POOLING AND PONDING EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE, RIGHT? YES.
UM, AND THEN HAVE YOU LOOKED AT COMPOSITE OR PBC MATERIALS THAT ARE ALSO TONGUE AND GROOVE THAT ARE ESPECIALLY FOR THIS? YES, MA'AM.
SO THE, AND THE CLIENT, IT'S KIND OF OUT OF HER BUDGET, SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, UH, SOMETHING THAT WOULD WORK, SO.
UH, CAN YOU GO BACK TO THE PICTURE OF THE PORCH? SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT IT'S ONLY A SMALL SECTION THAT YOU'RE REPLACING? SO WE'RE REPLACING, IT'S 10, APPROXIMATELY 10 BY 15 BOTTOM PORTION IN FRONT OF THE DOORS.
WE'RE GONNA REPLACE THAT ENTIRE SECTION AND THE SECTION ABOVE IT.
SO IT'S CONNECTING IF WE LOOK BACK TO THE PICTURE HERE, NO, WHAT WAS THEIR, WHAT WAS THERE, HAS IT BEEN REMOVED? ALL OF IT.
ON THE TOP PORTION THERE WAS A L ON TOP, A UPPER DECK THAT WAS REMOVED AND ON THE BOTTOM PORTION THAT'S ORIGINAL SO THAT, THAT WAS EXISTING WHEN I SHOWED UP AND IT MATCHES.
WHAT WAS THE EXISTING MATERIAL? WAS IT TONGUE AND GROOVE OR WAS IT NO, IT'S THE, WHAT'S ON THERE NOW IS, UH, IN THE PHOTOS YOU CAN SEE THAT I PROVIDED IT'S, UM, THE ONE BY SIX WEATHERIZED.
SO STUFF, COULD THIS BE CONSIDERED REPLACING IN KIND? YES.
SO WE COULD POTENTIALLY APPROVE, UH, AS THING THAT THEY CAN REPLACE IN KIND IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO, I MEAN, IT'S, THE GUIDELINES ARE PRETTY SPECIFIC WHEN IT COMES TO PORCH REHABILITATION IN TERMS OF THE TONGUE AND GROOVE MATERIAL, WHICH IS, UM, WHY THAT WAS STIPULATED.
BUT NO, NOT THE WHOLE, NOT THE WHOLE PORCH HAS BEEN REMOVED.
IT'S GONNA CONNECT TO THE PART THAT'S IN THE FRONT OF THE RIGHT.
SO YOU'D BE LOOKING AT TWO DIFFERENT MATERIALS NEXT TO EACH OTHER.
[00:35:01]
QUESTIONS AT THIS TIME.COMMISSIONER MOOKA? NO QUESTIONS.
UM, COMMISSIONER GALLOWAY? NO QUESTIONS.
COMMISSIONER MANN? NO QUESTIONS.
COMMISSIONER ADE? NO QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, MR. CHAIR? THANK YOU.
I WAS GONNA ASK THE SAME QUESTION ABOUT WHETHER YOU'VE EXPLORED A, UH, COMPOSITE MATERIAL THAT IS TONGUE AND GROOVE.
SO WITH THE OWNER, SHE'S A LITTLE BIT OLDER AND WE'RE JUST TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING IN HER BUDGET BECAUSE AS, AS IT STANDS, IT'S PRETTY DANGEROUS.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE TRYING TO GET IT BACK TO A GOOD STANDING AND JUST REPAIR IT.
SO THE, THE PRICE WOULD ALMOST DOUBLE IF WE USE THAT.
SO IF WE MATCH WHAT'S EXISTING, RATHER THAN USE A TONGUE AND GROOVE AND, AND SOMETHING ELSE, UM, IT'S, IT FITS IN HER BUDGET.
SO WE, WE HAVE EXPLORED THOSE OPTIONS, BUT OKAY.
AND SHE'S AWARE THAT A COMPOSITE MATERIAL HAS LONGER LIFESPAN THAN THE YES, AT THIS POINT IT'S, IT'S STRICTLY BUDGET FOR HER.
I, UH, MOVE TO APPROVE AS A REPAIRING KIND SECOND WITH, I STILL WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE ONE STIPULATION ABOUT THE DETAILED DRAWING, UM, ABOUT THE BRAIL AND THE BASRA AND THAT I, I BELIEVE WE SUBMITTED IT, UH, DETAIL.
IF YOU SUBMIT IT, THAT'S FINE.
IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND IS THIS STAND SECOND STANCE? YEAH.
WELL, I JUST WANNA TELL, LIKE I SAY, UM, THIS ONE REALLY CONSIDERED REPAIR OR LIKE REPLACING KIND AND EVEN IF THERE'S SOME OF THE WOOD THAT YOU CAN REUSE, IF YOU CAN REUSE IT SO THAT IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS PARTLY MAYBE JUST REPAIRED, SAME ABOVE.
BUT, UM, I DO AGREE THAT IF, IF THERE'S AN OPTION FOR HER TO PUT THE TONGUE IN GROOVE, I EVEN BELIEVE IT WOULD, YOU KNOW, LEAVE AND LOOK A LITTLE WEIRD BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT DOING THE WHOLE FRONT PORCH.
I DON'T KNOW IF THE EXTENSION WAS, IT WAS PUT IN THERE AFTER, I'M SURE.
SO HISTORICALLY WHAT ALSO LOOK, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO RAILING, THERE'S NO PORCH THERE.
RIGHT? UM, MAYBE EVEN CONSIDER THAT THE TOP FLOOR ME, UH, BE OF A MATERIAL THAT'S A LITTLE BIT HIGHER QUALITY AND MEETS THAT.
WELL, I, I JUST HOPE THAT, THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN, SAY FOR INSTANCE, A PROJECT THAT COMES IN FOR RESTORATION OR RENOVATION ADDITION AND A PROJECT THAT IS CLEARLY, UH, DEALING WITH THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT ARE, UH, WOULD FIRST AND FOREMOST BE DEFINED BY ECONOMIC HARDSHIP.
SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE RARELY, UM, USE OR LOOK THROUGH WHAT, WHAT HAS BEEN THAT HISTORIC EQUITY LENS, THIS IS, UH, TO ME A CIRCUMSTANCE WHERE THIS IS A, ABOUT GETTING A DANGEROUS ENVIRONMENT INTO A STABLE SITUATION.
AND PERHAPS WAY IN THE FUTURE, SOMEONE ELSE, UH, HAS THE ABILITY TO BRING A TONGUE AND GROOVE BACK BECAUSE PERHAPS THE QUESTION IS TO, UH, WHETHER WE KNOW HOW LONG THIS WILL LAST.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE LANGUAGE SAYS THAT PERHAPS, UH, IT'LL OUTLAST THE OWNER.
UH, SO IT IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
UM, COMMISSIONER HOLLAND, ANY QUESTIONS? I MEAN, I AM SORRY.
ANY COMMENTS? THAT JUST I, THIS IS A QUESTION.
THIS IS THE, AS I LOOK AT THE PHOTO ON PAGE SEVEN, UM, ARE, ARE YOU REMOVING AND REPLACING THOSE EXISTING BOARDS THAT ARE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE, ON THE LEFT SIDE? SO WE ARE, WE ARE REPLACING EVERYTHING FROM PILLAR TO PILLAR.
EVERYTHING INSIDE THOSE PILLARS, ENCLOSING THOSE PILLARS, EVERYTHING THAT IS GETTING REPLACED TO THE TOP GABLE.
SO WE'RE LEAVING THE EXISTING ROOFING SYSTEM ITSELF.
WE'RE REPLACING THE POSTS, THE DECK IN THE JOISTS, UH, THE FOOTINGS 100%.
EVERYTHING WILL GET THE LEDGER, EVERYTHING, OH, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
SO THAT UNDER THE DECK, SO WHERE THE, WHERE THE A DA RAMP IS AND THAT OPEN DECK PORTION IS NOT GOING TO BE, IT'S NOT.
SO WE WILL BE MATCHING THE COLOR.
SO THE, THE COLOR OF THE DECK WOULD MATCH THE COLORS OF THE, THE EXISTING PORCH ON THE SIDE, THE LEFT SIDE AND THE RAILING WILL BE WHITE AS WELL.
UM, YEAH, JUST TO SPEAK TO THE, THE FINANCIAL PART OF IT, UM, I THINK A LOT OF US HAVE BEEN THROUGH THE HORROR AND NIGHTMARE OF ROTTING PORCHES.
UM, AND I GUESS SO IF YOU'RE DOING AN IN-KIND UPSTAIRS AND YOU'VE GOT THAT DRAINAGE GAP GOING THROUGH, UM, AND YOU'RE USING
[00:40:01]
WOOD, YOU'RE USING WOOD BELOW.UM, ALL THAT WATER WILL DRAIN DOWN TO THE OTHER DECK AND CONTINUE THAT, UH, INUNDATION THAT, AND THEN THE ROTTING EFFECT OF IT OVER TIME, ESPECIALLY WITH THE WAY WOOD IS NOW, IT EVEN TREATED, YOU'RE LOOKING AT MAYBE THREE, FIVE YEAR LIFE EXPECTANCY ON IT.
UM, SO, UH, HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT, UM, OR TALKED WITH YOUR CLIENT ABOUT POSSIBLY DOING THE GROUND FLOOR FIRST? PHASING IT, YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE PHASING THIS PROJECT BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A LARGE ENDEAVOR, RIGHT? YES.
SO, UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE CONTACTED TO DO THE BOTTOM AND TOP PORCH PROBLEMS. YEAH.
BUT, UM, I THINK THE TONGUE AND GROOVE IS, UM, IS THE CORRECT MOVE IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE.
AND IF IT MEANT PHASING IT, SO YOU'RE DOING THE DOWNSTAIRS THE MOST IMPORTANT CRITICAL PART FIRST, I WOULD PROBABLY DO THAT AND THEN DO THE UPSTAIRS A LITTLE LATER.
THE, UM, ARTIFICIAL MATERIAL IS NOT THAT, UM, I MEAN, IT'S, IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE, BUT IT, UM, CONSIDERING THE, THE LIFE OF IT, IT IS TRULY THE VALUE THAT A HOUSE LIKE THIS SHOULD HAVE.
UM, COMMISSIONER RAVIEL? NOT AT THIS TIME.
UM, COMMISSIONER GALLOWAY? NO QUESTIONS MR. THANK YOU.
UM, JUST ECHOING WHAT MY FELLOW COMMISSIONER SAID THAT A, UH, TONGUE AND GROOVE, WHETHER IT'S UH, REAL WOOD OR WHETHER IT'S A COMPOSITE FOR THE UPPER BALCONY MAY, UH, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER THAT WORK WITH YOUR CLIENT ON THAT, JUST TO KEEP THE WATER FROM COMING THROUGH THAT DOWN TO THE FIRST FOUR, UH, WITH THE PROPER SLOPE, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO, UH, MINIMIZE PONDING UP THERE.
UM, AND JUST AS A ANOTHER NOTE, YOU MIGHT, I BELIEVE THE, UH, SAN ANTONIO CONSERVATION SOCIETY GRANT PROGRAM IS OPEN RIGHT NOW.
YOU MIGHT TOUCH BASE WITH THEM AND, AND POSSIBLY APPLY FOR A GRANT FOR SOME ADDITIONAL FUNDING.
SO YOU, YOU'RE SAYING TONGUE AND GROOVE ON THE, THE TOP DECK BOTTOM.
WE CAN USE THE STANDARD WOOD TO MATCH THE, ARE YOU, YOU WANT TONGUE AND GROOVE FOR TOP AND BOTTOM RIGHT NOW? I BELIEVE THE, UH, THE MOTION IS FOR WHAT YOU PROPOSE TODAY ON TOP AND BOTTOM, BUT I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT YOU CONSIDER TONGUE AND GROOVE ON THE TOP TO KEEP IT, KEEP THAT MORE WATER TIGHT AND PROTECT THE LOWER, UH, PORCH.
ALRIGHT, WE HAVE A, AND JUST TO CLARIFY, THAT IS PART OF THE MOTION, RIGHT? LIKE YOU COULD PUT TONGUE AND GROOVE YES.
Y YEAH, I JUST WANT TO, UM, UM, CONFIRM WHAT, UM, COMMISSIONER FESTER WAS SAYING RIGHT NOW IS THE APPLICATION SEASON FOR BUILDING GRANTS WITH THE CONSERVATION SOCIETY STAFF COULD WORK WITH THE APPLICANT TO, UM, GET AN ADDRESS OR A PHONE NUMBER, A WEBSITE FOR THAT APPLICATION.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE? MAMON? AYE.
[9. Address/Description: 219 REFUGIO ST HDRC Case No.: 2026-194 Historic District Name: Lavaca Neighborhood Assn Name: Lavaca Applicant: rogers candid/Candid Works Request: Fenestration modifications; carport construction; front and side yard fence replacement; and rear addition replacement City Council Dist.: 1 ]
MAY I HAVE ITEM NUMBER NINE PLEASE? ITEM NUMBER NINE, HT RC CASE NUMBER 2026 DASH 1 94 2 19 REFUGIO STREET.THE APPLICANT'S REQUESTING A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR APPROVAL TO ONE, INSTALL A SINGLE PANE WOOD WINDOW AT THE FRONT FACADE.
TWO, CONSTRUCT A 14 BY 21 FOOT CARPORT AT THE REAR TO FEATURE A CORRUGATED METAL ROOF, METAL SIDING AT THE REAR AND ONE BY FOUR WOOD SLATS AT THE SIDES.
REPLACE THE EXISTING FRONT YARD CHAIN LINK FENCE WITH A 1.5 BY 1.5 INCH STEEL AND WELDED FENCE WIRE FENCE NOT TO EXCEED FOUR FEET IN HEIGHT.
[00:45:01]
THE SIDE CHAIN LINK FENCE WITH A 1.5 BY 1.5 INCH STEEL AND WELDED WIRE FENCE NOT TO EXCEED SIX FEET IN HEIGHT AND FIVE, REPLACE THE REAR ADDITION.STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO INSTALL A WINDOW LOCATED AT THE FRONT FACADE BASED ON THE FINDINGS WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS.
ONE THAT THE APPLICANT INSTALL A ONE OVER ONE WINDOW OR A WINDOW THAT MATCHES THE DESIGN OF EXISTING WINDOWS ON SITE.
AND TWO, THAT THE APPLICANT INSTALLS A WOOD WINDOW THAT MEETS STAFF STANDARD STIPULATIONS.
STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO CONSTRUCT A CARPORT AT THE REAR BASED ON THE FINDINGS WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATION.
ONE THAT THE APPLICANT PAINT THE STEEL FRAME NATURAL TONES AND COLORS FOUND ON SITE.
STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL THAT REQUESTS TO REPLACE THE FRONT YARD CHAIN LINK FENCE BASED ON THE FINDINGS WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS.
ONE THAT THE FRONT YARD FENCE NOT EXCEED FOUR FEET AND HEIGHT.
TWO, THAT THE FENCING INCORPORATE WOOD FRAMING RATHER THAN THE PROPOSED METAL FRAMING.
STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO REPLACE THE SIDE CHAIN LINK FENCING BASED ON THE FINDINGS WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS.
ONE THAT, THAT, THAT ANY FENCING BETWEEN THE FRONT WALL PLANE OF THE PRIMARY STRUCTURE AND REFUGIO NOT EXCEED FOUR FEET IN HEIGHT.
TWO THAT THE FENCING INCORPORATE WOOD FRAMING RATHER THAN THE PROPOSED METAL FRAMING.
AND THEN ITEM FIVE, STAFF RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO REPLACE THE EXISTING REAR ADDITION BASED ON THE FINDINGS WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS.
ONE THAT THE APPLICANT SAWS A WOOD WINDOW THAT MEETS STAFF STANDARD STIPULATIONS.
TWO, THAT THE APPLICANT INSTALL A STAINING SEA METAL ROOF, UM, AS PRESCRIBED BY STAFF STANDARD STIPULATIONS.
AND THEN THAT THREE, THAT THE APPLICANT PROVIDE FINAL DOOR SPECIFICATIONS TO OHP STAFF FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL PRIOR TO THE ISSUANCE OF A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS.
AND FOUR, THAT THE APPLICANT INCORPORATE A HISTORICALLY APPROPRIATE SITING PROFILE AND MATERIAL FOR THE PROPOSED REAR EDITION AND PRESENT IT TO OHP STAFF FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL PRIOR TO THE ISSUANCE OF CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS.
UM, BEFORE WE BEGIN, STAFF WOULD LIKE TO NOTE THAT THE APPLICANT HAS AGREED WITH STAFF'S RECOMMEND, UH, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATIONS MINUS THE FRAMING MATERIAL FOR THE FRONT AND SIDE YARD FENCES, AND ALSO THE, UM, RECOMMENDATION TO USE A HISTORICALLY APPROPRIATE PROFILE AND MATERIAL FOR THE SIDING FOR THE REAR ADDITION.
UM, THE APPLICANT, CANDID ROGERS IS HERE IN PERSON.
UH, CANDID IF YOU'D LIKE TO WALK THE COMMISSIONERS TO YOUR REQUEST, UH, YOU'LL HAVE 12 MINUTES TO DO SO.
UM, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THE WHOLE 12 MINUTES, BUT, UM, WE CAN ALSO SHOW ANYTHING THAT YOU'D LIKE.
I'M CANDID ROGERS, UM, IN, IN REGARDS TO, UH, STAFF STIPULATIONS, UH, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK IN REGARDS TO THE REAR EDITION AND THE MATERIALS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, CHOSEN, UH, THAT WE'VE CHOSEN TO, TO RENDER THAT NEW ADDITION WITH.
WELL, THAT ADDITION CURRENTLY IS, UH, SET IN PLAIN WITH THE EXISTING HISTORIC HOUSE.
WE'VE, UH, WORKED TO REDUCE THAT, THE SIZE OF THE ADDITION, SO PULLING IN, UH, BOTH SIDES LATERALLY AND REDUCING THE, THE FOOTPRINT OF THAT.
BUT ALSO WE'D LIKE TO CHANGE THE MATERIALS OF THAT ADDITION, UH, TO RESPECT THE IDEA OF IT BEING AN ADDITION, NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL HISTORIC RESIDENCE, UH, BUT BEING IN A, A RESPECTABLE MATERIAL AND A LIGHT COLOR.
UH, SO HENCE WE'RE REQUESTING THE CORRUGATED METAL THERE.
UH, IT'S FAIRLY OUT OF VIEW FROM FROM THE STREET.
ALSO, REFUGIO IS AN ALLEY STREET, SO IT'S A VERY SMALL STREET, UH, VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC ALONG THAT STREET.
UH, SO THERE'S VERY LITTLE VISIBILITY, UH, FROM, FROM THE STREET THERE TOWARDS THE REAR.
UM, SO WE'RE REQUESTING, UH, A CORRUGATED METAL THERE FOR THAT.
AND THEN THE SINKING ITEM OF QUESTION IS THE, UH, METAL FENCING THAT WE'RE PROPOSING.
UH, AS I'VE LIVED IN, UH, THIS AREA OF SAN ANTONIO FOR OVER 20 YEARS, WE SEE A LOT OF THE WOOD FENCES THAT ARE INSTALLED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS.
BUT AFTER SOME YEARS IN OUR, UH, HEAT LIKE WE HAVE TODAY IN OUR BIG RAINS LIKE WE'VE HAD A FEW WEEKS AGO, UH, THESE FENCES, UH, DETERIORATE VERY QUICKLY.
AND SO THERE'S, UH, A NUMBER OF GREAT EXAMPLES IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF, UH, LIKE FENCES, UH, RENDERED WITH METAL STRUCTURES AND WIRE PANEL.
UH, THIS FENCE IN PARTICULAR THAT'S ON THE SCREEN NOW IS, UH, HALF A BLOCK AWAY ON LAVACCA THAT WAS BUILT, UH, THREE YEARS AGO BY THE PREVIOUS OWNER.
ALL OUT OF WOOD, WOOD POST WOOD COLUMNS, UH, WOOD RAILS.
AND, UH, IT STARTED TO MOVE AND DETERIORATE QUITE QUICKLY.
AND THE NEW OWNER WHO JUST PURCHASED IT A FEW MONTHS AGO, UH, I BELIEVE CAME BEFORE YOU GUYS AND, UH, REQUESTED TO RENDER THAT IN STEEL.
SO THEY DID STEEL POST AND STEEL RAILS.
UM, SO THAT FENCE, UH, THERE IS PAINTED BLACK.
UH, THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER EXAMPLES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE IMAGES AS WELL OF, UH, VARIETY OF EXAMPLES OF HOW THE, THE STEEL FENCING LOOKS IN FRONT OF THE HISTORIC HOMES.
[00:50:01]
THEY, UM, REFLECT THE KIND OF NATURE OF, OF THE AGRARIAN HISTORY OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.UH, THIS FENCE HERE IS HALF A BLOCK AWAY.
UH, THIS IS, UH, IDEALLY WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO, WHICH IS THE KIND OF RAW STEEL WITH THE WIRE PANEL.
THESE POSTS ARE TWO INCH POST.
WE'RE PROPOSING ONE AND A HALF INCH POST.
SO IT'S A THINNER PROFILE AND VISUALLY JUST MAKING THE FENCE DISAPPEAR.
UH, FOUR FEET IS THE REQUESTED HEIGHT AT THE FRONT.
UH, AND THEN ALONG THE SIDE YARD WE'RE REQUESTING SIX FEET.
UH, THERE'S ONE, UH, EXISTING SIDE YARD THAT CURRENTLY ALREADY HAS THE SIX FOOT HIGH FENCE.
UH, SO WE'D LIKE TO JUST MIMIC IT ON THE OTHER SIDE YARD.
UH, WE ALSO HAVE A LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM, UH, THE IMMEDIATE NEIGHBOR THERE ON REFUGIO AND LACA, UH, THAT, UM, IS SHOWING SUPPORT FOR THE METAL FENCING AS WELL.
SO I APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION.
UM, WE'LL START WITH QUESTIONS FOR THIS APPLICANT.
UM, I'LL START WITH OUR, OUR VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS THIS TIME.
UM, COMMISSIONER MAMAN QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? NO QUESTION.
UH, NO QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, MR. CHAIR.
UH, IS THERE PLANS TO, UM, REDO THE ROOF AND ALSO THE FOUNDATION? YES, SIR.
UM, FOUNDATION WOULD BE, FIRST WE WILL BE DOING AN ENTIRE NEW FOUNDATION P AND BEAM FOUNDATION AND WE'LL BE DOING A NEW STAND AND SEAM METAL ROOF.
ABOUT THE SIDING MATERIAL IN THE, UH, ADDITION.
AND I SEE THE PICTURES OF THE OLD EDITION OR HOW IT IS RIGHT NOW.
IT'S KIND OF A MIX OF EVERYTHING.
BUT THERE'S A BIG SECTION THAT HAS BOARD BOARD OF BATTEN HAVE.
CAN YOU PULL UP, IS THAT SOMETHING YOU'VE CONSIDERED TO MAKE IT DIFFERENT? UM, UH, CERTAINLY WE COULD.
UH, AS YOU SEE, THERE'S ALSO CORRUGATED METAL ROOFING ON THAT, UH, STRUCTURE AS WELL.
UH, SO WE, WE FELT THAT THE CORRUGATED WAS INAPPROPRIATE MATERIAL, CERTAINLY THAT IT'S NOT IN THE FRONT OF THE STRUCTURE AND IT'S TO THE REAR, UH, PRIMARILY OUT OF VIEW, BUT JUST SOMETHING THAT WOULD GIVE IT A, A SENSE OF, UH, DIFFERENCE FROM THE HISTORIC AND CERTAIN.
BUT YOU'RE ALSO DOING A METAL ROOF, THE RIGHT? YES.
NEW STAND AND SEA METAL ROOF YEAH.
OPEN TO THIS, UM, OF SIGHTING MATERIAL.
UH, NO, PREFER NOT TO DO THE, THE BOARD AND BATTEN WOOD THERE.
UH, WE'RE, WE'RE WORKING A LOT TO RESTORE THE EXISTING SHIPLAP SIDING ON THE TWO STORY STRUCTURE, WHICH IS THE PRIMARY HISTORIC STRUCTURE.
UM, AND WE'RE GONNA PRESERVE ALL OF THAT SIDING.
AND IS THERE ALSO A COR SIDING ON THE CARPORT AT, IN THE BACK THERE IS AT THE ROOF AND AT THE BACK OF THE BACK OF THE CARPORT STRUCTURE? YES.
DID YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS TO THAT? UM, SO STAFF REVIEWED THE PROPOSED CARPORT AND, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE GENERALLY SUPPORTIVE OF IT AS A CARPORT.
THE ONLY STIPULATION REGARDING THAT WOULD BE PAINTING THE STEEL MEMBERS TO BE A NATURAL TONE OR A COLOR THAT'S LOCATED ON SITE.
BUT YOU HAVE NO COMMENTS ON THE BACK MATERIAL OFF THE BACK OF IT? CORRECT.
OH, AND THEN ONE LAST QUESTION.
I KNOW YOU HAVE A SIX FOOT, UM, LINK FENCE CHAIN.
IS IT ON THE LEFT SIDE OR THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HOUSE RIGHT NOW? UH, ON THE LEFT SIDE, YEAH, ON THE LEFT SIDE.
UM, YEAH, LEFT SIDE THERE'S AN EXISTING SIX FOOT, UH, METAL FENCE.
WOULD YOU BE OPEN TO DO FOUR FEET ON THE RIGHT SIDE IF YOU GO BACK TO THE YEAH, I'D CERTAINLY, UH, THERE'S EXISTING FOUR FEET ON THE SIDE.
I, I, I'D CERTAINLY BE OPEN TO DOING FOUR FEET ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND FOUR FEET ACROSS THE FRONT AND YOU COULD DO FOUR FEET UNTIL IT HITS LIKE THE CARPORT AREA, WHATEVER, AND THEN GO MORE LIKE WHEN IT'S LESS VISIBLE.
OH, UM, COMMISSIONER GRU TO, UM, ADDRESS ONE OF MY CONCERNS, UM, QUITE WELL WITH THE FENCING.
UM, ON YOUR STIPULATIONS FOR ITEM NUMBER ONE WITH THE SMALL WINDOW IN THE FRONT FACADE, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE WINDOW NEEDS TO MATCH THE DESIGN OF THE EXISTING WINDOWS ON SITE OR MATCH THE DESIGN OF EXISTING WINDOWS ON SITE.
UH, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? ARE WE APPLYING THE ENTIRE GUIDELINE TO THIS TO INCLUDE SIZE, PROPORTION AND OPENING, OR WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY DESIGN?
[00:55:01]
SURE.SO, UM, WE'VE INCORPORATED A STIPULATION ONE AND STIPULATION TWO.
SO STIPULATION TWO IS OUR GENERAL RECOMMENDATION THAT WE, UM, TYPICALLY MAKE FOR THESE TYPES OF REQUESTS.
UM, STIPULATION ONE IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC.
SO, UM, FROM STAFF'S PERSPECTIVE, UH, WE WOULD BE COMFORTABLE RECOMMENDING APPROVAL FOR EITHER A ONE OVER ONE DESIGNED WINDOW.
UM, WE ALSO ADDED THE ALTERNATIVE FOR A WINDOW THAT MATCHES THE DESIGN OF EXISTING WINDOWS ON SITE.
JUST GIVEN THAT THERE'S, UM, THERE, I THINK THERE'S ABOUT TWO OR THREE DIFFERENT, UM, DESIGNS OF WINDOWS.
LIKE RIGHT HERE YOU SEE A SIX OVER ONE MM-HMM
UM, AT THE BOTTOM, I BELIEVE IT'S, UH, MAYBE A FOUR OVER FOUR.
AND THEN I THINK AT THE REAR TWO THERE'S UH, I BELIEVE A TWO OVER TWO.
OR I'M SORRY, HERE IT'S ACTUALLY A FOUR OVER FOUR.
SO, UM, WE WANTED TO GIVE THE APPLICANT, UM, SOME FLEXIBILITY THERE TO, UH, IF, IF THEY FIND A WINDOW THAT THEY, UM, BELIEVE WILL FIT THAT AREA, UM, THAT THEY HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO DO SO, WHETHER IT BE ONE OVER ONE, LIKE WHAT THEY'RE PROPOSING FOR THE REAR EDITION HERE, OR A WINDOW THAT, UM, THAT MATCHES THE DESIGN OF ANOTHER WINDOW ON, ON, ON SITE.
SO THE DESIGN CAN BE ANY NUMBER OF WHAT'S ALREADY ON SITE.
IS YOUR EXPECTATION THAT IT BE A LARGER ONE, A LARGER WINDOW THAT FITS THE ORIGINAL OPENING? UH, THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
SO THE, WHAT THEY'RE REQUESTING NOW IS IT'S PRETTY SMALL, UM, ON THE FRONT.
UM, SO THE EXPECTATION WOULD BE THAT THE SIZE WOULD INCREASE A LITTLE BIT TO ACCOMMODATE A ONE OVER ONE DESIGN OR A SIX OVER ONE DESIGN OR A TWO, OVER TWO OR FOUR OVER FOUR DESIGN.
AND MR. ROGERS, HAVE YOU LOOKED AT, UM, OR CONSIDERED LARGER WINDOW THAT WOULD BEGIN TO FIT WITHIN THAT FACADE OF THAT COLONIAL REVIVAL? UM, CERTAINLY WE, UM, WE CAN ENLARGE THE WINDOW A BIT.
THAT IS A, A, A FUTURE BATHROOM THERE MM-HMM
SO, UM, OUR, OUR THOUGHT WAS THAT IT WAS A WINDOW THAT MATCHED IN DETAILING AND CONSTRUCTION MATERIALITY, THE, THE EXACT HISTORIC WINDOWS.
SO IN THE PROFILE OF THE, OF, OF THE WINDOW, IT WOULD BE THE SAME, UH, AS THE HISTORIC WINDOWS THAT CURRENTLY EXIST.
BUT SIZING, WE HAVEN'T, UH, ALTERED THE SIZING AS OF YET, BUT WE CERTAINLY CAN LOOK AT INCREASING THAT A BIT.
YEAH, I THINK THAT MIGHT BE WISE.
I THINK SOMETHING, UH, WE DON'T SEE A LOT OF COLONIAL REVIVAL.
OH, WE'LL I'LL TALK ABOUT THIS LATER.
COMMISSIONER VELASQUEZ? NO SIR.
UM, COMMISSIONER GRU ASKED MY QUESTION ABOUT, UH, THE BOARD AND BATTEN SIDING ON THE ADDITION.
UM, WHETHER YOU WOULD CONSIDER A DIFFERENT TYPE OF WOOD SIDING ON THAT ADDITION, WHETHER IT'S A, UH, BOARD AND BATTEN OR WHETHER IT'S A HORIZONTAL WOOD SIDING THAT, UH, OR EVEN COMPOSITE SIDING THAT, UM, MAYBE DOESN'T MATCH THE, THE, UM, EXPOSURE OF THE EXISTING HISTORIC WOOD.
BUT, UH, IT REFERENCES A RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURE AS OPPOSED TO AN ACCESSORY STRUCTURE, WHICH IS, UH, I THINK THE CORRUGATED METAL SIDING DOES.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER SOME SORT OF OTHER WOOD SIDING ON THAT REAR ADDITION? UM, WOULD PREFER NOT TO.
AND, AND CERTAINLY WE HAVE A GREAT APPRECIATION FOR THE CORRUGATED, UH, METAL SIDING AS, UH, AS A REGIONAL MATERIAL THAT'S, UH, WE FEEL WOULD BE VERY APPROPRIATE FOR, FOR THIS STRUCTURE.
AND THE ADDITION, UM, BEING THAT THIS IS AN ADDITION TO THE BACK TO THE REAR, UH, FAIRLY OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF VIEW, UM, WE'D PREFER TO MAINTAIN, UH, OUR CHOSEN MATERIAL.
YES, I WAS GONNA TAKE A STAB AT A MOTION.
UM, I RECOMMEND ITEM MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM ONE WITH STIPULATION THE STANDARD VENDOR STIPULATION.
AND I THINK THE STIPULATION ONE SHOULD BE CHANGED TO BE, UM, UH, A WINDOW WITH THE DESIGN OF EXISTING WINDOWS ON SITE, BUT IN THE SIMILAR SIZE OF WHAT WOULD'VE BEEN THEIR EXISTING OR WHAT'S ALREADY EXISTING ON THAT FRONT FACADE.
UM, MOVE TO APPROVE ITEM NUMBER TWO WITH, UM, STAFF STIPULATIONS ITEM NUMBER THREE, UH, JUST WITH STIPULATION NUMBER ONE, ITEM NUMBER FOUR WITH STIPULATION ONE AND THEN ITEM NUMBER FIVE WITH ALL STAFF STIPULATIONS SECOND, PROPERLY SECOND DISCUSSION.
[01:00:01]
IT.SO ON THE WINDOW, I THINK COMMISSIONER SAVINO HAS A POINT THAT WINDOW IN THE FRONT, IF WE GO BACK TO A PICTURE, I EVEN THINK SOME OF THE SIDING MIGHT HAVE BEEN CUT.
IF WE GO TO THE PICTURE PICTURE, LIKE THERE WAS ORIGINALLY A WINDOW THAT WAS THE SAME SIZE, MAYBE THERE WASN'T RIGHT NOW, I THINK THE APPROPRIATE, YOU CAN SEE KIND OF WHERE THE SIDING HAS BEEN CUT.
I THINK THE APPROPRIATE WOULD BE TO INTRODUCE A WINDOW THE SAME SIZE AND SAME DESIGN AS A TWO TO EACH SIDE.
UH, EVEN IF YOU PUT A BATHROOM IN THERE, THERE'S WAYS TO MITIGATE FROM THE INSIDE, BUT I THINK THAT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE FOR NOW UNLESS YOU FIND SOMETHING, UM, ANOTHER SOLUTION.
AND THEN ADAM, NUMBER TWO IS A COURT PORT AS PRESENTED WITH THE STIPULATION OF THE PAINTING.
ITEM NUMBER THREE, UM, IN MY, IN THE MOTION THAT I HAVE RIGHT NOW IS, UM, ALLOWING THE METAL FRAMING.
I DO BELIEVE THAT YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD HAS, YOU'VE, YOU'VE STATED YOUR CASE AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS A LOT OF, UH, THOSE EXAMPLES.
AND I CAN ALSO SEE FROM GOOGLE EARTH THAT YOU ARE VERY NEAR A LOT OF THOSE EXAMPLES THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED BEFORE.
UM, STILL ONLY FOUR FEET IN THE HEIGHT AND THE FRONT.
AND THEN THE STIPULATION ITEM NUMBER FOUR WOULD BE TO KEEP THE HEIGHT FOUR FEET ON THAT SIDE BY THE CARPORT UNTIL, UNTIL YOU HIT THE PAST THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE.
AND THEN ON THE STIPULATION ON ITEM NUMBER FIVE, I AM KEEPING THE STIPULATION OF THE SIDING.
I DO WANT YOU TO GO BACK AND RECONSIDER TO FIND SOME KIND OF A SIDING THAT'S MORE APPROPRIATE.
MAYBE FINDING, I THINK THE BOARD AND BATON IS THE MOST APPROPRIATE 'CAUSE IT'S DIFFERENT FROM THE FRONT OF THE HOUSE.
UM, THE ORIGINAL HOUSE, UM, I AM STILL, I MEAN THERE IS ACTUALLY I THINK SOME MATERIALS THAT ARE COMPOSITE AND METAL THAT LOOK LIKE BOARD AND BATTEN.
SO I THINK JUST, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT, BUT I DON'T THINK THE METAL, CORRUGATED METAL IS, THE IDEA FOR THE CARPORT IS DIFFERENT.
SOMETIMES IT'S ALSO DIFFERENT IF IT'S A FREESTANDING KIND OF ADDITION IN THE BACK.
BUT THIS IS KIND OF CONNECTED TO THE FRONT.
UM, EVEN THOUGH, AND I UNDERSTAND DAN'S NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL, I THINK THAT STIPULATION SHOULD STAY THERE FOR NOW.
THE SECOND I'D LIKE TO COMMENT.
MM, THE ONLY THING I WANTED TO ADD IS JUST, UM, EVEN THOUGH REFUGIO IS A LESSER TRAVEL PATH MM-HMM
UM, THE PRESENCE OF THAT HOUSE AND THAT COLONIAL REVIVAL IS REALLY SOMETHING SPECIAL AND SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND I THINK, UM, COMPLETING THE WINDOW ARRAY ON THAT FRONT, HOWEVER YOU CHOOSE TO, UM, UH, EXPRESS THAT, UM, WOULD BE A REAL BENEFIT.
IT'S A, A GREAT HONOR TO LIVE IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD AND ALSO BE ABLE TO WORK ON THIS HOUSE THAT'S, UH, BEEN IN DIRE NEGLECT FOR SO MANY YEARS.
UM, I WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS ADDITIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAVE BEEN RENDERED IN CORRUGATED METAL APPROVED BY YOU, THE CO COMMISSIONERS AT DIFFERENT TIMES OVER THE PAST YEARS.
AND SO I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW WE CAN BE NEGATED SOMETIMES.
AND OTHER TIMES PEOPLE ARE APPROVED.
UM, AND CERTAINLY WITH THIS ADDITION BEING REMOVED COMPLETELY TO THE REAR, UH, AND BEING EVEN DOWNSIZED SO THAT IT'S LESS VISIBLE, UM, YOU KNOW, AND OUT OF, OUT OF SIGHT OF THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY.
ALSO, THE WINDOW, THE WINDOW ON THE FRONT, IF WE GO BACK TO THAT FRONT, UH, FACADE IMAGE, UM, JUST DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS VERY MODEST HOUSE, UM, THE ALIGNMENT OF THE WINDOWS AND THE DOORS DON'T ALIGN.
AND A FULL SIGHT WHEN I'M GONNA STOP YOU FOR A MOMENT, UM, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, UM, THE COMMISSIONERS THEMSELVES WE'RE IN DISCUSSION RIGHT NOW.
SO WHEN WE, IF WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, FURTHER COMMENTS OR WE NEED SOMETHING FROM YOU, WE WILL BRING YOU IN.
BUT THIS IS NOT KIND OF LIKE A FREE FLOW FOR YOU 'CAUSE YOU, YOU'VE PRESENTED YOUR CASE OKAY.
SO WE'LL GO FROM THERE AND THEN IF WE HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS OR THINGS WE NEED TO CHIME IN ON, WE'LL, WE'LL BRING YOU IN.
I, I DIDN'T, I THOUGHT YOU WERE FINISHED.
ALRIGHT, UM, COMMENTS FOR THE, UH, APPLICANT? I'LL START WITH, UM, VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS.
UM, COMMISSIONER GIADA, NO COMMENTS RIGHT NOW.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MOOKA, CONGRATULATIONS ON DOING, WORKING ON THIS HOUSE AND MAKING IT BETTER.
I, I JUST LOVE THIS STREET AND WE CUT THROUGH THERE ALL THE TIME AND IT'S SPECIAL 'CAUSE OF THE ALLNESS OF IT, AND IT'S LIKE ITS OWN LITTLE COMMUNITY AND I'M EXCITED TO SEE THE PROJECT.
WELL, SIR, JUST THAT, THAT THERE, THERE ARE ASPECTS OF WHAT'S BEEN PRESENTED THAT ARE DEFINITELY CONTROVERSIAL.
UH, THE, BUT THE, BUT I'VE GOTTA TELL YOU THE, THE POETICS OF THE, OF THE LITTLE WINDOW IN THE FRONT,
[01:05:01]
UM, THERE IS NO WINDOW THERE NOW.SO FROM MY THINKING, IT'S AN APPROVAL OF, OF A PROPOSED WINDOW, REGARDLESS OF WHAT POSSIBLY WAS.
THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A DOOR, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A BALCONY THERE FOR ALL, YOU KNOW, BUT IF, IF ANYTHING, PERHAPS NOT A SQUARE, PERHAPS A, A TINY RECTANGLE.
BUT, UM, BUT IT IS VERY POETIC AND IT, AND IT ACTUALLY MAKES THE LITTLE BUILDING, UM, WHICH IS KIND OF A BAD WORD, BUT PRETTY.
UM, NOW THERE, THERE ARE, THERE ARE ASPECTS LIKE, UH, UH, WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING IS, FROM MY STANDPOINT, PERFECTLY FINE.
BUT THERE IS A CONTRADICTIONS IN, IN, IN THE WAY THE DECISIONS ARE MADE OVER THE COURSE OF A LONG TIME.
SOMETIMES WE CALL THAT CASE BY CASE, BUT, UM, THE WAY I'VE UNDERSTOOD IT IS WHERE, WHERE THERE IS SOMETHING THAT EXISTS SOME SHADOW OF THE PAST, IT, IT, IT SHOULD BE THE DOMINATING FORCE IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS.
SO THAT IF YOU IMAGINE EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE PROPOSING, BUT IMAGINE IT WITH STANDING SEAM AS, AS IT WOULD'VE BEEN DONE, THE WINDOWS AT THE HEIGHT THAT THEY WOULD'VE EXISTED.
AND EVEN WITH THE CORRUGATED ROOF BRAND NEW THICKER GAUGE IN THE BACK STANDING SEAM WHERE YOU'RE PROPOSING ON THE MAIN HOUSE, IT WOULD STILL BE EQUALLY BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL HOUSE.
SO IT'S, IT'S A, YOU KNOW, BEAUTY'S IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER.
I, I CAN SEE WHAT IT IS THAT YOU'RE PRESENTING AND I, I, I, IT'S NOT WHAT I WOULD DO, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S SOMETHING THAT I WOULD, IF IT WAS MINE, I WOULD STILL APPRECIATE IT.
IT STILL WOULD BE VERY BEAUTIFUL.
BUT, BUT MORE THAN ANYTHING, MR. CHAIR, THAT AS WE LOOK AT THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FRONT FACADE, WE, I HOPE THAT WE DON'T, UH, UH, UH, SIDESTEP THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THERE TO BE THIS LITTLE POETIC WINDOW THAT WOULD CAUSE PEOPLE TO WONDER WHAT'S BEHIND IT.
UM, THE WAY THE MOTION IS CRAFTED, THERE IS DESIGN OPPORTUNITY THERE, UH, STUDYING A WOOD SIDING FOR THE REAR ADDITION, UH, AND STUDYING, UH, SIZE AND CONFIGURATION FOR THAT FRONT WINDOW.
SO, UM, HOPEFULLY WITH YOUR, UH, DESIGN EXPERTISE, YOU CAN COME TO SOMETHING THAT, THAT, UH, THE OWNER AND AND YOURSELF FIND, UH, APPROPRIATE FOR THE HOUSE.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MAMON? AYE.
AS A REMINDER, ITEM NUMBER 10 HAS BEEN POSTPONED BY THE APPLICANT.
[New cases]
NOW HEAR ITEM NUMBER 11, ITEM, EXCUSE ME.ITEM NUMBER 11, HDRC, CASE NUMBER 2026 DASH 2 16 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG PLACE.
THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A REVIEW OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE PROPERTY AT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG.
STAFF DOES NOT RECOMMEND DEFINING OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE PROPERTY AT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG, BASED ON LACK OF INTEGRITY AND FAILURE TO MEET AT LEAST THREE CRITERIA FOR HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
WE'LL BE JOINED BY A REPRESENTATIVE FOR THE APPLICANT, PAUL LEWIS, AND FOLLOWING PAUL LEWIS, WE WILL HEAR FROM THE OWNER AND THE OWNER'S REPRESENTATIVES.
WE DO HAVE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SIGNED IN TO SPEAK.
THERE ARE 25 LETTERS IN SUPPORT OF A FINDING OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE IN YOUR FOLDER, AND TWO LETTERS IN OPPOSITION.
AND SO, UH, PAUL LEWIS, YOU'RE WELCOME TO COME TO THE PODIUM.
I SAW THAT THERE WAS AN OPTION TO SHARE PHOTOS WITH YOU ALL IS CORRECT? UH, YEAH.
UH, CHAIRMAN GIBBS, MEMBERS OF THE HDRC.
I'M A RESIDENT OF ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.
I'M ALSO SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IN SUPPORT OF THE HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION APPLICATION FOR 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG PLACE.
YOU'VE GOT THE 25 LETTERS FROM OTHER RESIDENTS, IT'S BEEN NOTED,
[01:10:01]
AND WHAT FOLLOWS IS A LETTER THAT WAS COMPOSED AND APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF THE ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.ONLY AFTER A MEMBER OR MEMBERS OF THAT BOARD HAD CONSULTED WITH THE ARCHITECTS AND THE PLANNERS STUDIED THEIR PLANS OR LOOKED AT THEM, DONE AN ONSITE WALKTHROUGH AND SO FORTH.
THERE'S BEEN PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL COMMUNICATION.
THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT OF WHICH ALTA VISTA IS A PART SUPPORTS PROTECTING AND PRESERVING THE UNIQUE CHARACTER ARCHITECTURE AND SCALE OF OUR OLDER NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND WE FEEL THAT HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION IS AN IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT FOR PRESERVING AND PROTECTING ALTA VISTA'S ORIGINAL HOUSING, WHICH INCLUDES HOMES JUST LIKE 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG, THE HOME AT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG IS A WELL PRESERVED EXAMPLE OF A FOLK VICTORIAN COTTAGE DISPLAYING UNIQUE CLASSICAL AND COLONIAL REVIVAL INFLUENCES.
PRESERVING HOMES LIKE THIS HELPS RETAIN THE UNIQUE CHARACTER AND HISTORY OF OUR CITY, WHILE ENCOURAGING THOUGHTFUL REINVESTMENT IN EXISTING NEIGHBORHOODS.
5 0 7 WEST CRAIG FEATURES A CLASSIC MODEST FRONT GD ROOF LINE CHARACTERISTIC THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS.
ITS FORMAL ENTRYWAYS FRAMED BY A PALLADIAN STYLE ARCH CUT INTO THE PORCH CEILING SUPPORTED BY NEOCLASSICAL COLUMNS.
THE FRONT DOOR RETAINS ITS ELEGANT, SYMMETRICAL FAN LIGHT, TRANSOM AND SIDELIGHTS.
THIS HOME REPRESENTS A UNIQUE MOMENT IN TEXAS ARCHITECTURAL HISTORY, WHERE THE SIMPLE FUNCTIONAL COTTAGE LAYOUT OF EVERYDAY CITIZENS WAS DRESSED UP WITH FORMAL, ELEGANT CRAFTSMANSHIP.
ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THE HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES MAY NOT BE ORIGINAL OR REMAIN AT THE HOME AT THIS TIME, WE FEEL THIS DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY RESULT IN ITS FAILURE TO BE DEEMED HISTORIC.
OVER THE PAST CENTURY, OF COURSE, MANY FAMILIES HAVE ALTERED THE HOME TO FIT THEIR BUDGETS AND THEIR MODERN NEEDS.
BUT THIS HOME IS STILL OF HISTORIC RELEVANCE AS PART OF THE FABRIC OF THE BUNGALOW STYLE OF ALTA VISTA.
AND IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT MUCH OF THE HOME WAS TORN OUT BY THE OWNER AND THEIR ARCHITECTS PRIOR TO THEIR DEMOLITION REQUEST, WHICH WE FIND RATHER INSULTING TO THE COMMUNITY AND INDICATIVE OF HOW SOME RESIDENTS AND ARCHITECTS TREAT OUR LESS PROTECTED NEIGHBORHOODS.
AS YOU KNOW, ALTA VISTA IS NOT A HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD, MOST LIKELY DUE TO THE MODEST MEDIAN INCOME OF ITS RESIDENTS OVER THE DECADES, WHICH MAKES MANY FEEL THAT HISTORIC DESIGNATION IS FINANCIALLY OUT OF REACH.
BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT THIS HOME IS NOT HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
WE FEEL THE HOME MEETS THE FOLLOWING HISTORIC DESIGNATION CRITERIA.
CRITERION NUMBER THREE, THE IDENTIFICATION WITH A PERSON OR PERSONS WHO SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITY, COUNTY, STATE, OR NATION.
OHP RECOGNIZES THIS CRITERIA, CRITERION AS SIGNIFICANT AS PREVIOUSLY OUTLINED BY OHP STAFF, MR. AND MRS. HENRY, AND DO DELLA HODGE WERE AMONG THE EARLY PROPERTY OWNERS, THEIR CONNECTIONS TO THE SOUTHWESTERN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY.
THE BATTLE OF THE FLOWERS PARADE AND THE AMERICAN RED CROSS PLACED THEM AS SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTORS TO SAN ANTONIO AT AN EARLY STAGE IN THE EVOLUTION OF ALTA VISTA CRITERIA.
NUMBERS FIVE AND 12, THE STRUCTURES EMBODIMENT OF A DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ARCHITECTURAL STYLE, VALUABLE FOR THE STUDY OF A PERIOD TYPE METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION OR USE OF INDIGENOUS MATERIALS.
IT IS AN IMPORTANT EXAMPLE OF A PARTICULAR ARCHITECTURAL TYPE OR SPECIMEN.
THE HISTORIC ECLECTIC COTTAGE FEATURES THE RARE EXAMPLE OF PALLADIAN DESIGN ELEMENTS IN ALTA VISTA, THE PALLADIAN ARCH OVER THE COLONIAL PORCH FACADE, AND THE CLASSICAL FRONT DOOR DESIGN WITH FLANKING SIDELIGHTS CROWNED BY THE PALLADIAN WINDOW.
IT IS A WELL-PRESERVED COTTAGE DISPLAYING UNIQUE CLASSICAL AND COLONIAL REVIVAL INFLUENCES.
CRITERION NUMBER 11 IS DISTINCTIVE IN CHARACTER, INTEREST OR VALUE, STRONGLY EXEMPLIFIES THE CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, ETHNIC, OR HISTORICAL HERITAGE OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, OR THE UNITED STATES.
THIS HOME WAS BUILT FOR A SPECIFIC ECONOMIC HERITAGE.
SAN ANTONIO'S WORKING CLASS OF THE EARLY 19 HUNDREDS OVERLOOKING THIS DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTIC AND MAKING IT IRRELEVANT IS AN AFFRONT TO THE WORKING CLASS NEIGHBORS WHO CALL ALTA VISTA HOME.
CRITERION NUMBER 13, IT BEARS AN IMPORTANT, INSIGNIFICANT RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER DISTINCTIVE STRUCTURES, SITES, OR AREAS, EITHER AS AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF PROPERTIES OR ARCHITECTURAL STYLE, OR CRAFTSMANSHIP WITH FEW INTRUSIONS, OR BY CONTRIBUTING TO THE OVERALL CHARACTER
[01:15:01]
OF THE AREA ACCORDING TO THE PLAN-BASED ARCHITECTURAL, HISTORIC, OR CULTURAL MOTIF.5 0 7 WEST CRAIG SITS ON A PROMINENT CORNER OF ALTA VISTA, WEST CRAIG AND BREEDEN.
THIS IS THE FIRST INTERSECTION TO THE WEST OF SAN PEDRO, A HIGH TRAFFIC ARTERY.
THIS INTERSECTION THEREFORE INTRODUCES THOSE MOTORISTS APPROACHING FROM SAN PEDRO TO ALTA VISTA.
THIS RELAYS THE CHARACTER OF THE COMMUNITY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
IT COMMUNICATES THE CHARACTER, ARCHITECTURE, SCALE, AND HEART OF ALTA VISTA.
5 0 7 WEST CRAIG PLACE WAS BUILT AROUND 19 27, 1 OF THE EARLY BUNGALOW STYLE HOUSES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THE HOME HAS BEEN WELL-MAINTAINED AND THOUGHTFULLY UPDATED MODESTLY AND INCREMENTALLY THROUGHOUT THE CENTURY OF ITS EXISTENCE.
THIS HDRC DECISION TELLS THE COMMUNITY OF ALTA VISTA AND ITS ADJOINING NEIGHBORHOODS THAT A BEAUTIFUL BUNGALOW THAT REMAINS TRUE TO THE SCALE, STYLE, AND TAPESTRY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT HAS HAD ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES CHANGE GRADUALLY OVER THE LAST CENTURY.
ACCOMMODATING A VARIETY OF BUDGETS OVER TIME, CAN BE DENIED ITS ONGOING HISTORY IF THERE ARE OWNERS AND ARCHITECTS NOT FROM THIS COMMUNITY, MIND YOU WHO HAVE DECIDED THAT, WHO HAVE DECIDED THE HOME IS NOT OF HISTORIC VALUE AND NOT WORTH KEEPING AT ALL.
THE ARCHITECTS ON THIS PROJECT, SEVENTH GENERATION DESIGN, COME FROM WELL PROTECTED NEIGHBORHOODS AND HAVE PARTICIPATED ON THIS VERY REVIEW BOARD, WHICH WE FEEL MAY BE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, BUT HAVE DECIDED TO REJECT THE HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THEIR CLIENT'S HOME, OVERRIDING THE SCALE, STYLE, AND INTEGRITY OF A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH NO REGARD FOR HOW THIS OPENS THE DOOR FOR DEMOLITION, WHICH IS THE PURSUIT OF THE CURRENT OWNER GUIDED BY THE ARCHITECTS.
IF A DENIAL OF HISTORIC DESIGNATION IS BASED ON THE EXTENSIVE MODIFICATIONS TO THE PROPERTY, AND THEREFORE HAS A LACK OF AN ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY, THEN I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT NEARLY ALL THE HOMES IN ALTA VISTA CAN BE TORN DOWN ON THIS RATIONALE.
THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT PRESERVED, OF COURSE, BY FREEZING THINGS IN TIME, BUT RATHER BY CONTROLLING THE PACE, THE SCALE, AND THE STYLE OF ALTERATIONS.
THE ARGUMENTS PROPOSED BY THE ARCHITECTS AGAINST THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF THE HOME AT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG ARE BASED ON A FALSE CONCEPTION OF WHAT DETERMINES HISTORIC CHARACTER.
THEY TALLY A RECORD OF ALTERATIONS MADE TO THE HOME AT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG.
THIS WAS NOT AN ORIGINALLY COVERED PORCH.
THIS WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL TRANSOM.
THIS IS NOT AN ORIGINAL WINDOW.
THE ARCHITECTS MAY IDENTIFY 10 OR MORE ALTERATIONS LIKE THESE, BUT THIS MISSES A CRITICAL POINT THAT OUGHT TO BE OBVIOUS.
THESE ALTERATIONS TOOK PLACE OVER THE COURSE OF A CENTURY, AND THIS OVERLOOKS THE BIGGER PICTURE THAT IT IS A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT HAS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT HOUSING STOCK, OF WHICH 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG IS APART.
WE AS FAMILIES, NEIGHBORS, AND A COMMUNITY GOVERNED IN PART BY THE ASSOCIATION, DO NOT FEEL THAT THE EXISTING HOME AT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG IS NOT HISTORICAL ENOUGH.
WE ASK THAT HDRC, REMEMBER THAT THE HISTORIC MERITS OF THIS HOME TOGETHER WITH THE FOLLOWING ANTICIPATED DEMOLITION, FOLLOWED BY THE CONSTRUCTION OF A NEW DWELLING NEARLY THREE TIMES THE AVERAGE SINGLE FAMILY HOME SIZE IN ALTA VISTA, WILL NOT PRESERVE THE HISTORICAL CHARACTER, STYLE, AND SCALE OF THE ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD.
SIMPLY PUT, THIS MAKES NO SENSE.
THIS HOME IS SIGNIFICANT IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AS ALL THE BUNGALOWS OF THIS TIME PERIOD ARE.
IF Y'ALL HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT, YOU CAN ASK THOSE NOW.
UM, WE WILL ALSO HAVE THE OWNER COME UP AND GIVE A REBUTTAL, AND THEN WE DO HAVE PUBLIC COMMENTS AS WELL.
WELL, DOES IT INCLUDE QUESTIONS TO STAFF? SURE.
UM, STAFF, I, I JUST, UH, NEED SOME CLARIFICATION.
THE AUTHORITY A HERE SAYS, REQUEST FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION MAY ONLY BE MADE BY, WITH THE CONCURRENCE OF THE PROPERTY OWNER.
SO NOW WE HAVE APPLICANT ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
SO THIS IS A REQUEST FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
THIS IS A REQUEST FOR REVIEW OF ELIGIBILITY.
UM, IF YOU ALL DETERMINE THAT IT'S ELIGIBLE, THEN WE WOULD REFER THE ITEM TO CITY COUNCIL TO INITIATE LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
SO ONLY CITY COUNCIL CAN DO THAT.
AND THAT IS THROUGH THE OFFICE OF PRESERVATION? YES.
SO THIS IS A, WE COULD ALMOST CONSIDER THIS THE PRE THE PRELIMINARY REVIEW.
[01:20:01]
YOU.COMMISSIONER SABINO? UH, YES, MR. CHAIR.
IF WE ARE LOOKING AT ELIGIBILITY, UM, FOR THIS PROPERTY, UM, SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR, WHAT IS THEIR TIMEFRAME FOR DETERMINING ELIGIBILITY? SURE.
GENERALLY 50 YEARS IN SAN ANTONIO, PER OUR UDC, WE CONSIDER ANYTHING THAT IS 25 YEARS OR OLDER TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
AS LONG AS IT MEETS CRITERIA, AS LONG AS IT MEETS A, UM, THE THREE MINIMUM CRITERIA.
UM, SO, UM, AND THEN ALSO, HOW WOULD YOU, WHEN YOU'RE, UH, REVIEWING THIS WITH THE CRITERIA, WHAT IS THE PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR? SURE.
IN DATING THE CONSTRUCTION FOR THIS PROPERTY, WE LANDED ON 1929.
THAT'S THE FIRST TIME THIS PROPERTY ADDRESS APPEARS IN THE CITY DIRECTORY.
UM, SO WE WERE LOOKING AT A PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE AROUND THAT TIME PERIOD.
IF WE, IF I CAN REFER YOU TO THE SANBORN MAPS, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS FIRST APPEARS IN THE 1931 SANBORN FIRE INSURANCE MAP.
IT'S IN THE SAME FOOTPRINT UP UNTIL 1951.
SO IT APPEARS THAT THESE EXISTING MODIFICATIONS, THE FRONT PORCH AMONG OTHERS, OCCURRED AFTER 1951.
AND BASED ON PUBLIC COMMENT, IT SEEMS THAT THERE'S LIVING MEMORY OF THESE, UH, OF THESE MODIFICATIONS HAPPENING POTENTIALLY AS LATE AS 1970.
SO IF WE WERE, UM, LOOKING AT THE LETTERS AND, UM, I LOOKED AT ONE THAT HAD SOME PHOTOGRAPHS FROM 76 EXACTLY 50 YEARS AGO, UM, WHERE THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT CHANGES, WHY WOULD, AND THAT WOULD BE 50 YEARS, WHY WOULD THAT PERIOD NOT RESET THE CLOCK FOR A PERIOD OF SIGNIFICANCE? THE SEVENTIES? 'CAUSE SURE, I MEAN, I DON'T THINK IT HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT YOUR BICENTENNIAL, THERE'S SORT OF THIS RE UM, INTEREST IN, UH, PATRIOTIC THINGS, STYLES, AND THAT I WORE THAT RED, WHITE, BLUE ALL THE TIME TOO.
SO IT WAS ENDEMIC THROUGH SOCIETY.
WHY WOULD YOU CONSIDER, WHY WOULDN'T YOU CONSIDER THAT STARTING THE CLOCK? YEAH, THE COMMISSION CERTAINLY CONSIDER THAT 1970 ISH, UH, MODIFICATIONS ARE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
UM, STAFF WAS LOOKING AT THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURE CIRCA 1929.
I WAS GOING ALONG THE LINES, UH, OF COMMISSIONER SAVINA, BUT ALSO HAD ANOTHER QUESTION.
SO YOU DON'T FIND ANY, UM, CRITERIA THAT THE NEIGHBORHOOD MENTIONED ALSO ABOUT LIKE THE PROPERTY WITHIN ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD? I MEAN, YEAH, SO THERE ARE A DESIGNATION CRITERIA THAT ARE FOCUSED ON HISTORIC DISTRICTS, AND SO THOSE GENERALLY ARE RESERVED FOR HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATIONS.
UM, THERE WAS THE OTHER CRITERION MENTIONED REGARDING, UH, BEING ON A PROMINENT CORNER.
AND SO DUE TO THE LACK OF ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY, WE DID NOT CONSIDER THAT CRITERION EITHER.
NOT THAT YOU, THIS IS LIKE KIND OF A DESIGN OR THE ORIGINAL INTENT OF THE DESIGN AS PART OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD ITSELF, BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN SUCH EXTENSIVE MODIFICATION.
WE DIDN'T FIND THAT THE, THERE WAS ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY TO LEND ITSELF TO BE PART OF THE ARCHITECTURAL FABRIC OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND COMMISSIONERS, IF I CAN JUST CHIME IN, I MEAN, THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN IF THIS WAS PART OF AN EXISTING DISTRICT, WE WOULD PROBABLY CALL IT CONTRIBUTING.
THERE'S A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THAT AND ASSESSING SOMETHING IN AS AN INDIVIDUAL LANDMARK.
AND IF WE'RE APPLYING CRITERIA IN REGARDS TO ARCHITECTURE, WE'RE GONNA LOOK FOR SOMETHING THAT IS AUTHENTIC TO THE PERIOD OF CONSTRUCTION.
AND THAT'S WHY THOSE CRITERIA HAVE NOT BEEN FOUND TO BE MET BY STAFF.
AND THEN LAST QUESTION, JUST OF THE PROCESS.
UH, SO WE COULD MAKE, WE MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TODAY, RIGHT? AND THEN IT GOES TO CITY COUNCIL, AND THEN THE DEMOLITION WON'T BE APPROVED WITHOUT ANY, UM, PROJECT APPROVED BECAUSE IT'S NOT A HISTORIC DISTRICT.
WE WOULD DON'T HAVE, WE WON'T HAVE PURVIEW OVER THE PROJECT.
SO WHILE IT'S GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS AND THERE'S STILL A QUESTION ABOUT POTENTIAL HISTORIC DESIGNATION, WE WOULD TREAT IT LIKE IT'S HISTORIC NOW.
AND SO THE APPLICANT COULD WORK WITH YOU ON MODIFICATIONS, INCLUDING A DEMOLITION REQUEST, BUT IF IT DOESN'T BECOME HISTORIC LANDMARK, WE WILL NOT HAVE PURVIEW CORRECT.
AND THERE IS A REQUEST FOR DEMOLITION, AND SO A DEMOLITION PERMIT WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR ISSUANCE.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER CHAVIA.
AND JUST A POINT CLARIFICATION, UM, THE HOME NEXT DOOR TO IT, IS THAT CONSIDERED HISTORICAL? IT IS NOT.
SO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT DESIGNATED HISTORIC, AND THAT'S NOT A HISTORIC LANDMARK.
ALTA VISTA IS A NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT.
SO THERE ARE STANDARDS THAT NEW CONSTRUCTION HAS TO ABIDE BY,
[01:25:01]
AND THAT IS MANAGED BY THE ZONING DEPARTMENT.SO AM I CORRECT IN ASSUMING THAT THE REST OF THE HOMES ON THAT BLOCK OF CRAIG ARE NOT HISTORICAL HOMES? I'LL DOUBLE CHECK, BUT I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THERE IS AN INDIVIDUAL LANDMARK ON THAT BLOCK THAT WILL LEAD BACK TO YOUR COMMENT OF THE PROCESS.
I, I WAS ON THE SITE VISIT AND THIS IS A VERY COMPLEX DECISION.
UH, I DO THINK, UH, PAUL, YOU'VE MADE, SORRY, I FORGOT YOUR LAST NAME.
MADE SOME VERY GOOD POINTS ABOUT CONTRIBUTING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT IN LOOKING AT THE HOUSE, UH, THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT MODIFICATIONS WINDOWS THAT ARE MODERN AND DON'T FIT.
I, I'M NOT SURE HOW I'LL VOTE.
AS A MATTER OF PROCEDURE, THESE ARE JUST COMMENTS ADDRESSED TO ME AND WELL, NO, WELL, YOU'LL KNOW SPECIFICALLY IF WE ASK YOU A QUESTION AND WE FOCUS TO YOU.
I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT WAS A QUESTION.
UM, COMMISSIONER GUDA, NO QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, MR. CHAIR.
ME, I, I ACTUALLY HAVE A, UM, POSSIBLY TWO QUESTIONS.
I, I DON'T KNOW, GOING ON THAT SITE VISIT, IF THERE'S ANY MORE INSIGHT THAT CAN BE PROVIDED, UH, FROM THE SITE VISIT FROM A COMMISSIONER'S PERSPECTIVE, I'D BE INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT THAT.
AND THEN A, A SECOND QUESTION FOR STAFF.
UM, WERE THERE ANY CRITERIA, AND, AND THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN ANSWERED IN OTHER QUESTIONS, BUT WERE THERE ANY CRITERIA THAT WERE MET? I KNOW IT'S NOT AT LEAST THREE, BUT, UH, WHAT WAS MET, IF ANY? YES, CRITERION THREE WAS MET, WHICH IS IDENTIFICATION WITH A PERSON OR PERSONS WHO SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE COMMUNITY, COUNTRY STATE ORD NATION.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S BOLDED IN THE, IN THE PAPERWORK, I GUESS, OR NO? YES, CORRECT.
SO YOU'LL SEE THAT IN FINDING G EVALUATION.
UM, THANK YOU THEN, THEN THE, THE ONLY REMAINING QUESTION IS IN ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS THAT WENT ON THE SITE THAT I'D BE INTERESTED IN HEARING MORE? CAN YOU REPEAT THAT PLEASE? HE WANTS TO KNOW ABOUT ANY OTHER COMMISSIONERS THAT WERE ON THE SITE VISIT.
SO, YES, I WAS ON THE SIDE VISIT.
UM, THE HOUSE HAS BEEN EXTENSIVELY MODIFIED OVER TIME.
UM, THE FRONT PORCH AND SIDE PORCH, UM, ARE NOT ORIGINAL TO THE STRUCTURE, BUT, UH, BASED ON ONE OF THE, THE 1976 PHOTO THAT ONE OF THE NEIGHBORS SENT IN THE, THE FRONT DOOR AND THE SIDELIGHTS WERE, UH, EXISTING IN 76, UM, THE, UM, THERE'S EVIDENCE OF USE OF A VARIETY OF TYPES OF, UH, FRAMING MEMBERS.
AND ON THE INTERIOR, SOME OF 'EM EVEN LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE, UH, FIRE DAMAGE UP IN THE ROOF FRAMING, UH, WHETHER THAT IS FROM THIS STRUCTURE OR, UH, SALVAGED FROM ANOTHER STRUCTURE AND REUSED.
UM, THERE IS A LOT OF INCONSISTENCY IN THE, THE FRAMING ON THE INTERIOR.
UM, THE, LET'S SEE, I BELIEVE ALL THE WINDOWS, OR IF NOT ALL THE WINDOWS, MOST OF MOST OF THEM HAVE BEEN MODIFIED.
UM, THERE IS, UM, WHETHER THE BILLING WAS ORIGINALLY CONSTRUCTED FROM SALVAGE MATERIALS, IT'S, IT'S HARD TO KNOW.
UH, SOME OF THE, THE, AGAIN, ROOF IS PAINTED IN, SOME OF IT'S NOT, UH, OTHER MEMBERS ARE, UM, UH, LOOK LIKE THEY'VE BEEN SALVAGED AND REUSED.
UH, LOOKS LIKE THERE'S BEEN SOME STRUCTURAL, UH, ADDITIONS TO THE, THE FRAMING, UH, REINFORCING THE RAFTERS OR THE, THE ROOF JOISTS.
UM, SO QUITE A BIT OF, WELL, ACTUALLY THIS PHOTO SHOWS OVER ON THE RIGHT, UH, WHERE THE FRONT DOOR AND SIDELIGHT ARE.
UH, YOU CAN SEE WHERE POSSIBLY THE ORIGINAL FRONT FACADE, UH, HAD BEEN CUT.
AND THEN THIS, UH, ELEMENT WITH THE, THE DOOR AND SIDELIGHTS IS PROJECTING BEYOND THE ORIGINAL, UH, FRONT PLANE OF THE, THE HOUSE FROM 29.
SO A LOT OF MODIFICATIONS AND, AND ALTERATIONS TO THE, UH, STRUCTURE
[01:30:01]
HAS OCCURRED.THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GALLWAY.
MY QUESTION IS FOR STAFF, UM, AND IT FOLLOWS UP WITH, I BELIEVE COMMISSIONER VASQUEZ'S, UH, COMMENT.
UM, HOW DO WE NAVIGATE THE, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, I'M ASSUMING THAT THE OWNER, UH, BASED ON REBUTTAL, IT MEANS THAT IS NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS.
UH, HOW DO WE NAVIGATE THAT, UH, WITH THE, WITH THE REQUIREMENTS? UH, SO AGAIN, THIS IS JUST THE FIRST STEP IN THE PROCESS, DETERMINING THE ELIGIBILITY.
UM, BUT YOU'RE RIGHT, IT IS A BIG QUESTION TO COUNSEL OF WHETHER OR NOT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO WANTS TO MAKE THIS A CITY LANDMARK AGAINST THE OBJECTIONS OF THE PROPERTY OWNER.
AND THAT IS A VERY SERIOUS QUESTION.
AND THERE'S A LOT OF STEPS WE NEED TO TAKE IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE LAW IN ORDER TO DO THAT.
UM, SO, UM, IT IS NOT, ITS DECISION TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY, AND I THINK THE ELIGIBILITY IS SOMETHING THAT YOU SHOULD KEEP IN MIND WHEN YOU CONSIDER THE WEIGHT OF THAT.
THANK YOU FOR THAT CLARIFICATION.
NO FURTHER QUESTIONS, MR. CHAIR.
UM, EVEN THOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF MODIFICATIONS TO THE STRUCTURE, UH, MR. LEWIS, UH, DID BRING UP SOME VERY GOOD POINTS AND, UM, ABOUT IT'S, UM, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, HOW IT RESPONDS TO THE, THE SCALE AND THE ECONOMIC HERITAGE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, WHICH IS ONE OR SEVERAL OF THE CRITERIA, UH, FROM THE, UH, FOR DESIGNATION, UH, LIKE COMMISSIONER, UH, MOOKA, I AM, UH, CONFLICTED ON HOW TO PROCEED HERE.
UM, DID YOU HAVE A QUESTION? YEAH, BUT I'M SORRY, I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION AT THIS TIME.
ALRIGHT, SO, UM, MR. CHAIR, UH, MAY I HAVE ONE MORE QUESTION? SURE, GO AHEAD, MA'AM.
UH, JUST TO REITERATE, YOUR, UM, CONTRIBUTING CRITERIA WAS 3, 5, 11 AND 13.
DID YOU HAVE 11 IN THERE? 3, 5, 12, 11 IS THERE? CORRECT.
I JUST WANTED TO CONFIRM, 'CAUSE I WANTED TO, I'M LOOKING AT THAT NOT RELATIVE TO A, UM, ESTABLISHED HISTORIC DISTRICT BECAUSE WE WOULDN'T BE ASKING FOR A LANDMARK IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT, BUT RELATIVE TO THE CRITERIA IN YOUR, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT REGARDING SCALE AND, UM, LAYOUT.
CAN I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? NO, SIR.
WE NEED TO HEAR FROM THE OWNER AS WELL AS OUR PUBLIC.
THIS IS JUST THE APPLICANT, SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, SIR.
UM, IF I CAN HAVE THE, UM, THE OWNER STEP FORWARD PLEASE.
CHAIRMAN GIBBS, MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL.
HI, I AM PAM CARPENTER ARCHITECT, 9 33 NORTH FLORES FOR THE RECORD.
AND OUR OWNERS ARE ARNIE AND EUGENIA ESPY.
UM, WE'RE THE OWNERS OF 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG.
WE CHOSE ALT VISTA BECAUSE IT HAS CHARACTER, IT IS CREATIVE, ELEC, ECLECTIC, AND ALIVE.
WHEN WE BOUGHT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG, WE HAD A SPECIFIC DREAM.
THE EXISTING ART STUDIO WOULD BECOME A PLACE WHERE FAMILY, FRIENDS, NEIGHBORS, AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN COULD PLAY AND CREATE.
WE WERE ALSO ARGENTINE TANGO DANCERS.
TANGO WAS RECOGNIZED BY UNESCO AS PART OF HUMAN'S INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE.
WE HOPED OUR HOME WOULD OCCASIONALLY BECOME A PLACE FOR SMALL SOCIAL DANCES.
OUR ORIGINAL PLAN WAS TO DO ALL OF THIS WHILE REHABILITATING THE EXISTING HOUSE.
WE BOUGHT THIS HOUSE OVER A YEAR AGO FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
WE INVESTED SIGNIFICANT TIME, MONEY, AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE TRYING TO RENOVATE IT.
BUT THE MORE WE INVESTIGATED, THE MORE PROBLEMS WE FOUND.
THE HOUSE HAD ALREADY UNDERGONE THREE MAJOR MODELS OF VERY POOR QUALITY.
WE UNCOVERED SERIOUS STRUCTURAL FOUNDATION, TERMITE, TERMITE AND DRAINAGE PROBLEMS WITH THE PROPERTY.
ULTIMATELY, OUR PROFESSIONALS RECOMMENDED BUILDING NEW, WHICH WE ACCEPTED RELUCTANTLY, BUT IT ALSO GAVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DESIGN A HOME SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
WORKING WITH SEVENTH GENERATION DESIGN, WE DESIGNED A HOUSE THAT RESPONDS TO THE SCALE, CHARACTER, AND SPIRIT OF ALTA VISTA, WHICH WILL FIT IN NICELY.
[01:35:01]
WE'RE NOT BUILDING A HOUSE TO FLIP.WE ARE A FAMILY THAT WANTS TO LIVE IN ALTA VISTA.
WE HAVE INVESTED SUBSTANTIALLY IN ARCHITECTURAL PLANS, AND WE WANT TO BUILD A BEAUTIFUL FAMILY HOME, PRESERVE THE ART STUDIO ON THE PROPERTY, AND BECOME PART OF ALTA VISTA.
IF HISTORIC DESIGNATION MAKES THAT IMPOSSIBLE, WE WE'RE NOT GOING TO RECONSTRUCT THE EXISTING HOUSE.
WE'RE GONNA SELL THE PROPERTY.
A FUTURE DEVELOPER COULD REPLANT IT FOR TOWN HOMES.
MULTI-FAMILY COULD BECOME A RENTAL, OR IT COULD JUST SIT VACANT AND CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE.
WHAT WE DO KNOW IS THE FUTURE WHERE WE ARE OFFERING A FAMILY HOME, A VIBRANT ART STUDIO, A PLACE WHERE FAMILY, ARTISTS, DANCERS, FRIENDS, AND NEIGHBORS CAN GATHER FOR YEARS TO COME.
WE RESPECT HISTORIC PRESERVATION, BUT WE ALSO BELIEVE PRESERVATION DECISIONS SHOULD CONSIDER NOT ONLY THE PAST, BUT THE FUTURE.
WE PUT A GREAT DEAL OF THOUGHT, TIME, AND CARE INTO GETTING TO THIS POINT, AND WE HOPE YOU WILL CONSIDER OUR COMMITMENT.
UM, I'M GIV ESP REALLY WANT TO ADDRESS THIS DIRECTLY TO THE ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, BUT WE WILL BE SPEAKING TO YOU AND THEY'RE BEHIND.
UH, FIRST, WE'RE DEEPLY GRATEFUL TO THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION FOR HEARING US AND GIVING US A FAIR PROCESS.
I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE SOVIET UNION WHERE INDIVIDUAL FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS COULD NOT BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED.
MY ANCESTORS LIVED THROUGH REVOLUTIONS, EXPROPRIATIONS, PERSECUTION, FAMINE, AND WAR.
MY MATERNAL MIL VILLAGE WAS OCCUPIED BY THE GERMAN ARMY THREE TIMES DURING WORLD WAR II.
MY FAMILY LOST EVERYTHING THEY REBUILT, THEY REIMAGINED THAT HISTORY LIVES IN ME.
MY PEOPLE KNOW LOSS, CHANGE, PRESERVATION, AND RENEWAL.
WE CARRIED OUR HISTORY FORWARD THROUGH IT ALL.
AVNI PETITION BROUGHT BACK AN OLD AND UNSETTLING FEELING FROM MY PAST, BEING SMALL BEFORE AN INSTITUTION CONVINCED THAT ITS CAUSE STANDS ABOVE OUR RIGHTS AS INDIVIDUALS ON JULY NINE, AVNER WROTE TO THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION THAT IT WAS ADAMANTLY OPPOSED TO OUR PLANS.
AVNER ARCHITECTURAL REVIEW COMMITTEE DID NOT VISIT THE PROPERTY UNTIL JULY 16TH, SEVEN DAYS LATER, THE BOARD'S CONCLUSION IT SEEMS CAME BEFORE THE FULL REVIEW.
SO WE RESPECTFULLY ASKED, WHERE'S THE BOARD'S DECISION DOCUMENTED WHAT INFORMATION WAS CONSIDERED BEFORE REACHING THAT ADAMANTLY OPPOSED POSITION.
I KNOW THERE ARE EDUCATORS ON THE AVNER BOARD, SO YOU MAY APPRECIATE THE ANALOGY.
WE FEEL AS WE WERE GIVEN A FAILING GRADE BEFORE WE EVEN MADE IT TO CLOTH.
SHE TAUGHT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL FOR 49 YEARS AND HELPED GENERATIONS OF SOVIET CHILDREN, INCLUDING ME, FIND THEIR VOICES.
ABOVE ALL, SHE WAS FAIR, SHALL LISTENED BEFORE SHE JUDGED.
SHE SEES AND HEARS EVERYTHING.
I WISH AVNER HAD MET US IN THAT SAME SPIRIT.
CALLED US, ASKED HOW WE GOT HERE, HEARD OUR STORY AND OUR DREAMS FOR THIS HOME.
WE MIGHT STILL HAVE DISAGREED, BUT WE COULD'VE TALKED FIRST AS NEIGHBORS.
BUILDINGS MATTER, HISTORY MATTERS, PRESERVATION MATTERS, INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS MATTER, BUT PEOPLE MATTER MOST IN A WORLD ALREADY FULL OF CONFLICT AND DIVISION.
THE HISTORY WE CREATE WILL BE MEASURED NOT ONLY BUT WHAT WE PRESERVE, BUT BY HOW WE TREAT ONE ANOTHER AND HOW WE MAKE ROOM FOR DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE.
ERNIE AND I CAME TO TA VISTA TO MAKE HOME AND BE GOOD NEIGHBORS.
WE HAVE NOT FELT WELCOMED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, BUT OUR INTENTIONS AND DREAMS HAVE NOT CHANGED.
HELLO, MY NAME IS SCOTT CARPENTER.
I'M WITH SEVENTH GENERATION ARCHITECTS AND, UM,
[01:40:01]
9 33 NORTH FLORES STREET.UM, MY TIME IS LIMITED, SO I WANT TO JUST JUMP RIGHT INTO THIS.
UH, I'M VERY HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, UH, DURING Q AND A.
I WANNA BEGIN, UH, WITH, UM, A A AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION OF YOUR PURPOSE.
YOU'VE ALREADY ASKED, UH, THAT QUESTION.
COMMISSIONER VASQUEZ HAS ASKED THAT QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE YOU'RE STARTING WITH THIS AND WHERE THIS IS HEADED.
THAT THAT PROCESS IS IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND.
YOU KNOW, THE QUESTION BEFORE YOU TODAY IS NOT WHETHER ALTAVISTA IS A NEIGHBORHOOD WORTHY OF CONSERVATION.
IT MOST CERTAINLY UNQUESTIONABLY IS.
NOR IS THE QUESTION SIMPLY WHETHER THIS OLD ATTRACTIVE OR FAMILIAR HOUSE, UH, WHETHER THIS HOUSE IS OLD, UH, IS ATTRACTIVE, FAMILIAR, THAT SORT OF THING.
THE QUESTION IS WHETHER THIS PARTICULAR PROPERTY SATISFIES THE CITY CITY'S ADOPTED STANDARDS FOR INDIVIDUAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
YOU HEARD IN IMPORTANT TERMS THERE THAT STAFF USED THINGS LIKE INTEGRITY.
UM, THAT THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO US.
THE OTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND THAT, UM, THIS PROPERTY IS, IS, UH, LOCATED WITHIN THE A, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT.
AND AS WE'VE ALREADY SAID, UH, THE, UM, REPLACEMENT DESIGN IS THE PURVIEW OF THE ZONING BOARD.
SO WE WANNA KEEP FOCUSED ON, UH, THE ISSUES THAT WE HAVE, UH, AT HAND HERE.
AND THE IMPORTANT THING TO KEEP IN MIND IS THAT A NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT IS ITS PURPOSE, IS NOT TO, UH, PREVENT DEMOLITIONS, BUT TO HAVE PRESCRIPTIVE DESIGN FOR NEW CONSTRUCTION.
AND, UH, IT'S NOT JUST SIMPLY A JUNIOR VARSITY HISTORIC DISTRICT.
IT IS A DISTINCT ZONING OVERLAY CLASSIFICATION DESIGNED TO PRESERVE THE UNIQUE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHILE MANAGING CHANGE WITHIN THE DISTRICT ITSELF.
NOW, I WANT POINT THIS OUT TO YOU THAT, UH, RIGHT NOW THERE'S CURRENTLY 11, UH, INDIVIDUALLY LANDMARKED PROPERTIES WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
ONE OF THEM, WHICH IS SAN PEDRO SPRINGS PARK, VERY SIGNIFICANT, ONE OF THE MOST INSIGNIFICANT HISTORIC SITES IN THE CITY.
AND THEN THERE ARE EIGHT OWNER INITIATED, OR OWNER, UM, AGREED TO, UH, DESIGNATIONS.
AND THEN TWO THAT, UH, UH, ABNA, UH, INITIATED.
AND I BELIEVE THOSE WERE IN RESPONSE TO, UH, DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES, BUT TO THEIR PEOPLE IN THE ROOM THAT PROBABLY KNOW THAT HISTORY BETTER THAN I DO.
IMPORTANTLY, IF THIS IS DESIGNATED, IT WOULD BE ON THE ONLY ONE, THE ONLY NON-OWNER INITIATE PROPOSED SINGLE FAMILY PROPERTY OUT OF A THOUSAND PROPERTIES WITHIN THE THE DISTRICT.
UM, YOU HAVE WITHIN YOUR, UH, PACKAGE, THE, UH, THE REQUIREMENTS, UH, FOR THE UDC THAT HELP DETERMINE THE CRITERIA FOR LANDMARK DESIGNATION.
THERE'S A REALLY IMPORTANT POINT THAT OFTEN GETS OVERLOOKED, IS THAT IT'S A, IT'S A TWO PART THING.
THE SECOND PART BEYOND THOSE 16 CRITERIA, THEY'RE PRETTY BROAD, IS THAT, UH, YOU'RE TO UTILIZE THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICES GUIDANCE FOR EVALUATING THE PROPERTIES, UH, ELIGIBILITY.
AND THAT GETS PRETTY SPECIFIC.
THERE ARE, UH, PUBLICATIONS LIKE THE NPS BULLETIN 15 THAT GO INTO QUITE A BIT OF DETAIL ABOUT WHAT THESE, UH, UH, CRITERIA REALLY DO MEAN.
THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICES BULLETIN 15, HOW TO APPLY THE NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION PROVIDES A NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PROFESSIONAL FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATING HISTORIC PROPERTIES.
WHILE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S LOCAL DESIGNATION CRITERIA ARE BROADER THAN THE NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA, THE NPS METHODOLOGY PROVIDES USEFUL GUIDANCE WHEN CONSIDERING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF 5 0 7.
SO THE ESSENTIAL QUESTION BEFORE YOU IS, DOES THE EVIDENCE ESTABLISH THAT THE PROPERTY IS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT AND DOES THE PROPERTY AS IT EXISTS TODAY, RETAINS SUFFICIENT HISTORIC INTEGRITY TO CONVEY THAT SIGNIFICANCE? NOW, YOU'VE ALREADY SEEN, UH, THE SANBORN MAPS HERE, THE ORIGINAL HOUSE THAT STRADDLED A LOTS 19 AND 20.
UH, THEN IT WENT AWAY SOMETIME AROUND, UH, 1914 AND WAS REPLACED AT SOME POINT BY TWO OTHER PROPERTIES, TWO OTHER STRUCTURES.
TOWARDS THE BOTTOM THERE IS THE CURRENT STRUCTURE THAT, UH, THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING.
SO JUST TO KIND OF PUT, PUT THAT AT A SIMPLIFIED GRAPHIC, THERE HAVE BEEN FIVE MAJOR TRANS TRANSFORMATIONS TO THE SITE.
THE HOUSE ONE CAME AND WENT, HOUSE TWO CAME AND WENT SOMETIME AROUND, UH, UH, IN 1986, AS LATE AS 1986.
AND HOUSE THREE, WHICH IS THE ONE THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING AT 5 0 7,
[01:45:01]
UH, CAME ABOUT SOMETIME BETWEEN 1921 AND 19.UH, 29, THE 1921, UH, COMMENT.
I CAN GO INTO MORE DETAIL LATER NOW.
I'M GOING TO VERY QUICKLY GO THROUGH, WE'VE DONE EXTENSIVE HISTORY RESEARCH ON THIS, LOOKING FOR SIGNIFICANCE, LOOKING FOR SIGNIFICANT PEOPLE.
AND WHILE WE FOUND SOME INTERESTING PEOPLE, UM, NONE OF THEM HAVE LA LEFT THE LASTING, UH, LEGACY IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE CAN DISCUSS THAT IN FURTHER DETAIL.
UH, THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT ISSUE OF INTEGRITY.
AND THERE'S BOTH ARCHITECTURAL, PHYSICAL, STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY, BUT THERE'S ALSO THEN HISTORICAL INTEGRITY.
AND THOSE GO SOMEWHAT HAND IN HAND.
THE ORIGINAL WINDOWS HAVE NOT BEEN REPLACED, NOT ONCE, BUT THREE TIMES.
AND THE MAJOR REMODELING CAMPAIGNS FROM THE EIGHT 1980S TO THE TWO, UH, 2010, ARE WELL BEYOND A PERIOD OF HIS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE.
AND THE PORCH IS A COMPLETE FABRICATION FROM, UH, SOME TIME AROUND 1976 OR SO.
THIS IMAGE OF THE MICROBE BUST THERE DATES BETWEEN 19, UH, 68 AND 69.
SO WE'RE TALKING PRETTY DRAMATIC CHANGES.
IT IS NOT A, AN ACCURATE WITNESS TO ITS AUTHENTIC HISTORY.
I'M VERY HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE.
I DID HAVE ONE QUESTION, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WANNA RESPOND WITH THE OWNER.
SO YOU PURCHASED A HOME ABOUT A YEAR AGO.
HAVE YOU GUYS BEEN INVOLVED SINCE THE BEGINNING? NO, WE HAVE NOT.
IN FACT, I WANT TO KIND OF CORRECT THE RECORD FROM SOMETHING FROM THE, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
WE, WE WERE NOT INVOLVED FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
AND THE DEMOLITION WORK, THE SELECTIVE DEMOLITION WORK THAT WAS DONE WAS DONE IN SERVICE OF INVESTIGATING THE HOUSE FOR REHABILITATION.
AND IT WAS BEFORE WE CAME ON BOARD.
BUT THEN THE SECOND OPTION WOULD BE ALSO IF, IF THIS WERE TO BECOME SOME SIGNIFICANCE AND BECOME A HISTORIC LANDMARK, YOU COULD STILL HAVE A CASE FOR HISTORIC DEMOLITION, SORRY, DEMOLITION BECAUSE OF ECONOMIC HARDSHIP.
BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE THAT ASSESSMENT AS WELL, RIGHT? CORRECT.
DO YOU, YOU HAVE EXPERTISE SITTING HERE.
WOULD YOU FIND THAT ALSO BECAUSE YOU SAY THERE'S EXTENSIVE DAMAGE ON THE INSIDE, THERE'S ENGINEER LETTERS, WHICH IS NOT OUR PURVIEW TODAY, BUT YOU, HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT GOING THAT ROUTE? SO JUST A QUICK COMMENT ABOUT THE ENGINEERING LETTERS.
WE INCLUDED THOSE NOT TO SAY YEAH, WE KNOW IT NEEDS SOME REPAIR.
RIGHT? YOU GUYS SEE THAT ALL THE TIME? WE INCLUDE THOSE BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THEY DETAILED, THE TYPE OF REPAIR, IT WOULD EVEN FURTHER INTRUDE IN AND IMPINGE UPON THE, THE HISTORIC FABRIC OF THE BUILDING.
OF A BUILDING THAT'S ALREADY GONE THROUGH MAJOR MODIFICATIONS OVER TIME.
SO YOU COULD BE USED FOR A CASE FOR DEMOLITION LATER, CORRECT? YES.
THE ENGINEER'S REPORT SAID THAT IT WOULD BE DISPROPORTIONATE TO THE BENEFIT ACHIEVED.
AND WE USE THOSE ENGINEER LETTERS AND THOSE REPORTS AND YOUR ASSESSMENT FOR A DEMOLITION OF SOMETHING THAT'S DEEMED LANDMARK.
SO EVEN IF WE WERE TO DE LANDMARK DEMOLITION IS STILL NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION.
THAT IS STILL, AND YOU HAVE ADVISED THAT TO YOUR CLIENTS AS WELL.
I HAVE NOT, NOT REALLY TALKED 'CAUSE THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN HAVING IT BE DESIGNATED GO DOWN THE LINE.
WELL, WE LET THE, UM, APPLICANT GET QUESTIONS AND SO WE'LL DO QUESTIONS WITH THE OWNER AND THEN CITIZENS TO BE HEARD.
I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER SABINO.
UM, YEAH, I KNOW WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT REPLACEMENT PLANS NOW, BUT WHAT'S THE SQUARE FOOTAGE OF THE PROPOSED NEW CONSTRUCTION OVER THE, THE LARGE LOT UP, INCLUDING THE CORNER PIECE? UH, I THINK THE CURRENT HOUSE IS JUST UNDER 2000.
THE NEW HOUSE WOULD BE MORE LIKE JUST OVER 4,000, 4,500.
SO IF YOU WERE TO AVERAGE IT ACROSS THE TWO LOTS, IT WOULD BE ABOUT 2000 SQUARE FEET PER LOT OR PER, FOR, FOR THE DOUBLE LOT IT WOULD BE FOUR.
IT'S, IT'S TWO 50 FOOT LOTS WITH A DEPTH OF A HUNDRED, 2 75 FOOT LOTS.
UM, ONE STORY, TWO STORY, THREE STORY.
PRIMARILY ONE STORY, UH, WITH A LOFT.
AND THE LOFT WOULD BE ON LOT 19, WHICH WOULD BE THE INNER LOT.
AND SO IT WOULDN'T BE TWO STORY ON THE CORNER PER SE.
AND THAT GOES TOWARDS THE PRESCRIPTIVE, UH, DESIGN STANDARDS.
THEY'RE NOT GUIDELINES THAT ARE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT.
THEY LIMIT IT TO 25 FEET, WHICH IS PRETTY LOW.
SO IN, IN A NORMAL SITUATION, YOU'D BE ABLE TO GO TO 30 OR 35.
THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING THAT BECAUSE I KNOW,
[01:50:01]
UM, THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN IS VERY IMPORTANT.TO THE, UM, CONSERVATION DISTRICT.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HOLLY? NO QUESTIONS.
UM, COMMISSIONER MAYMAN? NO QUESTIONS? SURE.
COMMISSIONER GALLOWAY? NO QUESTIONS MR. CHAIR.
NO QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, MR. CHAIR.
VICE CHAIR FETZER? UH, YES, THE ENGINEER'S LETTERS.
THERE'S A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER REPORT AND THERE'S ALSO A CIVIL ENGINEER'S REPORT, I BELIEVE THAT IS CORRECT.
AND, UM, COULD YOU ELABORATE ON THE, UH, CIVIL ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH THE HOUSE AND ITS SIDING? ABSOLUTELY.
IF, UM, IF STAFF WOULD ALLOW ME TO ADVANCE TO A SLIDE WE DIDN'T GET TO, I I CAN, I CAN USE THAT TO ILLUSTRATE OUR, OUR RESPONSE TO YOUR QUESTION.
PAM, DO YOU WANNA SPEAK TO THIS? YES.
SO WE HAD THE CIVIL ENGINEER LOOK AT THE SITE AS WE WERE ENCOUNTERING ISSUES AND LOOKING AT THE SURVEY, WHICH HAD SOME TOPOS ON IT.
AND HE CONFIRMED THAT THE ALLEY IS ONE FOOT HIGHER THAN THE FINISHED FLOOR, THE HOUSE, WHICH MAY BE WHY THE HOUSE IS MOVING SO MUCH AND HAVING SOME FOUNDATION AND UNEVENNESS, BUT ALSO THAT, UM, THE, ALL THE WATER, UM, THIS IS FROM SARA.
THE, THE TOPOGRAPHY IS COMING DOWN THROUGH THE, THROUGH THAT SITE, THROUGH THAT CORNER HEADING DOWN TO SAN PEDRO PARK.
SO THE POOLS KIND OF AT THE, THE ELEVATION OF THE STREET AND THE HOUSE IS ONE FOOT LOWER THAN THE ALLEY.
SO EVERYTHING'S SORT OF, KIND OF CONVERGING THROUGH THAT SITE GOING DOWN TO SAN PEDRO PARK.
AND THAT ARROW IS NOT FROM SARAH, BUT THAT WAS, UH, DRAWN BY US ON TOP OF THEIR MAP.
BUT IT SHOWS THAT THERE'S A MAJOR SWALE THAT COMES DOWN FROM THE NORTH THERE.
AND THEN ALSO A HIGH POINT TO THE NORTHWEST THAT SHEDS INTO THE, UH, ALLEY USING IT AS A CONDUIT.
SO YOU HAVE KIND OF THE CONVERGENCE OF TWO MAJOR, UH, UH, DRAINAGE AREAS.
UM, IF THERE ARE ANOTHER QUESTIONS, CAN I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? WE NEED OUR PUBLIC COMMENTS NOW.
I'LL CALL YOU UP IF YOU'VE SIGNED IN.
UM, THE FIRST IS JEN OSHMAN, AND EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES.
HELLO, UH, DEAR CHAIR AND, AND MEMBERS OF THE HISTORIC DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION.
MA'AM, PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
I'M HERE BOTH AS A 20 YEAR RESIDENT OF ALTAVISTA NEIGHBORHOOD AND SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION BOARD AS WELL.
IN SUPPORT OF THE HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION APPLICATION, WE AS A COMMUNITY AND A NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION FEEL THE EXISTING HOME AT 5 0 7 WEST CRAIG IS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
WE ASK THAT HDRC, REMEMBER THAT THE HISTORIC MERITS OF THIS HOME TOGETHER WITH THE CONTINUITY OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AS A WHOLE IS WHAT MATTERS.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY THAT AV AND A, OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION DID MEET WITH THE HOMEOWNERS ONLINE IN PERSON AND THROUGH EMAIL REPEATEDLY, OUR LAST EMAIL LET THEM KNOW THAT WE ABSOLUTELY WANTED TO WORK WITH THEM.
AND WE WILL FULFILL THAT NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS HERE, THE CURRENT HOMEOWNERS ARE ASKING TO BUILD, AND I THINK THIS IS RELEVANT.
A 4,500 SQUARE FOOT HOME THAT TAKES UP AN ENTIRETY OF A DOUBLE LOT, NOTHING LIKE ANYTHING THAT'S ON THE STREET OR ACROSS THE STREET.
THE CURRENT HOME IS ACTUALLY 1700 SQUARE FEET, AND THE AVERAGE HOME IN ALTA VISTA IS AT 1460.
I KNOW YOU NOW LOOKED OVER THE DOCUMENTS REGARDING THIS HOME AND ITS HISTORICAL FEATURES, HOW IT'S MAINTAINED, AND HOW IT WAS NOT.
THIS BUNGALOW IS MUCH LIKE MANY OF OUR HOMES THROUGHOUT ALTA VISTA.
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL HOME THAT REMAINED TRUE TO THE SCALE, STYLE, AND FITS THE TAPESTRY OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
YES, THE ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES HAVE CHANGED OVER THE LAST CENTURY, ACCOMMODATING A VARIETY OF BUDGETS OVER TIME, BUT WE STILL FEEL THE HOME IS OF HISTORIC VALUE.
THE HOME DOES MEET CRITERION NUMBER THREE, WHICH OHP HAS ALREADY RECOGNIZED, UH, CRITERION NUMBER FIVE AND 12.
WE FEEL IT ALSO REC, UH, MEETS, WHICH IS A WELL-PRESERVED COTTAGE DISPLAYING UNIQUE CLASSICAL AND COLONIAL REVIVAL INFLUENCES.
AND ESPECIALLY CRITERION NUMBER 11, WHICH IS, IT'S A DISTINCTIVE IN CHARACTER INTERESTS OR VALUES STRONGLY EXEMPLIFIES THE CULTURAL ECONOMIC HERITAGE OF SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC HERITAGE.
[01:55:01]
THIS HOME WAS BUILT.MA'AM, PLEASE WRAP UP YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, SO OVERLOOKING THAT ECONOMIC HERITAGE, UH, AS WAS SAID, THAT DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTIC AND MAKING IT IRRELEVANT IS AN INSULT TO THE WORKING CLASS NEIGHBORS WHO CALL ALTA VISTA HOME.
AND I'LL, I'LL STOP THERE, BUT THERE ARE PHOTOS THAT HAVE NOT MA'AM BEEN SEEN, MA'AM.
I UNDERSTAND, BUT YOU, YOU HAD TWO MINUTES, SO, UM, THANK YOU.
NEXT SPEAKER IS CELIA MENDOZA.
I'M AN ARCHITECT, A PRESERVATION ARCHITECT, AND I'M ALSO A BUSINESS AND PROPERTY OWNER IN ALTA VISTA.
I HAVE SOME PHOTOS THAT ARE FROM ZILLOW WHEN THE HOUSE WAS LISTED RIGHT BEFORE A PURCHASE, IF TH THOSE COULD BE SHARED.
ON THE ZILLOW, UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE THAT THE HOUSE WAS ACTUALLY THE ORIGINAL AND MOVED OVER TO ACCOMMODATE A SECOND HOUSE ON THE LOT.
IT WAS NOT COMMON BACK THEN TO JUST DEMOLISH HOUSES LIKE IT IS TODAY.
SO I, I BELIEVE IT COULD BE FROM 1911.
UM, THE HOME, ALSO, THE USE OF SALVAGED MATERIALS IN THE STRUCTURE IS, AGAIN, IN KEEPING WITH THAT TIME YOU WOULD USE WHATEVER MATERIALS YOU COULD GET YOUR HANDS ON.
SO THAT IS ALSO HISTORICALLY ACCURATE, UM, REGARDING GETTING LANDMARK DESIGNATION WITHOUT THE OWNER'S APPROVAL.
THAT WAS DONE IN 2019 FOR BOTH 800 WEST RUSSELL AND 25 11 NORTH FLORISTS.
THOSE TWO ARE STILL STANDING AND THEY WANTED TO BE DEMOLISHED, UM, BY A DEVELOPER.
THE, THE HOUSE IS, EVERYONE'S ALREADY TALKED ABOUT IT, BUT IT IS A, IF YOU, YOU CAN LOOK AT IT, IT WAS PRISTINE.
THESE ARE, UM, IT'S A BEAUTIFUL HOME.
IT'S PART OF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S PART OF THE FABRIC.
AND I COMMEND THE COMMISSIONERS FOR BEING STEWARDS OF NOT ONLY OUR BUILT ENVIRONMENT, BUT OF OUR CITY'S HISTORY AND CHARACTER.
THE PREVIOUS OWNERS WERE ABLE TO, UM, WORK WITH THE HOME, WITH THE HISTORIC HOME TO MAINTAIN THE INTEGRITY.
WE'VE ALL TALKED ABOUT INTEGRITY, THE HISTORY AND CHARACTER OF THE RESIDENTS WHILE ACCOMMODATING THEIR NEEDS.
AND SO THAT CAN STILL BE DONE WITH WHATEVER NEW OWNER.
THE DEMOLITION, THE CURRENT DEMOLITION WAS NOT ABOUT INTEGRITY.
AND THE LAST SPEAKER IS HENRY KRAUS.
HOW DO YOU DO? I'M ON THE, I'M ON THE, UH, ZONING AND URBAN DESIGN COMMITTEE OF THE BEACON HILL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION.
RIGHT ACROSS THE, I KNOW HE INTRODUCED YOU.
I MEAN, HE SAID, YOU NAME HENRY, BUT I NEED TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF PLEASE.
UM, I, I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO ADDRESS THIS CASE IN THE CONTEXT OF NOT JUST THE PROPOSED DEMOLITION OF A GOOD OLD HOUSE, BUT THE LARGER CONTEXT OF ONGOING DEMOLITION BY NEGLECT AND THE RELENTLESS SPECULATION FOR THE CHANCE TO SELL TO PEOPLE WHO ARE ATTRACTED TO THAT PART OF TOWN.
IN ALTA VISTA AND BEACON HILL, WE ARE IN A RAPIDLY GROWING CRISIS OF VACANT HOUSES THAT WILL NEED TO BE TORN DOWN BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN ALLOWED TO FALL APART.
AND THE PEOPLE WHO VOLUNTEER TO PRESERVE THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE ABOUT TO BE OVERWHELMED.
WE ANTICIPATE FIGHTING SOME BORDERLINE CASES, HARDSHIP CASES.
THIS IS THE PROJECT OF OWNERS WHO ARE NOT SOME AGING RESIDENT WHO CAN'T KEEP UP WITH MAINTENANCE BECAUSE OF THEIR FRAILTY OR THEIR FINANCES.
THEY'RE NOT THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS TAKING YEARS TO ADJUDICATE.
WHO GETS THE HOUSE AFTER MOM AND POP HAVE DIED AND ARE UNABLE TO PAY BACK TAXES OR CLEAR THE TITLE.
THESE VERY NICE FOLKS HAD THE MEANS TO BUY A BEAUTIFUL, RELATIVELY WELL MAINTAINED PROPERTY IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT LOVES ITS OLD BUNGALOWS.
AND THE MEANS TO DECIDE, LET'S JUST TEAR IT DOWN AND START OVER.
THEY ARE NOT INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS, BUT YOU CAN BET THE INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS ARE WATCHING AND LEARNING FROM YOUR ACTIONS OR INACTIONS.
THESE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE ALIVE WITH FAMILIES, SCHOOLS, CHURCHES, SMALL BUSINESSES.
WE'RE NOT TRYING TO FREEZE OUR HOUSES IN 1920S, AMBER.
THAT SHOULD NOT BE OUR THRESHOLD FOR GRANTING THEM PROTECTION.
[02:00:01]
MODIFIED.HOW A HOUSE WAS MODIFIED THROUGH THE YEARS IS THE HISTORY OF SAN ANTONIO.
WHEN YOU GET RID OF A HOUSE ALTOGETHER, YOU ARE LEFT WITH ZERO HISTORY.
UM, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE, THE APPLICANT, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE OWNERS, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE, UM, ARCHITECT.
UM, SO NOW WE'VE ALSO HAD QUESTIONS AND WE'VE HEARD FROM THEM THE INTERESTED CITIZENS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO RIGHT NOW, UM, I'M READY TO GET INTO DISCUSSION.
SO, UM, MAY I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE, MR. CHAIR? I'D LIKE TO MAKE A MOTION.
I WOULD LIKE FOR THE PURPOSE OF DISCUSSION AND FURTHER DISCOVERY, MAKE A MOTION TO, UM, APPROVE A REQUEST FOR HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE BASED ON CRITERIA NUMBER 3, 5 11 AND 13.
SECOND, IT'S BEEN MOVED AND PROPERLY.
UM, I, I FEEL, I THINK, AND I KNOW THAT THE POINTS AND THE CRITERIA ARE ACCURATE AND THAT WERE BROUGHT, UH, BROUGHT UP BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, BUT ALSO FROM, UM, MY OWN REVIEW OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE SITE.
I DIDN'T GO TO THE SITE VISIT, BUT I'VE GONE ON MY OWN, UM, TO OBSERVE THE AREA AND WHAT ROLE THIS LOT AND THIS HOUSE PLAYS IN THE LARGER COLLECTION.
IT'S NOT A HISTORIC DISTRICT THAT'S DESIGNATED, BUT IT IS, UM, AN ESTABLISHED AND, UM, STABLE NEIGHBORHOOD FOR THE MOST PART WITH THE PROTECTION OF THE ZONING DEPARTMENT, WITH THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONSERVATION DISTRICT.
SO, UM, I AM APPROACHING IT FROM THAT STANDPOINT.
UM, I THINK IT, FOR, FOR THE REVIEW OF HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE, I THINK IT MEETS THOSE FOUR CRITERIA.
BUT I'M INTERESTED IN HEARING WHAT MY COLLEAGUES HAVE TO SAY AS WELL.
AND LET THE SECOND HAD THE COMMENT.
SO I MEAN, I, I SECOND THE MOTION BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT'S WORTH A DISCUSSION.
I'M JUST NOT, I ACTUALLY LOOK AT CRITERIA THREE AND 13.
I THINK 13 IS THE MOST MORE IMPORTANT, NOT MORE IMPORTANT THAN THREE, BUT OF THE OTHERS THAT YOU MENTIONED, FIVE, 12, AND 11, I THINK 13 IS KIND OF WHERE THE DISCUSSION HAS TO BE.
UM, AND I AM NOT EVEN SURE I AM COMPLETELY SAY THAT THIS MERITS A HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION, BUT I DON'T WANT THIS TO NOT GO FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION OR EVEN BEING FURTHER EVALUATED BY CITY COUNCIL OR ANY OTHER, UM, BODIES THAT THIS IS REALLY JUST A REVIEW.
SO I DO BELIEVE THAT IN OUR PURVIEW HERE TODAY, IS IT MERITS CONSIDERATION, RIGHT? IT MERITS MORE DISCUSSION, MERITS MORE PURVIEW, MORE PEOPLE LOOK AT IT, MORE BODIES NOT MAKING A FULL RECOMMENDATION, BUT IT MERITS THAT, UM, BECAUSE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE IT'S AT.
AND, AND I THINK THAT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO REALLY, WE'VE HEARD FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD, WE HAVE 25, I DON'T KNOW, 30 LETTERS.
I THINK THAT IS ALSO IMPORTANT PART OF WHY THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE OPPOSITE, NOT DEEMED HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE.
UM, AND THEN MANY OF THE REASONS I THINK THAT WE HAVE NOT HAD SO MANY CASES UPON US FROM THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IS BECAUSE THERE HAS NOT BEEN SO MANY DEMOLITION CASES.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE NUMBER ONE REASON FOR WHY THEY WOULD COME TO US TO EITHER BE CONSIDERED LANDMARK, IS USUALLY WHEN THERE IS A DEMOLITION.
AND I THINK THAT'S THE REASON WHY THERE'S NOT MORE, UM, HISTORIC LANDMARKS IN THAT, UH, DISTRICT AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
UM, AND THEN, I MEAN, I ALSO FEEL LIKE THERE IS A FURTHER PHASE TWO, EVEN IF IT BECOMES A HISTORIAN, LANDMARK FOR THE OWNER.
SO I'M NOT SAYING THAT THE OWNER CAN'T DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO, I JUST FEEL LIKE THIS COULD BE, UH, DONE IN DIFFERENT PHASES, WHICH WE'VE SEEN IN MY LAST 10 YEARS HERE, DONE MANY TIMES.
UM, I'LL START WITH MY, UM, VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS.
UM, SO COMMISSIONER MAMAN, UM, ANY COMMENTS, SIR? NO, I, I AGREE WITH COMMISSIONER RUDE, EXCUSE ME, UH, ABOUT JUST STARTING THE PROCESS FOR A DEEPER REVIEW HERE.
UM, SO I'LL, I'LL SUPPORT THE MOTION WITH, WITH THAT INTENT.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER EVADER.
NO FURTHER DISCUSSION, MR. CHAIR.
WELL, I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO, TO GIVE SOME RECOGNITION
[02:05:01]
TO THE, UM, UH, CHANGE, BUT, BUT, UH, STYLISTIC, UH, MANAGEMENT OF THE, OF THE CASE BY STAFF.I, I THINK THAT THE WAY THAT IT'S PRESENTED, UH, THE LANGUAGE THAT'S USED IS IT IS SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT AND IT IS SEEMS TO BE VERY CONSISTENT WITH THE GUIDELINE.
UM, THAT THAT IS A VERY SENSITIVE ITEM, UH, UH, LISTENING TO EVERYONE.
IT SEEMS THAT THERE, THERE'S A GOOD CASE FOR EITHER CIRCUMSTANCE AND THEN WE LOOK AT WHAT THE RULES ARE.
AND, UM, MR. CHAIR, YOU, YOU, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S DISCUSSION THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE POWER OF THE CHAIR IS TO, TO, TO SAY WHAT IS RELEVANT OR WHAT IS ON POINT OR OFF POINT.
BUT WHEN WE WERE HAVING THE BIT OF DISCUSSION THAT HAS TO DO WITH THE TOPO, THE TOPOGRAPHY OF THE, OF THE LAND WHERE THE WATER GOES, IT, IT, IT JUST SEEMS TO SHOW HOW EASY IT IS FOR US TO GET, GET INTO A NEGOTIATION OR A RATIONALIZATION AS TO POSSIBLY HOW WE MAKE SOMETHING FIT THAT ON ITS FACE JUST DOES NOT FIT.
SO WE HAVE THESE DISTRICTS THAT ARE HISTORIC DISTRICTS, THEY HAVE CERTAIN POINTS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
WE HAVE, UH, OBJECTS THAT ARE LANDMARKS, THAT ARE ALREADY LANDMARKS THAT HAVE CERTAIN POINTS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
AND THEN WE HAVE ENVIRONMENTS THAT HAVE, THAT ARE NOT LANDMARKS AND THEY DON'T HAVE CERTAIN POINTS AVAILABLE TO THEM.
VERY SIMILAR TO THE CASE BEFORE WHERE THERE'S EXISTING BOR AND BATTEN, AND IT MAKES AN ARGUMENT FOR BOR AND BATTEN.
BUT IF THERE WAS NOT BOR AND BATTEN, THERE WOULD BE NO ARGUMENT FOR IT.
AND IN THIS CIRCUMSTANCE, UM, THERE'S, THERE'S PLENTY OF, UM, OF EVIDENCE OF THE EVOLUTION OF THIS, OF THIS SIMPLE, SIMPLE STRUCTURE THAT HAS LOST SIGNIFICANT, UH, JUST A COUPLE, A FEW MORE POINTS, LOST SIGNIFICANCE OVER TIME.
UM, BUT MOST DEFINITELY, UM, WHAT IS GOING THROUGH MUCH LITIGATION AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL AND AT THE STATE LEVEL WITH RESPECT TO PROPERTY RIGHTS, OVERSTEPPING OF PRESERVATION DISTRICTS.
AND, AND JUST ONE LAST THING IS, I, I THINK THAT DESIGNERS GET JOBS VERY OFTEN AND ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT, THAT I HAVE TO THROW MYSELF IN THERE, THAT WE ASK OURSELVES IS, HOW CAN I MAKE THIS THING SO BEAUTIFUL THAT, THAT WHAT IF I WASN'T AROUND THAT IT WOULD, IT WOULD FORCE THE WORLD TO NEVER TEAR IT DOWN.
SO YES, IT DID EVOLVE TO BE SOMETHING PRETTY, SOMETHING THAT A COMMUNITY CAN FALL IN LOVE WITH, BUT DOES IT GIVE THAT COMMUNITY THE RIGHTS TO INTRUDE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE PROPERTY PROPERTY OWNER, WHETHER ETHICALLY IT'S RIGHT OR WRONG, BUT BY LAW ARE THE RIGHTS OF THE PROPERTY OWNER.
SO I, I, I APPRECIATE THE, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THERE TO BE FURTHER DISCUSSION, BUT MUCH MORE IN THE SENSE THAT, UH, THESE ARE VERY SERIOUS, UH, UH, DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE.
SOMETIMES WE CAN TAKE 'EM VERY LIGHTLY AND, UM, IT'S VERY HARD TO FIT IN THE, THE, THE EDUCATED RATIONALE IN THREE MINUTES OR TWO MINUTES.
SO I APPRECIATE THE EXTRA TIME, BUT IT, THEY, THEY ARE VERY IMPORTANT.
SO THANK YOU, SIR, FOR THE TIME.
UM, YES, I, I, THE, THE COMMISSION DOESN'T TAKE, UM, ANY KIND OF REQUESTS TO, UH, OR EVEN CONCEPTUAL REQUESTS TO DEMO A BUILDING LIGHTLY.
AND SO THIS IS SORT OF A UNIQUE CASE FOR US TO BE LOOKING AT.
UM, I ALSO APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SORT OF TALK THIS THROUGH A LITTLE BIT, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THE FUTURE IMPLICATIONS IT, WHAT I'M SEEING, WHAT I'M, WHAT IT FEELS LIKE IS THAT THE RULES ARE, YOU KNOW, THE WAY THAT THE RULES ARE WRITTEN.
UM, IT, IT, LIKE WHAT MY FELLOW CHAIR IS SAYING, THAT'S A REALLY GOOD ARGUMENT THAT THIS IS NOT HISTORIC.
UM, AT THE SAME TIME, IF YOU LOOK AT THE ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD, I ACTUALLY, UNTIL RIGHT NOW, THOUGHT IT WAS A HISTORICALLY DESIGNATED NEIGHBORHOOD UNTIL TODAY.
SO MY, MY SORT OF COMMENT IS WHY ISN'T ALTA VISTA DESIGNATED HISTORIC? AND I WOULD IMPLORE THE ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION TO PURSUE THAT.
AND I WONDER, AND I, AND, AND MAYBE I'M THE NAIVE ONE, AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THE ASSOCIATION HAS DONE IN THE PAST.
BUT, UM, TO THAT POINT THOUGH, UM, APPRECIATE THE DISCUSSION AND INTERESTED TO SEE HOW THIS SHAKES.
VICE SHERIFF FITZER, CAN I, CAN I MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT THE DISTRICT DESIGNATION? OF COURSE YOU CAN.
SO BY CODE, THAT PROCESS PROCESS ALSO REQUIRES A MAJORITY OF PROPERTY OWNERS AND SUPPORT.
IT'S PROPERTY OWNER DRIVEN ALWAYS.
AND SO IT'S A VERY SIMILAR QUESTION AS THE ONE BEFORE YOU TODAY.
IT'S THE, IT'S 51% OF PROPERTY OWNERS, RIGHT?
[02:10:01]
IS DO YOU EVEN HAVE A PUBLIC HEARING ON IT? RIGHT.UM, YES, THE STRUCTURE HAS BEEN MODIFIED OVER TIME, UM, THUS SPEAKING TO ITS HISTORY.
UM, THERE ARE, IT HAS LOST SOME STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY.
THERE ARE SOME ISSUES WITH, WITH, UH, HOW TO RESTORE IT OR, UM, REHABILITATE IT, UH, BASED ON THE, THE SITE CONDITIONS, UH, AND THE POTENTIAL DRAINAGE ISSUES.
UH, WE HEARD FROM THE PROPERTY OWNER THAT WHENEVER THERE'S ANY SORT OF RAIN, THERE'S A, A LAKE IN THE FRONT YARD, AND, UH, THERE IS A CURB THAT HAS BEEN POURED OUTSIDE THE, THE BUILDING WALL AROUND THE BUILDING TO KEEP WATER FROM GETTING UNDER THE, THE STRUCTURE.
SO, UM, CAN IT BE REHABILITATED YES, WITH, UH, TIME AND RESOURCES, UH, SHOULD IT BE REHABILITATED? THAT I THINK IS WHAT, UH, IS BEFORE US TODAY.
AND, UM, IT'S A TOUGH, TOUGH QUESTION AND I DON'T KNOW IF I'M STILL RESOLVED ON HOW I, WHETHER I'LL SUPPORT THE MOTION OR NOT.
I THANK GARY ONE FOR YOUR COMMENTS.
UM, I, I'M, I'M NOT TO OUT EVERY REHASH WHAT MOST OF MY COMMISSIONERS HAVE ALREADY SAID, BECAUSE I, I, I AGREE, YOU KNOW, ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT, I, I THINK THIS, THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE, UM, IT'S, IT'S A MATTER OF OPINION.
YOU KNOW, WHICH CRITERIA, YOU KNOW, BE FILLED AS THOUGH THIS, THIS PROPERTY HAS, OR THAT IT MEETS, YOU KNOW, FOR THIS, UM, FOR HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE, UM, IN SEEING THE PICTURES, STUDYING THE CASE AND HEARING FROM EVERYONE HERE, YOU KNOW, IT HAS LOST A LOT.
UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD ITSELF, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, AND WITH THE MAJORITY OF THE COMMENTS ALL BELIEVE THAT IT SHOULD BE, IT SHOULD BE DESIGNATED THAT, UM, I, AND I THINK THAT ALSO THE FACT THAT THE PROPERTY WILL PROBABLY BE DEMOLISHED AND THEN, YOU KNOW, ANOTHER PROPERTY BEING PLACED, I MEAN ANOTHER HOME BEING PLACED.
I THINK THAT REALLY GENERATED A LOT OF THIS.
AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY PART OF THE DRIVING FACTOR HERE.
AND I TOO AGREE WITH MY, UM, VICE CHAIRS IS THAT, I'M NOT SURE WHICH WAY I'M GONNA GO YET BECAUSE I'VE, I'VE BEEN GOING BACK AND FORTH, YOU KNOW, IN THIS, BUT THIS IS A INTERESTING CASE AND ALSO A SIGNIFICANT CASE AS WELL, BECAUSE, BUT I ALSO FEEL AS THOUGH IT DESERVES CONSIDERATION FURTHER DISCUSSION BECAUSE THERE'S, THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE PROCESS HERE.
SO, MR. CHAIR, CAN I EXPRESS THE CONCERN WITH SURE.
SOME OF THE LANGUAGE THAT'S BEEN, LIKE, I UNDERSTAND, UM, WANTING TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION, WANTING TO SEE WHAT COUNCIL THINKS, BUT AGAIN, THE DECISION TODAY IS ELIGIBILITY, AND SO CITY COUNCIL IS GOING TO SAY, OR THEY'RE GONNA ASK, DID THE CITY'S COMMISSION HISTORIC LANDMARKS COMMISSION SAY THAT IT WAS ELIGIBLE? I MEAN, THAT'S THE MAIN QUESTION.
AND IF, IF IT'S NOT CLEAR, IF, IF THAT ISN'T THE CLEAR INTENT OF THIS BODY TODAY, THEN I WOULD HAVE CONCERN ABOUT THAT.
WELL, AND MR. CHAIR, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO ADD SOMETHING TO THAT.
I, I THINK THAT AT, YOU KNOW, WE, WE ARE MAKING DECISIONS SOMETIMES, UH, UH, EMOTION CAN GET INTO THE WAY OF THE DECISION.
IT'S IN SOME INSTANCES I, THESE FULLY, PROBABLY FULLY APPROPRIATE.
UM, SAY FOR INSTANCE, THE TREES AT BRECKENRIDGE PARK, YOU KNOW, VERY ABSTRACT.
BUT WE'VE HAD, I MEAN, SOME OF US HAVE BEEN HERE FOR MANY YEARS, AND THERE ARE INSTANCES WHERE OUR OBLIGATION IS TO STEP ASIDE FOR CITY COUNCIL'S OBLIGATION.
THEY, THEY LOOK FOR A PRETTY CUT AND DRY ANSWER FROM US, BUT THAT BY NO MEANS HARDLY EVER IS THE FINAL DECISION.
IN WHICH CASE, THERE'S A WHOLE NOTHER PROCESS OF, UM, OF, UH, DISCUSSION AND, AND, AND COMMUNITY INTERACTION AT THE CITY COUNCIL LEVEL.
I DON'T THINK THAT THAT'S A SKIRTING OF A DECISION.
AND, AND SOMETIMES I FEEL THAT, THAT, UM, IT,
[02:15:01]
THE, THE DIFFICULT DECISION IS TO FIRST AND FOREMOST STAFF THAT IT'S HOMEWORK.AND, AND, UM, IT APPEARS THAT WITH STAFF'S HOMEWORK, IT, IT DOES NOT MEET THAT SIGNIFICANCE, THAT LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE.
AND HERE WE ARE TO, TO LOOK AT IT IN THE SAME WAY.
AND, AND WE HAVE A RATIONALE TO KINDA GO ABOVE AND BEYOND WHAT OUR INITIAL GUT REACTIONS ARE, OR WHAT IT APPEARS THE GUT REACTIONS ARE, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UM, UH, COMMISSION DOING ITS DUE DILIGENCE, OR IT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT, PRESERVATION ACTIVIST.
AND IT'S A VERY INTERESTING POSITION TO BE IN, PARTICULARLY WITH THIS GENTLEMAN HERE THAT HAS BEEN ON THE COMMISSION BEFORE AND HAS BEEN PART OF THE, THE GREAT ARGUMENTS, HISTORICAL ARGUMENTS THAT WE'VE ALL HAD AMONGST EACH OTHER, TO, TO BE THE CONTRADICTION TO ANYBODY THAT WOULD THINK THAT WE WOULD MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON OUR FAMILIARITY WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH IS, I THINK IF THERE'S ANY COMMISSION IN THE CITY THAT SHOWS THAT THAT IS, THAT THAT IS NOT TRUE, THIS IS A COMMISSION THAT WE KNOWS THAT WE FIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING BEFORE WE COME UP WITH DECISIONS.
SO, SO JUST, JUST THAT BEING SAID THAT I THINK THAT THAT BE BEYOND HOW WE FEEL.
THERE'S BEEN AN INCREDIBLE LOSS OF SIGNIFICANCE THAT MOST TYPICALLY THEN ASKS US, WHAT CAN WE DO TO NOT ALLOW SOMETHING TO GET TORN DOWN, WHICH SEEMS TO BE A, A FOUNDING PRINCIPLE THAT IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE, BY THE RULES THAT PERHAPS THIS IS CITY COUNCIL'S, UH, PURVIEW.
AND, AND I THINK IT GOES WITH, UH, COMMISSIONER SAVINA'S INITIAL COMMENT VERY EARLY ON, LIKE, WHY ARE WE NOT CONSIDERING CHANGES OR ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS THAT WERE ADDED IN THE SEVENTIES? AND WE DO IT ALL THE TIME, WE ALWAYS CONSIDER SOMETHING.
NO, YOU CAN'T ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ANNEX OR THAT ADDITION BECAUSE IT WAS AN ADDITION ON THE, IN THE SEVENTIES.
I MEAN, AND THAT WAS STILL CONSIDERED PART OF THE HISTORY OF THE HOME.
AND THEN I THINK SECOND IS, UM, AND THE THING ABOUT IT, I CAN JUST, I CAN'T PINPOINT, I KNOW THAT I THINK THREE, YES, 13, YES, I CAN'T PINPOINT THE THIRD, AND I'M ALWAYS VERY, LIKE, IT SHOULD AT LEAST BE THREE BEFORE.
BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT WE ARE BORDERLINE THERE.
AND THAT IS WHY I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A CONSIDERATION, UM, THAT CAN BE FOUGHT BACK AT A PUBLIC HEARING, UH, WITH CITY COUNCIL.
BUT I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS IS, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS DONE MODIFICATIONS, THERE ARE STILL WINDOW OPENINGS THAT ARE ORIGINAL TO THE HOME.
THERE ARE STILL SOME OF THE, I THINK I BELIEVE THE WEST SIDE HAS, I MEAN, THERE'S ELEMENTS, WINDOW ELEMENTS, WINDOW SIZES, WINDOW DETAILS THAT ARE ORIGINAL TO THE HOME.
MAYBE NOT, MAYBE YOU CAN FIGHT ME ON THAT ONE, UH, LATER, BUT I THINK THAT'S WHY I SAY DEEMED FOR CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE IS IMPORTANT.
THEN WE CAN ALWAYS GO TO THE DISCUSSION OF, YOU KNOW, PART DEMOLISHING OR REPAIRING, I'M SORRY, I HAVE WATER IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE EVERY TIME IT RAINS, MR. AND MRS. CARPENTER LIVE TWO BLOCKS OVER FROM MY HOUSE.
IT STAYS ON FOR AT LEAST 10 DAYS.
I'VE BEEN WORKING MY COUNCILWOMAN FOR TWO YEARS TO TRY TO GET THAT DRAINAGE, AND I HAVE A PUMP THAT PUMPS OUTTA THE HOUSE, THE WATER OUT FROM UNDERNEATH THE HOUSE.
THERE'S MANY SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE ENGINEERS HAVE PUT FORWARD THAT I FEEL IN MY 10 YEARS OF ALSO SEEN MANY GOOD SOLUTIONS.
I STILL FEEL LIKE THERE'S ENOUGH HERE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A HISTORIC DISTRICT, A HISTORIC LANDMARK, OR HISTORIC, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE PROPERTY.
AND THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M GONNA CLEARLY SAY, I MEAN, I'M STILL IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
YEAH, I WOULD LIKE TO JUST ADD A COUPLE OF COMMENTS ON A COUPLE OF THOUGHTS AFTER, UH, LISTENING TO, TO FOLKS HERE.
UM, OUR VIEW OF WHAT IS HISTORIC AGAIN? IS IT, IS IT UNDER GLASS? IS IT PURE? IS IT HIGH INTEGRITY FROM, UM, UM, A HISTORIC STYLE? I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT'S REPRESENTED IN THE MAJORITY OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS IN SAN ANTONIO.
EVEN THE AMOUNT OF MODIFICATIONS, AS ONE MENTIONED, ONE OF THE CO COMMUNITY MEMBERS MENTIONED THAT IS THE HISTORY.
IT REP REP REPRESENTS THE DEMOGRAPHICS, THE CULTURE, THE ECONOMIC SITUATION OF A NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND WHAT, WHAT IS INTERESTING ABOUT THE, THE BEACON HILL AND ALTA VISTA NEIGHBORHOOD IS THROUGH SO MANY DECADES, SO MANY ECONOMIC FLUCTUATIONS, PEOPLE CHOSE TO MODIFY THEIR HOUSE IN A WAY THAT COMPLIMENTS THE ORIGINAL STYLE, THE EXISTING STYLE.
UM, FOR THIS ONE HERE, WHO KNOWS, IT MAY HAVE BEEN, IT MAY HAVE HAD, UM, COLONIAL FEATURES ORIGINALLY.
MAYBE, MAYBE IT DIDN'T EARLY ON.
WE GET THE FAN LIGHT IN THE DOOR, THE PORCH EDITION IN
[02:20:01]
THE SEVENTIES.IT'S PRETTY POSTMODERN, WOULDN'T YOU SAY? THE SIMPLIFICATION OF THE TRIM, THE EXAGGERATED OCULUS, OR THE ARCH IN THE FRONT IS NOT QUITE HISTORICALLY RIGHT, BUT IT'S POSTMODERN.
SO HOW WE LOOK AT WHAT'S HISTORIC, UM, DOES NEED TO CHANGE IN OUR CITY.
UH, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE A STRONG PUSH FOR MID-CENTURY MODERN, MUCH LESS POSTMODERNISM YET.
SO WE'RE A LITTLE BIT BEHIND IN RECOGNIZING, UH, SOME OF THESE OTHER IMPORTANT STYLES THAT PLAY INTO THE ALTER ALTERATIONS OF, UH, BUILDINGS.
IN ALL OF OUR HISTORIC DISTRICTS, EVERY HISTORIC DISTRICT HAS SOME MID-CENTURY MODERN THING THAT WAS ADDED TO IT, WHETHER IT'S CARPORT OR OVERHANG, AND THE SAME WITH POSTMODERN.
SO IT'S JUST ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT WHAT IS HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT OR CONTRIBUTING.
CAN I CORRECT A COUPLE MORE THINGS,
JUST AT THE RISK OF SOUNDING CONTRARIAN, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THE VOTE IS BASED ON ACCURATE INFORMATION.
AND SO COMMISSIONER GRU MENTIONED SOME ORIGINAL ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS BEING INTACT.
I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S TRUE.
I I COULDN'T PINPOINT ANYTHING THAT I THINK WAS POTENTIALLY ORIGINAL TO THIS HOUSE.
WE KNOW IN THE SANBORN, WELL, WHY DO WE HAVE TO SAY ORIGINAL TO 1929 IF WE HAVE PICTURES FROM 1976 AND THAT'S THERE SINCE 1976, WHICH IS 50 YEARS AGO.
SO THOSE ARE HISTORIC ELEMENTS OF THE HOME.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO 1929? THAT'S MY QUESTION HERE, BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IF WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO WHAT IT WAS COMPLETELY ORIGINAL TO 1929, OR ARE WE GOING BACK TO WHAT THERE WERE SOME ADDITION? I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THE ADDITIONS WERE NINETIES OR TWO THOUSANDS, BUT 76 IS, WE'VE EVEN SEEN, IT'S NOT A HISTORIC DISTRICT THOUGH, RIGHT? I KNOW, BUT IT'S A HISTORIC ELEMENT OF THE HISTORY OF THE HOUSE.
WELL, SO THAT'S THE OTHER POINT I WAS GONNA MAKE, BUT I, TO ANSWER YOUR FIRST QUESTION, LIKE CRITERIA FIVE SAYS IS EMBODIMENT OF DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ARCHITECTURAL STYLE VALUABLE FOR THE STUDY OF A PERIOD.
AND SO, OKAY, SO GO TO PICK SLIDE 22 ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOME.
THE WAY THAT I, IF WE REMOVE THE WHOLE FRONT PORCH IDEA THAT THAT HAS BEEN ADDED, DOESN'T THAT LOOK LIKE SOMETHING, I MEAN, I'M ALSO LOOKING DOWN THE STREET, I'M LOOKING AT A FEW OF THE OTHER HOMES THAT GABLE ROOF THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT SHOULD BE AN ORIGINAL FACADE.
I THINK IT IS THE ORIGINAL FACADE OF THE HOME.
WE DON'T KNOW THAT TO BE TRUE.
AND WE WOULD LOOK AT IT, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT DON'T ADD UP, INCLUDING WHEN WE COMPARE THE CURRENT, UH, FOOTPRINT OF THE BUILDING TO THE SANBORN.
THERE'S BEEN PRETTY MAJOR MODIFICATION TO THE POINT, BUT THEN I'M ASKING STAFF FOR CONTINUANCE, AND THEN YOU NEED TO PRESENT THIS BETTER CASE THAN OF WHAT HAS BEEN EXACTLY THE ADDITIONS.
WELL, THERE'S, THERE'S A PICTURE THAT SHOWS THE ADDITION OF THE PORCH YES.
WHERE THEY'RE PUTTING THE PORCH ON, BUT NOT ON THE SIDES.
AND A PORCH ISN'T ONLY A SMALL SECTION OF THE HOME.
UM, THAT'S WHY I'M SAYING I STILL FEEL LIKE, I FEEL THERE'S TWO OF THE CRITERIA.
I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT PINPOINTED IT, BUT I'M GOING AFTER THE CRITERIA IS VERY BLACK AND WHITE AND I STILL FEEL LIKE THE MOTION SHOULD GO FORWARD AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
I DON'T MEAN TO ARGUE WITH YOU ON THAT.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE DON'T THINK THAT THERE'S A LOT OF ORIGINAL TO THE PERIOD OF CONSTRUCTION THINGS ON THIS EXTERIOR.
UM, AND THEN THE OTHER POINT IS, YES, COMMISSIONER VELASQUEZ, UM, WE ARE FAMILIAR WITH SEEING MODIFICATIONS TO PROPERTIES WE'RE REVIEWING THAT ARE ALREADY DESIGNATED.
AND SO YEAH, WE UNDERSTAND THAT PROPERTIES ARE MODIFIED OVER TIME.
THE QUESTION IS, DO WE THINK THAT THIS IS WORTHY OF INDIVIDUAL DESIGNATION BASED ON OUR CRITERIA THAT ARE ADOPTED IN THE CODE? MR. CHAIR? OKAY, SIR.
COMMENTS? I JUST TYING A BOW ON THAT.
IT WAS SITTING HERE THINKING, I, NOBODY WANTS TO BE PART OF TEARING SOMETHING DOWN THAT MAY END UP BEING DESIGNATED HISTORIC.
AT THE SAME TIME, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ON A SLIPPERY SLOPE TO STAY WITHIN OUR PURVIEW, WHICH IS, UH, WONDERING WHETHER OR NOT THIS WE, YOU KNOW, SEND THIS TO CITY COUNCIL AND, AND RIGHT NOW YOU'VE GOT, WE'VE GOT, UM, A PILE OF PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION DESIGNATING NOT THEIR HOME HISTORIC IN A NON HISTORICALLY DESIGNATED NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND SO IT, IT FEELS LIKE, AND I WOULD JUST CAUTION EVERYBODY TO, UM, TO SORT OF WATCH WHERE WE'RE STEPPING HERE FOR THAT REASON, SPECIFICALLY, I'M NOT, CAN'T SUPPORT THIS MOTION.
WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S COMMENTS AND CONCERNS.
SO WE ARE READY FOR A ROLL CALL PLEASE.
[02:25:02]
VELAZQUEZ NAY, GALLOWAY NAY MOOKA AYE.NAY, HOLLAND NAY FETZER AYE AND GIBBS, NAY, NAY.
MOTION FAILS IF WE WOULD NEED AN ALTERNATE MOTION.
MR. CHAIR, I'D LIKE TO MAKE AN ALTERNATE MOTION TO, UH, DENY HISTORIC DESIGNATION FOR THIS STRUCTURE.
I SECOND SPEND MOVED AND PROPERLY SECOND.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE? MAMON NAY SAVINO NAY VELASQUE AYE.
AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 12 HDRC CASE NUMBER 20 26 212, UH, 73 0 3 OLD CORPUS CHRISTI ROAD.
THE APPLICANT IS REQUESTING A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR APPROVAL TO CONSTRUCT 21 2 STORY MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL STRUCTURES ON THE VACANT LOT AT 73 0 3 OLD CORPUS CHRISTI ROAD.
THIS PROPERTY IS LOCATED WITHIN THE RIVER IMPROVEMENT OVERLAY DISTRICT FIVE.
UH, STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL BASED ON FINDINGS A THROUGH S WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS.
ONE THAT A SIDEWALK SHOULD ALSO BE INCORPORATED OR SHOULD BE INSTALLED PARALLEL TO OLD CORPUS CHRISTI ROAD TO CONNECT THE EXISTING SIDEWALK AS NOTED IN FINDING F THAT EACH STRUCTURE'S MECHANICAL, MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT BE SCREENED FROM VIEW FROM THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY CONSISTENT WITH THE UD C'S RIO STANDARDS AT THE EASTERNMOST STRUCTURES.
UH, THOSE THAT ARE, THOSE THAT FACE OLD CORPUS CHRISTI ROAD.
UM, FEATURE PRIMARY ORIENTATION STAFF RECOMMENDS PROTOTYPE TWO BE CONSTRUCTED ON THESE LOTS WITH AN ORIENTATION TOWARD OLD CORPUS CHRISTI ROAD.
UH, STIPULATION FOR IS IN REGARDS TO STAFF STANDARDS FOR SIDING, UH, AND GARAGE DOORS STIPULATION FIVE THAT THE APPLICANT SUBMIT WINDOW PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS THAT WINDOWS BE RE RECESSED AT LEAST TWO INCHES WITHIN WALL PLAINS AND THAT WINDOWS FEATURE COLOR OTHER THAN MANUFACTURERS WHITE SIX THAT CITE AND ARCHITECTURAL LIGHTING PLAN BE SUBMITTED TO OHP STAFF FOR REVIEW AND APPROVAL AND STIPULATIONS SEVENS IN REGARDS TO ARCHEOLOGY, UH, THE APPLICANT.
JAIME JIMENEZ HERE IN PERSON, UH, COMMISSIONERS.
I WILL NOTE THAT I HAVE, UM, UPDATED DOCUMENTS, UH, THAT THE APPLICANT WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT TO ADDRESS STAFF STIPULATIONS.
GOOD AFTERNOON, MY NAME IS JAIME JIMENEZ.
UM, I THINK THE BANK IS NOT ON PLEASE MY CLIENT OR STEP CLOSER TO IT.
WELL, WE, WE AGREE WITH ALL THE STIPULATIONS.
UM, THE ONLY ONE THAT WE CANNOT, UM, COMPLY WITH IS WITH STIPULATION NUMBER THREE, UM, THE PRIMARY ORIENTATION TOWARDS OLD CORPUS CHRISTI ROAD.
[02:30:02]
AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE THERE'S A, LIKE A LOT IN FRONT BETWEEN THE STREET AND OUR PROPERTY.WE HAVE THE MASTER SITE THERE THIS MORNING WE PROTOTYPES AS WE DISCUSSED LAST TIME WHERE WE WERE USING THREE PROTOTYPES, UM, IN ALL THIS, UH, DEVELOPMENT LOTS, I BELIEVE ONE AND 21, THEY'RE WITH THE RED DOTS.
WE'RE PROPOSING TO USE ONE A WHERE WE ADDED LIKE A LITTLE EXTENSION ON THE ROOF ON THE MAIN ENTRANCE.
SO THE MAINTENANCE WILL BE FACING ALL CORPUS ROAD.
SO WE CANNOT MAKE BOTH ENTRANCES BECAUSE LIKE I SAID, THE CITY WILL NOT APPROVE A A DRIVEWAY AND THERE'S A, AN EMPTY LOT BETWEEN OUR LOT AND THE STREET.
SO THAT IS, THAT'S A PROTOTYPE OPTION A, WHICH IS GONNA BE USED ON THOSE TWO LOTS.
ALL THE RECOMMENDATIONS WERE OKAY WITH COMPLAINING WITH OUR LOGO.
I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE I HEARD YOU CLEARLY, 'CAUSE YOU YOU WERE SPEAKING KIND OF LOUD, YOU SAID, SO, UM, YOU, YOU MENTIONED ALL THE OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS YOU YES.
YOU AGREE WITH? YEAH, WE, WE ARE AGREE ON.
I'LL START WITH YOU ON THE END QUESTIONS, GUYS.
SIR, MR. CHAIR, WE HAD THE, THE, UH, I, I, I GUESS THE FIRST, UH, UH, UH, QUESTIONS OR OBJECTIONS TO NOT HAVING THE MODELS THAT HAD THE DOORS TO THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING AND, AND THEY'VE MADE GOOD EFFORTS TO DO THAT.
I SEE THE LIMITATIONS IN THE TWO STRUCTURES THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT OR THE TWO LOTS THAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THEY, THEY WANNA MEET ALL, UM, ALL THE STIPULATIONS OF STAFF IF THERE AREN'T A LOT OF QUESTIONS, I JUST SORT PUT THAT OUT THERE THAT I'D BE WILLING TO MAKE A MOTION.
OKAY, SO YOU PASS ON YOUR QUESTION AND YOU JUST WANT YES, SIR.
COMMISSIONER SAVINO? UH, YEAH, WHAT IS THE PLAN FOR THOSE TWO OTHER LOTS? 2248 AND 2245.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THAT? SORRY, I DON'T HAVE, THOSE ARE THE LOTS FRONTING OLD, UH, PURPOSES.
THE FLOOR PIN UHHUH, THE FLOOR PIN IS THE ONE THAT WE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, YOU HAVE IT THERE.
WHAT'S THE PLAN FOR THAT? WHERE MEAN THE PLAN? UM, WILL YOU BE BUILDING ON THAT OR, OH, NO, NO.
THAT THAT'S, THAT USED LIKE A DRAINAGE SYSTEM BECAUSE, UH, IN THAT CORNER WHERE THE LOLO, LORRAINE LANE IS UHHUH, THERE'S AN INLET FOR A DRAINAGE.
SO THOSE TWO LOTS, THOSE SMALL LOTS ARE USED FOR THAT.
SO WOULD THERE BE A LANDSCAPE? YES.
LANDSCAPE? YES, THAT'S CORRECT.
AND I'M SORRY, I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND.
UH, IS THERE A WAY THAT THAT LOT CAN BE COMBINED WITH 2243 OR THAT'S SOMETHING YOU THOUGHT OF AFTER? WELL, I DON'T UNDERSTAND.
WELL, I BELIEVE IT WAS PLATTED LIKE THAT BECAUSE OF THE SAME REASON FOR DRAINAGE PURPOSES AND A ALONG, AND THERE'S AN, THERE'S ALSO, UM, AN ELECTRICAL LIMAN IF YOU SEE.
OKAY, SO LET'S GO BACK TO THE, TO THE PLAN SITE OR PLOT.
SO, AND YOU HAVE THE DRIVEWAY.
SO THE ONLY THING ON YOUR DESIGN FOR PROTOTYPE TWO THAT YOU WANNA IMPLEMENT THERE IS THAT YOU CHANGED A FRONT DOOR, BUT EVERYTHING IS THE SAME AS PROTOTYPE ONE B OR PROTOTYPE ONE IS THE SAME FLOOR PLAN LAYOUT, IT HAS TWO DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS AND PROTOTYPE THOSE.
PROTOTYPE ONE IS THE, THE ENTRANCE ARE ON THE SIDES.
PROTOTYPE TWO, THEY HAVE THE MAIN ENTRANCE FACING THE STREET, UHHUH
AND THOSE ARE THE ONLY TWO, RIGHT? WE HAVE TWO AND ONE, YES, WE HAVE TWO FOUR PLANS AND ARE GONNA BE SWITCHING.
YEAH, WE HAVE THREE DIFFERENT ELEVATIONS.
HAVE YOU THOUGHT OF DOING, UH, JUST SINGLE HOME ON THOSE LOTS, THOSE FRONTING? I'M JUST THE ARCHITECT.
I'M NOT THE OWNER, SO I, I BELIEVE THAT WAS, UM, IT WAS PLATTERED AS AN MF 33 AS WELL FOR MULTIFAMILY.
COMMISSIONER TRAVIESO N NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.
NO, COMMISSIONER GUEVARA? NO QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW.
COMMISSIONER MAMAN? NO QUESTIONS.
COMMISSIONER GALLOWAY? NO QUESTIONS MR. CHAIR? THANK YOU.
UM, THANK YOU FOR WORKING WITH THE OWNER AND COMING UP WITH A PLAN
[02:35:01]
WITH DOORS FACING THE, THE PUBLIC STREET.UM, ONE OF THE DISCUSSION TOPICS LAST TIME WAS, UH, HOW TO THE HOMES ADDRESS THE PUBLIC STREET AND CONTRIBUTE TO, AND THIS IS RATHER ESOTERIC, BUT HOW DOES IT CONTRIBUTE TO A NEIGHBORHOOD IN A COMMUNITY? AND THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION THAT, UH, FRONT FACING DOORS, UH, HAS SEVERAL ADVANTAGES.
YOU CAN LOOK OUT AND SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE STREET AND KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS.
UM, ALSO, UM, WITH THE DOORS, UH, ENTRY DOORS AROUND THE SIDE, UM, THERE'S NOT MUCH INTERACTION WITH THE, WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS.
UH, I KNOW THESE ARE RENTALS, BUT, UM, WAS THERE ANY, ONCE YOU CAME UP WITH THE PLAN TO HAVE THE FRONT DOORS FACING THE PUBLIC STREET, WAS THERE ANY DISCUSSION TO HAVE ALL OF THE HOUSES HAVE THEIR DOORS FACING THE PUBLIC STREET? YEAH, BUT I BELIEVE THAT QUESTION WAS ASKED TO THE OWNER WHEN HE WAS HERE LAST TIME.
AND, UH, HE SAYS BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE AND THEY'RE MORE PROFITABLE HAVING ON THE SIDE, BUT HE DID, UH, CONFIRM OR AGREE HAVING SOME DUPLEXES FACING THE, THE MAIN STREET.
SO ABOUT A THIRD OF THE HOUSES HAVE THEM FACING THE PUBLIC STREET.
UH, WITH THE OWNER, NOT HERE, IT'S HARD TO ASK QUESTIONS LIKE THIS, BUT, UH, WOULD THERE BE ANY OPPORTUNITY TO SWITCH IT TO TWO THIRDS OF THE HOUSES FACING THE PUBLIC STREET, THE FRONT DOORS? I DON'T SEE WHY I CAN, WE CAN, I CAN ASK AS OPPOSED TO TWO THIRDS HAVING THE SIDE DOORS, JUST SO, UM, THE, THE PUBLIC REALM BECOMES PART OF THE, THE WAY PEOPLE LIVE, UH, HAVING THE FRONT DOOR, FACING THE PUBLIC WAY.
SO YOU THINK HE MIGHT BE AMENABLE TO THAT? YEAH.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION PLEASE? UH, MOTION TO, WELL, THIS TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION WITH COMMISSIONER FITZER, UH, IS ASKING AND WHAT THE GENTLEMAN IS, UH, AFFIRMING, UH, A, A MOTION TO APPROVE WITH STAFF STIPULATIONS, UM, WITH A, WITH A MAJORITY OF FRONT DOORS FACING THE STREET, WHICH WOULD BE OVER 50% LESS THAN A THIRD, LESS THAN 33% YOU SAY OVER.
IS THAT SUFFICIENT? COMMISSIONER FEER TO YOUR, I YOU SAID TWO THIRDS, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE'S A THIRD THAT IS NOT SO RIGHT.
UH, 66% MR. CHAIR WAS, UM, ITEM NUMBER THREE.
MOTION TO, TO APPROVE ITS STAFF STIPULATIONS WITH, UM, 66% OR MORE FRONT FACING DOORS.
IM PROPERLY SECOND DISCUSSION.
UM, WAIT, HOLD ON, HOLD ON FOR A SECOND.
YOU HAVE ANY, UM, COMMENTS, SIR? NO, I'M TALKING COMMENTS.
NOW, PROCEDURALLY, PROCEDURALLY DID WE, UM, UM, AGREE ON STIPULATION NUMBER THREE? YES.
TO REMOVE THAT? SO THAT SHOULD BE IN THE MOTION TO REMOVE STIPULATION.
YEAH, IT WAS, IT WAS PART OF THE MOTION IF, UM, IF I'M CORRECT, RIGHT.
THAT WAS PART OF THAT MOTION, BUT IT WAS JUST STAFF STIPULATIONS.
BUT THERE'S A, YEAH, SO I JUST FOR CLARIFICATION, YOU'RE INCLUDING STIPULATION THREE OR REMOVING STIPULATION THREE FROM YOUR MOTION, BECAUSE STIPULATION THREE WOULD SAY THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE PROTOTYPE TWO FACING OLD CORPUS CHRISTI AND NOT THE COMMON DRIVE OR THE COMMON STREET, WHICH IS LOLO LOREN OR WHATEVER.
WELL, THE, THE MAJORITY ARE FACING THE INNER DRIVE, NOT, NOT OLD CORPUS CHRISTI, RIGHT? CORRECT.
BUT STAFF STIPULATION IS THAT THE TWO EASTERNMOST LOTS THAT THE ORIENTATION FACE OLD CORPUS CHRISTI, I GET YOU.
WELL, THE, THE, THE, THE APPLICANT IS, IS SAYING THAT THERE, THERE ARE, UM, PLAN REASONS, STRUCTURAL REASONS WHY THAT CAN'T OCCUR.
[02:40:01]
SO I GUESS IT'S WITHOUT THE STIPULATION THREE.HOW I SAY THE SECOND CONCUR? THANK YOU.
OKAY, NOW, SO, UM, ANY COMMENTS? OKAY, COMMISSIONER HOLLAND, NO COMMENTS.
COMMISSIONER SABINO? NOPE, I'M GOOD.
COMMISSIONER GROUP, I, YES, I HAVE MANY CONCERNS.
SO PROP TYPE TWO DOES ALREADY HAVE A FRONT DOOR NEXT TO A GARAGE.
SO IF, WHICH, SO IN YOUR MOTION, YOU'RE ASKING FOR PROTOTYPE TWO TO BE THE MAJORITY OF THE DESIGN OF THE WHOLE, CAN YOU SHOW US THE OTHER PROTOTYPE, WHICH IS PLAIN SIM? SO THIS IS THE PROTOTYPE THAT YOU MADE THE CHANGES TO SO THAT THERE WOULD BE A DOOR FACING OLD CORPUS CHRISTI? THAT'S CORRECT.
THAT WAS REALLY JUST YOUR CHANGE.
UH, THE MOTION DOES NOT SAY THAT WE ACCEPT THIS AS A PROTOTYPE.
THIS WAS JUST AN OPTION YOU PRESENTED TODAY FOR THAT TWO LOTS.
SORRY THAT THAT OPTION WAS PRESENTED LAST TIME.
YEAH, THE, THE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THEY ASKED US WAS TO INCLUDE SOMETHING ON, ON THE ENTRANCE TO BEFORE.
SO YOU MOVED THE BACK DOOR TO THE FACING OLD CORPUS CHRISTI.
SO MY PROBLEM IS, I'M, LET'S GO BACK TO DISCUSSION.
I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M ENGAGING HERE.
I STILL FEEL LIKE, UM, THE PROTOTYPE TWO ONLY HAS LIKE A DRIVEWAY AND HAS BACK DOORS, ALMOST LIKE BACK DOORS IS LIKE KIND OF WHERE YOU GO IN, RIGHT? SO PROTOTYPE TWO, YES, HAS A FRONT FACING GARAGE, BUT ALSO HAS A, A KIND OF A FRONT ENTRY, FRONT ENTRANCE TO THE BUILDING.
WHEN WE LOOK AT PROTOTYPE TWO THEN, SORRY, THE OTHER ONE,
THEN I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE GARAGES THAT'S ALMOST LIKE COMING IN FROM THE BACK BECAUSE THERE'S NO REALLY A DOOR FROM THAT SAME FA FACE.
AND THEN WE HAVE A LITTLE SIDE DOOR, WHICH IS VERY SIMILAR TO THE TWO BACK DOORS.
SO IT'S ALMOST LIKE, OH, WE ADDED A THIRD BACK DOOR TO THE SIDE, RIGHT? SO YOU HAVE A BACK DOOR AND YOU HAVE A SIDE DOOR, AND THEN YOU HAVE FRONT GARAGES.
SO I'M NOT GONNA PROVE I'M NOT GONNA, I'M NOT GONNA SUPPORT THE MOTION AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE YOU'RE, THE WHOLE POINT I THINK WAS WORTH GOING BACK TO A DRAWING BOARD WAS TRYING TO FIND A COMPLETE THIRD OPTION FOR THE FRONT FACING, REALLY MAKING IT MORE LIKE A FRONT FACING, HAVING ROOF ELEMENTS, LIKE I WOULD'VE TAKEN ELEMENTS FROM THE FRONT ELEVATION AND PUT IT ON THE SIDE ELEVATION TO MAKE IT ALMOST LOOK LIKE MORE FRONT.
LIKE I THINK PROTOTYPE B OR ONE B, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, NEEDS FURTHER.
I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU HOW TO DESIGN IT NEEDS FURTHER WORK.
TWO, LOOK LIKE WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO INTEND WITH PROTOTYPE TWO, WHICH IS MAKING IT OKAY, YOU HAVE A GARAGE TO THE DRIVE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE ANOTHER OPTION IF NOT TO DRIVE IN, BUT WE ALSO MADE AN EFFORT TO MAKE LIKE A FRONT DOOR, FRONT ENTRY ON THAT SAME DRIVEWAY.
SO THAT'S HOW I STAND RIGHT NOW AND I THINK THAT ALL OF THE STIPULATIONS, UH, SHOULD BE KEPT IN THE RECOMMENDATION.
THANK YOU COMMISSIONER TRATO, NO COMMENT AT THIS TIME.
COMMISSIONER MAZUA? NOT AT THIS TIME.
COMMISSIONER MAMAN? NO COMMENT SIR.
COMMISSIONER GALLOWAY? NO COMMENTS MR. CHAIR? THANK YOU.
VICE CHAIR, PROFESSOR, NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.
MAY I HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE, MA'AM? AYE.
COMMISSIONERS, BEFORE WE READ THIS ONE INTO THE RECORD, UM, WE JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT THE APPLICANT MAY HAVE DROPPED OFF SINCE HE HAD LET ME KNOW BEFOREHAND.
HOWEVER, HE'S, THE REASON I'M SAYING THIS IS BECAUSE HE STILL APPEARS ON HERE.
UM, GREG, ARE, ARE YOU ONLINE? SO HE, I THINK HE'S ON HIS PHONE, SO IF YOU HIT STAR SIX, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNMUTE.
WE CAN'T HEAR YOU RIGHT NOW, GREG.
WE'LL GIVE HIM SOME MORE TIME TO RESPOND.
OR NOW WE'LL GO TO CASE 14, THEN WE'LL COME BACK TO 13.
[02:45:28]
OKAY.AGENDA, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 14, HDRC, CASE NUMBER 2026 DASH 2 14 2 0 6 LACA STREET.
THE APPLICANT'S REQUESTING A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR APPROVAL TO ONE, WIDEN THE FRONT ENTRY TO INCORPORATE DOUBLE DOORS WITH THE TRANSOM WINDOW AND SIDELIGHTS.
TWO, MODIFY THE FRONT PORCH TO INCLUDE THE REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING COLUMNS, FLOORING, ROOF FORM, AND ROOFING MATERIAL.
THREE, REMOVE THE TUUS STUCCO AND FAUX BLOCK STAMP AND ELA MERRICK PAINT ON THE FRONT FACADE TO EXPOSE THE CALICHE BLOCK UNDERNEATH WITHOUT THE ADDITION OF TREATED HYDRAULIC LIME BASED PLASTER.
STAFF RECON, UH, STAFF DOES NOT RECOMMEND APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO WIDEN THE FRONT ENTRYWAY.
BASED ON THE FINDINGS, A THROUGH D STAFF RECOMMENDS THAT THE APPLICANT RETAIN THE HISTORIC DIMENSIONS OF THE FRONT ENTRYWAY AND REPAIR EXISTING DOORS, TRANSOM, AND SIDE LIGHTS IN KIND.
ITEM TWO, STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO MODIFY THE FRONT PORCH BASED ON THE FINDINGS WITH THE FOLLOWING STIPULATIONS.
ONE, THAT THE APPLICANT RETAINED THE EXISTING FRONT PORCH ROOF FORM TWO, THAT THE APPLICANT INSTALLED ONE BY THREE TONGUE AND GROOVE DECKING PERPENDICULAR TO THE FRONT WALL PLANE WITH THE ADDITION OF A SLIGHT SLOPE TO ALLOW FOR RUNOFF.
THREE, THAT THE APPLICANT INSTALL A STANDING SEA METAL ROOF WITH STAFF STANDARD STIPULATIONS FOUR, THAT THE APPLICANT INSTALL COLUMNS TO MATCH THE HISTORIC PY LASTERS ON SITE.
ITEM THREE, STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL OF THE REQUEST TO REMOVE THE FAUX BLOCK STAMP STUCCO AT THE FRONT FACADE BASED ON THE FINDINGS WITH THE STIPULATION.
THAT ONE, THAT THE APPLICANT TREAT THE EXPOSED CALICHE BLOCK WALL WITH TREATED HYDRAULIC LINE, BLA BASED PLASTER.
UM, THE APPLICANT IN COTTON, UH, ESTES IS HERE IN PERSON.
THERE'S ONE LETTER IN YOUR FOLDER FOR YOUR REVIEW.
UM, COTTON, IF YOU WANNA COME UP, YOU'LL HAVE 12 MINUTES TO WALK THE COMMISSIONERS THROUGH YOUR REQUEST.
UM, AND IF YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO PULL UP ANYTHING SPECIFIC, JUST LET ME KNOW.
UM, CHAIRMAN GIBBS, COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME, UM, STICKING AROUND.
I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE AND SHARE WITH YOU THIS CASE.
UM, 2 0 6 LAVACCA IS, UM, IT'S A REALLY COOL BUILDING.
I THINK IT'S A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH RIGHT NOW.
UM, IT'S, UH, SEEN A LOT OVER THE YEARS.
UM, TODAY I THINK WE'LL BE FOCUSING ON ITEM NUMBER ONE, 2.1 AND 3.1.
UM, WE AGREE TO STIPULATIONS 2.2 AND 2.3.
UM, STARTING WITH ITEM NUMBER ONE, UH, LET'S START OFF WITH THE FLOOR PLAN ON PAGE 16, I'D JUST LIKE TO SHOW YOU ZOOMING OUT, UM, SO YOU CAN UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE HISTORY OF MODIFICATIONS TO THE BUILDING AND, UM, WHAT OUR OVERALL CONCEPT IS FOR THE, UM, PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS AND RESTORATION OF THIS, THIS BUILDING, UM, IT'S REALLY BEEN CARVED UP INSIDE AND ADDED TO OVER THE YEARS.
UM, YOU CAN SEE A NUMBER OF, OF, UM, NON-COMPLIANT OR ILLEGAL WINDOWLESS ROOMS DEEP INSIDE THE BUILDING.
SO THIS IS A CALICHE BLOCK HOME BUILT IN 1875 AND IT'S 50 FEET WIDE, WHICH IS THE, UM, SORRY, 57 WIDE.
IT'S THE WIDEST CALICHE BLOCK HOME OF SIMILAR STYLE HOMES IN THE LAVACCA NEIGHBORHOOD THAT I'M AWARE OF.
SO I BELIEVE IT WAS CONSTRUCTED, UM, PROBABLY AS A DUPLEX, UH, BECAUSE OF ITS WIDTH, GREAT WIDTH.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE WHICH WALLS ARE ORIGINAL CALICHE BY THE THICKNESS.
UM, SO THERE WAS ORIGINALLY PRESUMABLY A PASS THROUGH A VERY GENEROUS 10 FOOT WIDE HALLWAY THAT CONNECTED, UM, WHAT I BELIEVE WHAT I IMAGINE WERE TWO, TWO SEPARATE UNITS ON EITHER SIDE.
SO OUR INTENT IS TO, UM, LET THIS HOME BREATHE AND TAKE, UH, TAKE AWAY, UM, NUMEROUS ADDITIONS, LAVA AND GRADE THAT ARE SINKING INTO THE GROUND AND TEARING AT THE CALICHE AND LIMESTONE FOUNDATIONS.
AND, UM, RESTORE THIS THROUGH ACCESS DOWN THE CENTER OF THE HOME, WHICH WE HOPE WILL INVOLVE ENLARGING THE FRONT ENTRY.
[02:50:01]
CONSISTS OF A THREE FOOT WIDE DOOR AND TWO SIDELIGHTS.SO THE OVERALL OPENING IS FIVE FOOT SEVEN AND A HALF.
UM, WE'RE PROPOSING TO ENLARGE THAT TO, UH, NINE FOOT SIX, UH, CLEAR OPENING THAT WOULD REFLECT THE PROPORTIONS OF THE GENEROUS ENTRY HALL ON THE INTERIOR.
UM, I WOULD, LET'S GO TO, UM, PAGE, UH, PAGE TWO BREAKS DOWN 50 FEET.
SO ONE OTHER, UM, I THINK REALLY DISTINGUISHING FEATURE OF THIS HOME IS ITS RELATIONSHIP TO ITS NEIGHBORS.
YOU CAN SEE, UM, EAST AND WEST OF THIS HOME ARE CONTEMPORANEOUS HOMES, UH, OF NARROWER WIDTH.
THESE ARE CALICHE BLOCK HOMES, AT LEAST THE FOUR, THE FIRST, UH, FIVE HOMES YOU SEE THERE, UH, SIX HOMES, SIX HOMES YOU SEE ARE KELECHI BLOCK HOMES.
THIS IS THE WIDEST AMONG THEM WITH A VERY SIMILAR SETBACK AND FRONT PORCH.
UM, SO NOW IF WE CAN GO TO THE, UH, FINAL, LET'S SEE PAGE, I THINK IT'S PAGE 12.
SO WE CONDUCTED A PRETTY IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS OF FRONT ENTRY WIDTHS IN PROPORTION TO, UM, THE OVERALL FACADE WIDTH.
OUR ANALYSIS IS SO IN DEPTH, BUT
UH, SO IF YOU JUST SLOWLY GO BACKWARD, THAT'S GREAT.
SO WITHIN THE HISTORIC, UM, DISTRICT OF CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES, UH, WE ANALYZED BUILDINGS WITH SIMILAR FACADE AND ENTRY RATIOS AND FOUND ACTUALLY A REALLY STRIKING PATTERN.
UM, SO HERE ARE THE STRUCTURES.
WE ANALYZED THE ENTRY WIDTH IN COMPARISON TO THE FACADE WIDTH, AND WE FOUND THAT OF THE EIGHT STRUCTURES WE LOOKED AT THAT ARE CONTEMPORANEOUS WITH 2 0 6 LAVACCA, UM, THAT RATIO RANGES BETWEEN 19.1 AND 19 POINT, UM, UH, EIGHT, I BELIEVE.
SORRY, MY NOTES ARE VERY SMALL, BUT IT'S IN THIS DOCUMENT, IT'S WITHIN 19%, ALL EIGHT OF THE STRUCTURES THAT WE ANALYZED.
THE CURRENT, THE EXISTING OPENING WITH, UH, 2 0 6 LAVACCA IS, UM, 11%.
SO IT'S DISPROPORTIONATELY SMALL.
THIS IS AN EXTREMELY WIDE BUILDING COMPARED TO ITS NEIGHBORS AND ITS ENTRY, IT'S VERY, VERY SMALL.
SO YOU, I THINK YOU CAN SENSE THAT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE EXISTING FACADE, IT FEELS VERY CLOSED OFF.
SO WHAT WE'RE PROPOSING IS 17 POINT, UM, I'M SORRY, I FORGET THE PERCENTAGE.
IT'S 17 POINT SOMETHING PERCENT OF THE OVERALL WIDTH OF THE ENTRY.
UM, SO WE FEEL THAT'S MUCH MORE PROPORTIONAL AND IN KEEPING WITH PATTERNS THAT WE SEE THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, FINALLY, I THINK THIS, UH, THIS REALLY CONTRIBUTES TO A SENSE OF, OF WELCOMENESS WELCOMING, UH, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND HELPS TO BREAK DOWN AN ABNORMALLY LARGE, UM, OPAQUE MASS OF THIS FRONT FACADE.
SO, UH, THOSE TWO, THE WIDTH OF THE EITHER SIDE ACROSS FROM THE ENTRY IS, IS MUCH MORE PROPORTIONAL TO TYPICAL, UM, NEIGHBORING STRUCTURES YOU WOULD SEE.
SO THAT'S, I THINK, UM, A SUMMARY OF ITEM NUMBER ONE, THAT IT'S, UM, PART OF THE CONCEPT OF THIS KIND OF DOUBLE WIDE, UH, ORIGINAL STRUCTURE.
IT'S, UM, VERY APPROPRIATE WITH PATTERNS WE OBSERVE THROUGHOUT CONTEMPORARY, UM, HOMES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND, AND THAT IT, UM, IS AN IMPROVEMENT TO, TO THE MASSING AND IN KEEPING WITH, OF COURSE, IN KEEPING WITH THE HISTORIC DETAILING OF FENESTRATION IN THE ORIGINAL HOME.
UM, SO ITEM NUMBER TWO, THE, UH, ROOF FORM, UM, STAFF HAS PROPOSED A HIP ROOF FORM.
UM, YOU SEE FRONT PORCHES WITH BOTH SHEDS AND HIPS THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, THE, UH, PORT, THE WINDOW HEAD HEIGHT IS AT EIGHT FEET.
THIS IS MAYBE LOWER THAN SOME BUILDINGS AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, THE FINISHED FLOOR IS ONLY ABOUT SIX INCHES ABOVE GRADE CURRENTLY, OR EIGHT INCHES ON THE FRONT FACADE.
SO MY CONCERN WITH THE HIP IS, UM, WHAT YOU SEE WITH THE NON-ORIGINAL PORCH ROOF NOW, WHICH IS THAT THE HIP
[02:55:01]
RAFTER MEMBERS COME UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE TO THE WINDOW HEAD HEIGHT.UM, SO MY FEELING IS THAT A SHED ROOF WOULD ALLOW, UM, ADEQUATE VISUAL BREATHING ROOM BETWEEN THE EXISTING WINDOW TRIM, HEAD HEIGHT AND, AND THOSE RAFTER TAILS.
UM, I I WAS THINKING PERHAPS A COMPROMISE WOULD BE A STRAIGHT FASCIA BOARD.
SO ALTHOUGH THE ROOF WOULD BE A MONO PITCH, THE FASCIA COULD RETURN, UM, UH, IN LINE VERSUS REVEALING THE, THE SLOPE OF THE, THE ROOF.
UM, SO I THINK, I THINK WE, WE COULD PROPOSE THAT MAYBE AS A COMPROMISE TO, TO A HIP THAT WOULD, UM, GIVE, GIVE ROOM FOR THE WINDOW HEAD WITHOUT, UM, THE RAFTERS COMING UNCOMFORTABLY CLOSE THERE IF WE WERE TO DO A HIP DRIFT.
SO FINALLY, UM, ITEM NUMBER 3.1, UH, THE CCHI.
THIS IS, UM, I THINK IT REALLY, WELL, FIRST OF ALL, I'LL, I'LL START BY SAYING THAT THE FRONT PORCH IS EIGHT FOOT SIX DEEP.
UM, IT'S VERY DEEP FRONT PORCH, SO WE BELIEVE THAT THE CALICHE WOULD BE VERY WELL PROTECTED.
SO WE'RE PROPOSING CALICHE JUST UNDER THAT VERY DEEP OVERHANG.
UM, AND SECONDLY, IT, UM, EXPOSING THE CALICHE ON THE FRONT PORCH WOULD BE CONSISTENT WITH IMMEDIATE NEIGHBORS, UM, SPECIFICALLY 2 0 2 AND TWO 10 LAVACCA.
AND YOU RECALL FROM THOSE SANBORN MAPS, THIS HOME HAS A VERY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP TO ITS NEIGHBORS IN TERMS OF PROPORTIONS, SETBACK, MATERIALITY, UM, BOTH OF THE, THOSE NEIGHBORING STRUCTURES THAT WERE BUILT WITHIN YEARS OF EACH OTHER, UM, HAVE EXPOSED CALICHE FACING THE STREET.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, CALICHE IS SUCH A, AN EXQUISITE, UM, RARE CONSTRUCTION TYPE TO, TO OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND, UH, WE ARE PROPOSING TO FULLY PROTECTED FROM THE ELEMENTS WHERE IT'S CURRENTLY EXPOSED, WHERE THERE ARE NO OVERHANGS.
WE'RE PROPOSING A BREATHABLE HYDRAULIC LINE BASED PLASTER TO PROTECT THOSE ELEMENTS, BUT EXPOSING IT WHERE IT IS NATURALLY WELL PROTECTED BY THE OVERHANG WE FEEL WOULD HELP TO, TO REINFORCE SUCH A CHARACTER DEFINING FEATURE OF LAVACCA AND SAN ANTONIO.
AND, UM, BRING THIS BACK, UM, IN, IN STEP WITH ITS, WITH ITS CONTEXT.
WE HAVE A, A LETTER FROM, UH, CURTIS HUNT RESTORATIONS, WHICH IS A GREAT MASON AND SAN ANTONIO WHO HAS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE WITH THESE BUILDING TYPES.
UM, HIS LETTER STATES, HE THINKS THIS FAE, UH, STAMP PATTERN IS, IS NON-ORIGINAL AND IS CAUSING HARM TO THE CCHI.
SO REMOVING THAT, UM, WHICH WE FIND TO BE VERY, UM, HISTORICALLY INAPPROPRIATE WOULD, WOULD ALLOW US TO EXPOSE THE, THE K TREE WHERE IT'S WELL PROTECTED.
SO I'LL STOP THERE AND MAKE ROOM FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
UM, SO THE COMMENT WE HAVE THERE, JUST, IT JUST IN A FOLDER WE HAVE NO, NO PUBLIC SPEAKERS, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
UM, QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT? SO WE'LL START OFF WITH, UM, OUR VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS, UM, COMMISSIONER GALLOWAY QUESTIONS? NO QUESTIONS, MR. CHAIR? THANK YOU.
COMMISSIONER GIVARE, NO QUESTIONS RIGHT NOW, MR. CHAIR.
I, I JUST HAD A, A QUESTION ABOUT HOW THE CEMENT FACADE IS GOING TO BE REMOVED WITHOUT DAMAGING THE CALICHE BLOCK, WHICH IS RATHER SOFT.
UM, UH, WE HAVE NOT, YOU KNOW, TOUCHED IT ASIDE FROM WHAT I DID ACCIDENTALLY WITH MY FINGER
AND IT CAME OFF VERY EASILY IN THAT ONE LOCATION.
UM, IT HAD SEPARATED FROM THE CALICHE, WHICH INDICATES THAT THERE'S ALREADY A RARE, A LAYER OF EROSION HAPPENING BETWEEN THE TWO, TWO LAYERS.
UM, SO THAT'S NOT TO SAY IT WILL BE THAT EASY ACROSS THE BOARD, BUT, UM, I HAVE GREAT CONFIDENCE IN, IN CURTIS HUNT RESTORATIONS.
IT'S THE RIGHT MASONS TO, UM, TO DO THIS PROPERLY AND THEN RESTORE.
OF COURSE, WE EXPECT SOME, WE'RE POINTING AND CAREFUL RETOUCHING, UM, TO REPAIR ANY DAMAGED.
AND JUST TO CLARIFY, STAFF IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL OF THAT SCOPE? Y YEAH, SO
[03:00:01]
STAFF IS RECOMMENDING APPROVAL FOR THE REMOVAL OF THE FAUX BLOCK STAMP, UM, UH, MATERIAL.UM, THE, THE POINT OF CONTENTION IS, IS THAT THE APPLICANT'S WANTING TO KEEP THE CALICHE BLOCK EXPOSED UNDERNEATH THE FRONT FACING PORCH.
UM, STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION IS, IS THAT IT SHOULD, UH, FEATURE OR SHOULD HAVE A HYDRAULIC LIME, UH, PLASTER APPLICATION TO PROTECT THE CALICHE BLOCK.
HERE, BUT I THOUGHT YOU SAID THAT TOO, COTTON, BUT YOU'RE WANTING TO DO A WASH AND NOT A FULL PLASTER TREATMENT? NO, I'M SORRY.
WE'RE PROPOSING NO WASH, NO TREATMENT AT ALL, CORRECT? YEAH, JUST RESTORATION OF THE CCHI.
I'M SORRY? IT'S IN YOUR SLIDES.
UH, UH, SO CURRENTLY THE CCHI IS ALSO EXPOSED ON THE WESTERN ELEVATION.
UM, SORRY, THAT'S THE, THE WESTERN ELEVATION IS THE ONLY ELEVATION.
THIS IS THE SIDE ELEVATION WHERE THE CCHI IS CURRENTLY EXPOSED.
AND WE ARE PROPOSING HYDRAULIC LIME PLASTER ON THAT ELEVATION BECAUSE THERE IS NO OVERHANG.
SO IT'S, UM, EX FULLY EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS, BUT UNDER THE DEEP FRONT PORCH, WE PROPOSED TO EXPOSED TO THE CCHI THERE.
MS. RABI HAS QUESTIONS, UH, JUST TO COMMENT.
UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
I KNOW IT'S LATE IN THE DAY, BUT YOU MADE A VERY GOOD PRESENTATION AND I UNDERSTAND THE STAFF HAS RECOMMENDED, UH, AND I'M LEANING TOWARDS OUR RECOMMENDATION OF APPROVAL.
UM, NOT EVEN PROTECTING THE PART THAT FROM THE NORTHWEST ELEVATION THEN TIES ON TO THE FRONT.
DON'T YOU THINK THERE'S A REASON FOR A LITTLE BIT OF A NEED THERE FOR PROTECTION? LIKE IF WE GO THAT PICTURE THAT YOU HAD A, UH, BRIAN, LIKE RIGHT THERE, THE NORTHWEST ELEVATION, THAT'S THE CALICHE THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE DOING A PROTECTION THERE, BUT YOU'RE NOT EVEN CONSIDERING, MAYBE, YOU KNOW, RIGHT WHEN YOU TURN TO THAT FRONT, MAYBE ALL THE WAY TO THE WINDOWS JUST TO KIND OF HAVE SOME PROTECTION BECAUSE I MEAN, IT'S A BIG OVERHANG ON THE LENGTHS, BUT IT DOESN'T OVERHANG SO MUCH.
YOU CAN EVEN SEE WHERE THE SUN RIGHT NOW IS HITTING.
I MEAN, I'M, YOU WOULD NOT DO ANYTHING AT ALL TO THE FRONT, UM, TO PROTECT THE NO, WE'RE PROPOSING WITHIN.
SO, AND WHAT'S, IF, WHAT'S GO TO THE FRONT ELEVATION, WHAT'S YOUR REASONING FOR THAT? UH, THAT THE PORCH OVERHANG IS VERY DEEP TOWARD, TOWARD THE NORTH AND EXTENDS ABOUT EIGHT INCHES EAST AND WEST.
SO THERE IS A BIT OF PROTECTION THERE.
UM, THERE'S A TRIM BOARD THAT WOULD SEPARATE THE RETURNING HYDRAULIC LIMB PLASTER FROM THE CCHI THAT'S INSET FROM THOSE OVERHANGS.
SO OUR, OUR HOPE IS THAT, IS IT AN ECONOMIC ISSUE? IS IT BECAUSE IT'S NO
I, I WOULD SAY TO REPOINT THE CALICHE VERSUS PLASTER OVER IT.
UM, SO I, THE NEIGHBORING HOMES, I, I SHOULD SAY ON THIS BLOCK OF LAVACCA STREET, UM, THERE ARE A TOTAL OF, UH, SIX CCHI BLOCK HOMES AND FIVE OUT OF THE SIX EXPOSE THE CALICHE.
SO WE FEEL THIS IS MORE APPROPRIATE AND KEEPING WITH, BUT YOU ARE EXPOSING IT OF THAT YOU'RE JUST NOT PROTECTED WITH ANYTHING, NOTHING LIKE YOU'RE DOING.
UM, I DON'T WANNA SPEND MORE TIME ON THAT.
ANOTHER QUESTION I HAD WAS, GO BACK TO THE FRONT DOORS.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED, UM, THIS THE FIRST TIME AN ARCHITECT HAS USED THAT AS AN ARGUMENT FOR EXPANDING? I DON'T THINK THAT THAT IS NOT A PATTERN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I DON'T THINK PERCENTAGE RATIOS IS A PATTERN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
I SEE A PATTERN RIGHT HERE, WHICH IS TWO FRONT DOORS.
HAVE YOU EXPLORED THAT? WHERE THERE IS A WIDE FACADE? ACTUALLY MOST, THE PATTERN IS, THAT'S ACTUALLY TWO FRONT DOORS, ONE NEXT TO EACH OTHER, SEPARATED BY A SOLID MM-HMM
UM, OH NO, WE HAVE NOT, HAVE NOT EXPLORED THAT.
SO I GUESS THAT WOULD MEAN, YOU KNOW, EXPANDING THE EXISTING CALICHE OPENING AND THEN INFILLING THE CURRENT.
NO, I MEAN, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ALREADY WANTING TO EXPAND, BUT YOU WANT ONE BIG, BUT YOU'RE DOING THIS BASED ON RATIOS AND SOME OF THESE RATIOS ARE, BECAUSE THERE'S TWO FRONT DOORS, AND RIGHT NOW YOU'RE WITHOUT EXPANDING, I MEAN, WHAT YOU WANT IS TO EXPAND THE OPENING TOWARDS ALMOST THE WIDTH OF THE HALLWAY, CORRECT? THAT'S CORRECT.
BUT YOU COULD ALSO DO TWO FRONT DOORS IN THE OPENING THAT THERE IS RIGHT NOW? NO, IT'S, IT'S FIVE FOOT SEVEN.
UH, WE COULD OR EXPAND IT ENOUGH TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE MAYBE THREE 15 BARRIER OR ONE 18 OR EVEN ONE 16.
I MEAN, I THINK THAT'S MORE LIKE THE PATTERN, BUT
[03:05:01]
OKAY.I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU, BUT I WANTED TO SAY IF YOU HAD EXPLORED THAT IDEA.
UM, I GOT A SLEW OF QUESTIONS.
LET'S SEE HOW MY TIME WORKS OUT.
WHAT IS THE DATE THIS IS FOR STAFF OR FOR YOU, MS. ESTES, WHAT'S THE DATE OR CAN YOU ESTIMATE THE DATE WHERE THIS CONCRETE WAS COARSED TO LOOK LIKE STONE? NO, WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO, AND WE ASKED CURTIS HUNT IF THEY HAD AN IMPRESSION OF THAT.
UM, THEY, THEY BELIEVE IT'S PORTLAND CEMENT.
ALTHOUGH WE KNOW PORTLAND GOES, GOES BACK, UM, THIS IS ANECDOTAL AND I MENTIONED THIS ON THE DRC COMMISSION, BUT MIKE HUNT, UM, BELIEVED HE KNEW THE MAN WHO INSTALLED IT.
UM, SO, UH, THAT'S NOT IN READING IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO GET THAT IN READING.
BUT, UM, I SUSPECT IT'S, IT'S PRETTY RECENT AND CONTEMPORARY WITH THE CURRENT FRONT PORCH 40, 50 YEARS.
NO, I WOULD GUESS 2020 IN THE LAST 20 YEARS WOULD BE MY BEST GUESS.
UM, ANY IDEA WHO THE ORIGINAL ARCHITECT WAS? THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, WE DID DO A LOT OF RESEARCH.
IT WAS, UM, IF I RECALL, IT WAS A HOMEOWNER BUILDER, UM, WHO HAD DONE, DONE SOME WORK IN THE AREA AS WELL.
'CAUSE MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE PROPORTIONALITY OF OPENINGS TO SOLID IS SIMILAR TO COMMISSIONER GROUP BEING VERNACULAR.
RARELY IS THERE THAT CONSCIOUSNESS TO CREATE SORT OF THAT OPENING, UM, OR THAT BALANCE.
I MEAN, IT'S MORE ABOUT THE STRUCTURE AND THE SPACES AND HOW THOSE ALIGN AND, YOU KNOW, WITH WINDOWS AND DOORS, UM, THAN AN ELEVATION TREATMENT, I WOULD THINK.
UM, UM, HOW MUCH STONE WILL YOU HAVE TO CUT TO TO GET THAT OPENING? ABOUT TWO FEET ON EITHER SIDE, TWO FEET OF STONE ON EITHER SIDE.
UM, AND I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION, BUT I CAN'T READ MY WRITING.
OH, ON
SHOWS A FAR WEST WINDOW, UM, AND THE COURSING ABOVE THAT WINDOW, I GUESS IT'S SLIDE 11, NORTHWEST ELEVATION, THE, UM, THE WAY THAT WAS DONE, IT IMPLIES THAT THE ROOF, THAT HIP PORCH ROOF IS CONTEMPORANEOUS WITH THAT CEMENT COARSE STONE.
WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THAT? I DO.
DO YOU THINK THAT'S, DOES THE DATING OF THAT WOOD KIND OF CORRESPOND WITH THE ELEVATION MATERIAL? UH, WE HAVEN'T DATED THE WOOD, BUT THE, UM, THE COLUMNS ARE REAL MISHMASH DIFFERENT TYPES OF, OF COLUMNS.
UM, THOSE ARE A LITTLE EASIER TO DATE AS SOMETHING MORE CONTEMPORARY.
I THINK UHHUH
COMMISSIONER HOLLAND? I JUST WANTED TO, I JUST WANTED TO COMMEND TO THE DESIGN.
UM, I FOLLOWED THE LOGIC ON THE OPENING, UM, AND I, I, I GET IT.
UM, THAT SAID, I WANTED YOU TO JUST ON THE, WHAT WAS THE, WHERE WERE THESE HOUSES THAT YOU LOOKED AT SPECIFICALLY FOR THE OPENINGS AND WHAT WAS THE, WHAT WAS THE RADIUS ON IN THE STUDY? YEAH, IF WE COULD GO BACK ONE SLIDE.
SO THESE ARE ALL, UM, DEEMED CONTRIBUTING STRUCTURES BY THE NATIONAL HISTORIC REGISTER.
UM, OUR SUBJECT PROPERTY IS HIGHLIGHTED THERE.
AND THE ONES, AND SPECIFICALLY THE PROPERTY.
THIS WAS A QUESTION YOU, I THINK YOU SAID EARLIER THE ANSWER, BUT HOW MANY OF THE CALICHE, UM, HOUSES IN THE AREA ARE NOT LIME WASHED? FIVE OUT OF THE SIX ON OUR BLOCK OF LAVACCA.
AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
UH, YOU ARE PROPOSING A WOOD PIE PLASTER ON THE PORCH THAT THE, UH, LIME WA LIME
[03:10:01]
PLASTER WOULD DIE INTO.SO YOU'VE GOT THE LIME PLASTER AND THE WOOD PIE PLASTER AS THAT BUFFER BEFORE YOU GET TO THE ACTUAL CALICHE BLOCK UNDER THE, UNDER THE PORCH.
UM, THE, HAVE YOU EXPLORED, I KNOW YOU, IN YOUR WRITTEN DESCRIPTION, YOU TALK ABOUT A BREEZEWAY THROUGH THE HOUSE, YOU HAVE THE DOUBLE DOORS AT THE, AT THE REAR, AND, UH, WANTED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, PROPOSING DOUBLE DOORS AT THE FRONT.
BUT WITH SIDELIGHTS, HAVE YOU EXPLORED PUTTING, GETTING RID OF THE SIDELIGHTS AND PUTTING A DOUBLE DOOR IN THE EXISTING WIDTH ON THE FRONT? WE DID.
I KNOW THERE'D BE NARROWER THAN THREE FEET, BUT YOU'D AT LEAST HAVE CLOSE TO FIVE FEET OF OPENING WITH THIS IF YOU USED SCREEN DOORS.
I THINK A 30 INCH DOOR WOULD BE AN ANOMALY AS A FRONT DOOR IN, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
THEY'RE CURRENTLY TH THREE FEET WIDE, UM, AS A DOUBLE DOOR.
YOU KNOW, TYPICALLY THOSE DOUBLE DOORS ARE LOCKED WITH CANE BOLTS.
ACCESSIBILITY IS A CONSIDERATION HERE.
SO OPENING ONE ONE LEAF WOULD MAKE THE HOUSE INACCESSIBLE AT 30 INCHES WIDE.
UM, AND THEN SECONDLY, OUR PROPORTION, UM, OUR APPROACH TO THE PROPORTION.
RIGHT NOW, THE FRONT FACADE FEELS VERY CLOSED OFF.
IT'S VERY, VERY WIDE, UM, LARGELY OPAQUE FACADE COMPARED TO MANY OF THE, THE NEIGHBORING HOME, SMALLER WITS AND GREATER PROPORTIONS OF OPENINGS.
SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, A STRATEGIC, UM, IDEA ABOUT KEEPING WITH THE DEGREE OF OPENNESS AND MASSING, UH, THAT WE SEE AMONG CONTEMPORARY HOMES.
UM, I CAN'T REMEMBER, ARE THERE ANY EXAMPLES OF CALICHE, UH, BLOCK HOMES WITH DOUBLE DOORS, BUT OUTSIDE LIGHTS? UH, LET'S SEE.
THERE IS SINGLE, YOU HAVE SOME OTHER SINGLE DOORS WITH SIDELIGHTS AND THEN SINGLE DOORS WITHOUT SIDELIGHTS MM-HMM
BUT YOU DON'T HAVE A DOUBLE DOOR WITH SIDELIGHTS.
AND THE, I THINK MOST OF THESE FACADE WIDTHS MAX OUT AROUND 36 FEET AS WELL.
UM, SO WE'RE AT 50 FOOT SEVEN.
IT'S ABNORMALLY, UM, WIDER RIGHT.
THAN MOST, I GUESS I WAS LOOKING FOR A, AN OPTION TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF REMOVAL OF ORIGINAL CALICHE BLOCK AT THE ENTRY.
AND SO IF, IF YOU ONLY HAD IT WIDE ENOUGH FOR TWO, THREE OH DOORS WITHOUT THE SIDELIGHTS, THEN THE DEMOLITION OR THE DECONSTRUCTION WOULD BE MINIMIZED.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'D BE SOMETHING YOU'D CONSIDER.
SO THE OVERALL OPENING WITH, WE WOULD GO FROM FIVE FOOT SEVEN TO SIX, SIX FEET.
UM, I'M SORRY, I'M NOT SURE WE WOULD
WAS, WAS THE QUESTION, WILL WE DO THAT? WOULD YOU CONSIDER IT? WE WOULD CONSIDER IT PUTTING, PUTTING IN THE, UH, ACCESSIBLE PAIR OF DOORS WITH OUTSIDE LIGHTS TO MINIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF CALICHE REMOVAL.
I'M GONNA DO A MOTION TO, UM, MOVE THE FORWARD.
UM, SORRY, I'M JUST TRYING TO GET MY STIPULATIONS HERE.
UM, I'M GONNA MOVE TO NOT APPROVE NUMBER ONE AS OF NOW.
APPROVE NUMBER TWO WITH, UM, APPLICA, UH, WITH STIPULATION TWO AND THREE, AND APPROVE NUMBER THREE WITH A STIPULATION THAT
SECOND, A CLARIFY QUESTION FOR CLARIFICATION.
SO YOU ARE NOT APPROVING THE WIDENING OF THE FRONT DOOR, CORRECT? NOT AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
[03:15:01]
SOME WORK TO BE DONE.UM, WE JUST HAD A WHOLE ROUND OF DISCUSSION.
I KNOW IT MATCHES MORE THE STUCCO, IT WON'T MATCH THE CALICHE.
I KNOW, BUT WE JUST HAD A ROUND OF DISCUSSION OF A HOME THAT HAD BEEN, YOU KNOW, ADDED ON AND CHANGED THE FRONT SO MUCH THAT IT WASN'T, THE DESIGN THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING TODAY IS NOT EITHER SOMETHING THAT GOES WITH A KELECHI FRONT HOME LIKE THIS IS, I'M VERY MODERN, BUT IT DOESN'T EVEN GO WITH ANYTHING.
THERE'S NO PATTERN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF WHAT YOU'RE SHOWING TODAY.
AND I'M, AND I'M SORRY, PERCENTAGE OF RATIOS HAVE NEVER BEEN USED TO PROVE A PATTERN IN A NEIGHBORHOOD.
I THINK WE HAVE TO LOOK AT, THERE'S SO MANY BEAUTIFUL KELECHI HOMES THAT ARE BEING BROUGHT TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT WAS IN THE PAST WITH ORIGINAL OPENINGS.
I AM, I'M NOT SURE COMMISSIONER FETZER'S SOLUTION WAS EITHER VERY CLEAR, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DO TWO DOORS.
IF YOU NEED SIX FEET, THEN YOU'RE STILL EXPANDING AND YOU CAN'T REALLY JUST OPEN ONE OR THE OTHER.
SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST FEEL LIKE WE'RE NOT MAKING THE DECISION FOR YOU, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO EXPLORE SOMETHING THAT IS MORE INCONSISTENT WITH WHAT THE NORMALLY THESE HOMES HAVE, WHICH IS PROBABLY GONNA BE TWO DOORS NEXT TO EACH OTHER, OR ONE DOOR.
I MEAN, SIMILAR, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO THE SIZE OF THE OPENING THAT IS RIGHT NOW WITHOUT THE LIGHTS, I DON'T KNOW.
BUT WIDENING IT AND HOW IT'S PRESENTED RIGHT NOW TODAY, I DON'T FEEL LIKE, IS, UM, PART OF THAT HISTORIC ELEMENTS OF THIS HOME THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BRING BACK? I, THE MOTION DIDN'T, DID INCLUDE THE MODIFICATIONS TO THE ROOF FORM.
I WANT YOU TO, I, I SEE THAT IT'S MORE COMMON TO HAVE THE FLAT, BUT I STILL, I MEAN, IF YOU HAD PROPOSED, AND YOU HAD EVEN SAID, IF WE KEEP IT LIKE THAT, MAKE IT FLAT, THAT'S FINE.
THE MOTION IS STILL THERE FOR YOU TO BE ABLE TO APPLY.
I WOULD LIKE FOR YOU TO KEEP AS MUCH OF THE HISTORIC ELEMENTS THAT ARE, ARE AT HOME AND NOT TRY TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT'S CONTEMPORARY TO OUR TIME NOW THEN 40 YEARS, 50 YEARS LATER, THIS COMMISSION IS SITTING AND SAYING, OH, THESE CHANGES WERE DONE TO ACCOMMODATE THAT MODERN ERA.
AND IT'S NOT EVEN GOING BACK TO WHAT HISTORICALLY WAS IN, I DON'T KNOW WHEN THIS HOME IS FROM, BUT IT'S EARLY, WHAT, 1913 OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO THIS IS, UH, WHY I DID THAT MOTION.
THIS IS NOT FOR, THIS IS FOR OUR DISCUSSION.
SECOND, WANTS TO MAKE A COMMENT.
YEAH, I, I SECONDED, UM, TO, TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING.
I, I ACTUALLY DON'T HAVE A, I I LIKE THE LARGER DOOR, BUT, UM, BUT I, I WANT, I'M NOT RULING IT OUT SPECIFICALLY RIGHT NOW.
IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S GONNA BE SOME ADDITIONAL DISCUSSION AT SOME POINT.
UM, LET'S GO TO OUR VIRTUAL COMMISSIONERS.
UM, COMMISSIONER GALLOWAY COMMENT, SIR.
THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER MADMAN YOUR COMMENT CHAIR.
NO COMMENTS RIGHT NOW, MR. CHAIR.
IF I GO DOWN THE LIST WITH THE MOTION, I DO SUPPORT THE MOTION.
I AM GREATLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE, THE EXPANDED AND LARGE OPENING.
IT'S STYLISTICALLY IT'S NOT, UM, UM, APPROPRIATE OR LET'S SEE, UM, CONFORMING TO THAT STYLE, TO THAT VERNACULAR STYLE AND THE THOUGHT THAT STONE WILL BE CUT OUT AND THAT YOUR FRONT ELEVATION IS SO MODIFIED FROM THE ORIGINAL THAT, THAT CONCERNS ME.
UM, AND I WOULDN'T, I DON'T SUPPORT THAT.
I AM, I HAVE RESERVATIONS ABOUT THE ROOF CONSTRUCTION GOING FROM A, UM, CLOSED RAFTER KIND OF LOOK AROUND THE PERIMETER TO THE EXPOSED RAFTERS WITH THE EXTENDED RAFTER TAIL.
ALSO BEYOND IT'S, UM, VERY, VERY MODERN, BUT, AND IT LOOKS MODERN.
IT'S NOT THAT IT'S MODERN IS BAD, OR CONTEMPORARY IS BAD, IS IT JUST REALLY LOOKS LIKE IT.
UM, AND SO, UM, I WOULD SUPPORT IT JUST BECAUSE THAT PORCH CAN EASILY BE REDONE LATER.
IT'S NOT AS PERMANENT AS THE REMOVAL OF THE STONE IN THE DOORWAY.
AND, UM, YEAH, IF I CAN GET MY CALICHE BLOCK ON MY HOUSE, THE EXPOSED MATERIAL COVERED IN PLASTER, I WOULD DO IT IN A HEARTBEAT.
UM, SO IT'S UP, YOU KNOW, IT'S UP TO Y'ALL TO LEAVE IT EXPOSED IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN DOING IT.
BUT OVER THE LONG HAUL, OVER 30, 50 YEARS, IT, IT WILL BEGIN TO SHOW WEATHER, BUT I'LL SUPPORT THE MOTION.
[03:20:03]
THANK YOU.VICE CHAIR FITZER? YES, I'LL BE SUPPORTING THE MOTION AS WELL.
UM, CONCERN ABOUT REMOVAL OF, UH, CALICHE BLOCK AT THE FRONT, MAKING THAT OPENING WIDER.
UM, AND, UH, UH, THE OTHER MODIFICATIONS, UH, 2.2, 2.3 AND THREE, UH, WHICH I BELIEVE IS WHAT THE MOTION IS.
UM, I SUPPORT THOSE, UM, STIPULATIONS FOR A HIPPED FRONT PORCH.
UM, 2.1 WAS NOT PART OF THE MOTION.
SO 2.2, YOUR PROPOSED SHED ROOF IS IN THE MOTION.
MAY I HAVE A MOTION? I MEAN, MAY I HAVE FOR A ROLL CALL, PLEASE? MAMON? AYE.
UM, THE APPLICANT, UH, DROPPED OFF AND HAS NOT, AND HAS NOT, UM, RESPONDED.
SO, UM, IT WOULD BE UP TO YOU TO TAKE ACTION OF, UH, WHETHER TO MOVE THIS HEARING TO THE FOLLOWING ONE OR TO HEAR THE CASE.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THE 60 DAY REVIEW IS OCTOBER 2ND, SO IT CAN, IT CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
WE DO NEED AN ACTION, EVEN IF IT'S STICKING TO NEW.
I MOVE FOR CONTINUANCE TO THE NEXT, UH, BOARD MEETING.
AND, AND WHAT WOULD THAT DATE BE? THE NEXT, UM, SEPTEMBER 2ND.
SECOND, FURTHER DISCUSSION MAY HAVE A ROLL CALL PLEASE, MA'AM.
THAT WAS THE LAST CASE ON THE AGENDA AND TIME IS 6 22.