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THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR JOINING US.THIS IS THE THIRD, UM, PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING FOR, UH, DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PROPOSED BUENA VISTA HISTORIC DISTRICT.
UM, WE'VE HAD TWO, UM, UH, IN AUGUST LEADING UP TO THIS.
AND, UH, AND AGAIN, THIS IS, THIS IS OUR THIRD AND I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY JOINING US HERE TODAY.
THIS MEETING IS BEING RECORDED AND WE ARE GOING TO BE SHARING IT ON THE WEBSITE OF THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION, UM, ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND ON, UM, YOUTUBE AS WELL.
I AM THE PROGRAM MANAGER FOR, UH, SCOUT SA, WHICH IS THE DIVISION OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE THAT'S DEVOTED TO DESIGNATIONS AND SURVEY EFFORTS.
UM, STEPH, IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE FOR ME.
SO TODAY, UM, WE ARE, UH, REALLY FORTUNATE TO BE JOINED BY, UM, SEVERAL MEMBERS OF THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE RESIDENCE ASSOCIATION WHO HAVE TAKEN TIME OUT OF THEIR SATURDAYS TO BE WITH US TODAY.
AND I SO APPRECIATE THAT, UM, THAT EFFORT AND WORK FOR US.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MINUTE TO INTRODUCE EVERYBODY WHO IS, UM, ON THE LINE WITH US HERE TODAY.
AND I'M, I'M JUST GONNA GO IN THE ORDER THAT YOU'RE APPEARING, UM, ON MY SCREEN.
SO FORGIVE ME FOR JUMPING AROUND A LITTLE BIT.
UM, BUT ROLAND, DO YOU WANNA INTRODUCE YOURSELF? CERTAINLY.
MY NAME IS ROLAND MASUKA AND I AM A LONGTIME RESIDENT OF THE WEST SIDE NEIGHBORHOOD.
OKAY, AMELIA, WOULD YOU LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOURSELF? YEAH, I'M HERE WITH TWO OTHER, UH, MEMBERS.
UH, MY NAME'S AMELIA AND I AM THE, UH, CO-CHAIR FOR THE ASSOCIATION.
MY NAME IS MARY ANN HERNANDEZ AND I'M AN ASSOCIATE THE ASSOCIATION AND MY NAME IS
UM, CLAUDIA, YOU'RE NEXT ON MY SCREEN.
I AM THE CITY'S CULTURAL HISTORIAN.
I WORK IN THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND I'M HERE TO HELP ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MIGHT HAVE.
ALL RIGHT, GRACIELA, YOU'RE NEXT.
I GREW UP, UM, WAIT, I GREW UP IN THE WEST SIDE.
WENT TO RE COOPER IN LANIER HIGH SCHOOL, CLASS OF 78.
AND, UM, I HAVE RETURNED BACK TO MY NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT HAVE BEEN WORKING IN THE WEST SIDE FOR ALL THESE YEARS, UH, WITH THE ESPERANZA HOUSTON JUSTICE CENTER AND THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE RESIDENCE ASSOCIATION AS WELL.
AND DEZA IS THE FIRST HISTORIC DISTRICT IN THE WEST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND WE WANNA CONTINUE TO PRESERVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE LALO FELL AND A LOT OF IMPORTANT BUILDINGS HAVE COME DOWN AND WE WANNA PRESERVE WHAT'S LEFT OVER.
SO THANK YOU FOR HAVING THIS MEETING.
I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU BROUGHT UP, UM, OUR MOST RECENT HISTORIC DISTRICT.
SO WE'RE ALL, UM, THRILLED THAT, UH, THAT WAS JUST OFFICIALLY DESIGNATED LAST MONTH.
SO, UM, JESSICA, YOU'RE NEXT ON MY SCREEN.
I'M A PRESERVATION SPECIALIST WITH SPUS A AND I WORK WITH JENNY ON ALL OF THE DESIGNATION CASES IN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.
SO I'M KIND OF HERE TO HELP GUIDE FOLKS THROUGH THE PROCESS AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT Y'ALL HAVE.
ALL RIGHT, LETTI, YOU'RE NEXT.
MY NAME IS LETTI SANCHEZ AND I'M THE CO-CHAIR PERSON OF THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE RESIDENT ASSOCIATION.
I GREW UP IN THE WEST SIDE, WENT TO THE NEAR GRAD, UH, HIGH SCHOOL, AND GRADUATED IN THE YEAR OF 80 GO OAKS.
AND, UM, OUR ASSOCIATION IS, UH, HERE, UH, TRYING TO DO WHAT IT CAN TO, UH, PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR BARRIO AND TO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE STAY IN THEIR, UH, RESIDENCE HERE IN THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE WITH US.
I'VE GOT RUBY AND CHARLIE LOPEZ NEXT.
UM, MY NAME IS RUBY REESE AND MY SPOUSE CHARLIE LOPEZ.
UH, WE'RE ALSO LONG RESIDENTS OF THE WEST SIDE.
UH, WE ARE RECENT HOMEOWNERS AND WE'RE, UM, THE ONES THAT INITIALLY PUT IN THE APPLICATION FOR THE PROPOSED DISTRICT.
AND I DID GO TO LANIER AS WELL.
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HEY, JENNY, CAN I JUST ADD SOMETHING? ABSOLUTELY.SINCE THERE'S SO MANY LANIER PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE, I JUST WANNA SAY I REPRESENT LALA.
I WENT TO FOX TEST, SO, UM,
ALRIGHT, LET'S SEE WHO WE'VE GOT NEXT.
UM, PANAMA, ARE YOU, UH, ON THE LINE WITH US? YES.
MY NAME IS IMAN HOFFMAN AND I AM, UM, A MEMBER OF THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE RESIDENT ASSOCIATION.
AND I, MYSELF WAS BORN AND RAISED, UH, IN THE WEST, WEST SIDE A LITTLE FURTHER TO, I WAS RAISED RIGHT AROUND WHERE THE, UH, RE LINE IN THE UNION STOCKYARDS, UH, PROBABLY ARE.
AND, UM, UH, STILL IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE GREAT-GRANDCHILDREN OF, UH, OF OUR OWN, UH, GRANDPARENTS AND PARENTS, UH, STILL LIVE THERE.
AND OF COURSE WE SEE THINGS CHANGING, UM, AND WANT TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW, UH, WE CAN PRESERVE THE, THE AREA AND, UH, AND, AND MAKE IT FOR THE BETTER WITHOUT BEING RUN OVER BY, UH, UH, VERY HIGH INTEREST, UH, CORPORATIONS.
YEAH, I'LL JUST LEAVE IT AT THAT.
UH, AND SO, UH, IT'S WONDERFUL TO COME TOGETHER WITH LIKE-MINDED PEOPLE THAT WANT TO CONSERVE, UH, OUR AREA, THAT WANT TO, UH, HAVE IT GROW, UH, AND BEAUTIFY IT AND, UM, CONTINUE TO MAKE IT A LIVABLE, WONDERFUL AREA TO LIVE IN.
UM, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF O H P STAFF BEHIND THE SCENES THAT I WILL SAY THANK YOU TO, TO BOTH STEPHANIE PHILLIPS AND LAUREN SAGE, WHO ARE, UH, HELPING, UM, UH, WITH OUR TECH CONTROLS TODAY.
UM, OKAY, SO I'M GONNA GO OVER OUR AGENDA JUST BRIEFLY AND THEN WE CAN JUMP INTO, UM, WHY WE'RE ALL HERE.
SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA START TODAY WITH, UM, A BRIEF PRESENTATION, UM, UH, BY ROLAND, WHO I THINK WE ALL JUST MET, UM, TALKING ABOUT, UM, HIS, UH, UH, EXPERIENCE GROWING UP IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND THE HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD TOO.
UM, I'M GOING TO SPEAK JUST BRIEFLY ABOUT WHAT THE DISTRICT DESIGNATION PROCESS LOOKS LIKE.
UM, JESSICA'S GOING TO SHARE, UH, HOW TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISTRICT, UM, AND ABOUT, UH, HOW TO PARTICIPATE, UM, IN THIS PROCESS.
AND THEN, UM, WE'RE GONNA SHARE A LITTLE BIT OF INFORMATION ABOUT PREVIOUS MEETINGS.
UM, AND THEN, UH, UH, AFTER THAT WE'RE GONNA JUMP INTO OUR QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION, UM, WITH THE FULL GROUP.
SO, UM, I WANT TO CALL OUT, UH, ON THE SCREEN HERE, WE HAVE A PHONE NUMBER THAT YOU CAN TEXT QUESTIONS TO.
THE NUMBER IS 2 1 0 2 1 5 9 2 7 4.
UM, AND WE'RE ALREADY GETTING QUESTIONS IN, SO I KNOW THAT FOLKS ARE USING IT, SO PLEASE DON'T HESITATE.
UM, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU WANNA KNOW, I'M SURE THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE WHO WANTS TO KNOW IT TOO, AND WE'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER IT FOR YOU.
UM, ADDITIONALLY, IF YOU ARE WATCHING THIS ON FACEBOOK, FEEL FREE TO COMMENT UNDERNEATH THE VIDEO AND WE'LL, UM, UH, BE SURE TO COVER THE QUESTIONS THAT ARE ASKED THERE AS WELL.
AND WITH THAT, I AM GOING TO HAND IT OVER TO ROLAND AND STEPH, IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE FOR US.
ALRIGHT, ROLAND, GOOD MORNING ALL.
I'VE BEEN ASKED TO GIVE THIS OPENING PRESENTATION BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT I HAVE DEEP ROOTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO I'M GONNA START WITH MY STORY.
UH, MY FAMILY BOUGHT, BOUGHT THEIR FIRST HOUSE 25 15 ADE STREET IN 1944, OVER 75 YEARS AGO.
AND THE MIDDLE TOP PICTURE IS, UH, IS MY FAMILY, UH, MY MOTHER, FATHER, AND MY DOG COURAGE.
AND THEN, UH, RIGHT UNDER THAT IS, HEY, MY MOM SITTING ON THE FRONT PORCH ON THE SWING, WHICH I STILL OWN.
AND THEN THAT'S MY FATHER IN A, ON A SNOWY DAY ON THE, ON THE RIGHT.
AND THEN ON THE LEFT THERE, IT'S MY GRANDPARENTS, MY GODPARENTS, AND ME, AND, UM, OR IT MIGHT BE MY BROTHER, I'M NOT SURE.
AND THEN, UH, THEY'RE STANDING IN FRONT OF 25 15 MONTE.
AND THEN THE HOUSE BEHIND THE GENTLEMAN IS THE HOUSE I CURRENTLY LIVE IN RIGHT NOW, 25 11
UM, SO I WAS BORN IN THE FRONT ROOM OF THAT HOUSE
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68 YEARS AGO, AND OF COURSE, I AM PARTIAL TO IT FOR THAT REASON.UH, IN 1970, MY PARENTS, UH, BOUGHT THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR, AND IT, IT IS MY CURRENT HOME.
BOTH HOUSES ARE OVER A HUNDRED, A HUNDRED YEARS OLD.
BUT THE, UH, FIRST HOUSE IS 110 YEARS OLD.
UH, THE OLD HOMESTEAD, STILL VERY DEAR TO ME.
IT'S FILLED WITH WONDERFUL MEMORIES.
MY FATHER WAS THE OLDEST OF HIS SIBLINGS AND ALL FIVE BROTHERS AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER LIVED IN THAT HOUSE AFTER THEY GOT MARRIED.
THEY, UH, CLOSED OFF ONE OF THE BEDROOMS. IT BECAME A LITTLE APARTMENT, I GUESS.
AND MY GRANDFATHER, A GARCIA, LIVED IN THE BACK CORNER ROOM OF THAT HOUSE FOR THE LAST 13 YEARS OF HIS LIFE.
I REMEMBER RIDING MY TRICYCLE ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE, AND THE DOORS WERE SUCH THAT I WOULD GO THROUGH A CORNER OF HIS ROOM.
AND THAT WAS ALWAYS THE DANGEROUS PART 'CAUSE HE WOULD CHASE ME WITH A CANE, OR AT LEAST FEIGN LIKE HE WAS GOING TO BEAT ME UP.
UH, I MUST'VE BEEN THREE OR FOUR AT THE TIME.
I'M STILL CLOSE TO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS.
UH, RDA
UM, THE, THE TIMES WERE VERY DIFFERENT THEN.
WE USED TO PLAY IN OUR FRONT YARD TILL 10 O'CLOCK, NOT ON A SCHOOL NIGHT, BUT OUR PARENTS DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT US BACK.
THE CON'S HOUSE IS NOW A BANK.
THE SIOS MOVED AWAY AND ALL OF OUR PARENTS HAVE DIED.
I KNOW THE NEIGHBORHOOD HAS A REPUTATION FOR BEING VERY DANGEROUS, BUT RUBY AND I, NOT MY NEIGHBOR RUBY, BUT MY DOG, RUBY AND I REGULARLY WALK ALWAYS IN THE EVENING AND SOMETIMES AS LATE AS MIDNIGHT.
AND I'VE NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE EXCEPT FOR A COUPLE OF DOGS.
A LOT OF INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE HAVE ROOTS AND TIES TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
I MEET MANY PEOPLE WHO TELL ME THAT THEIR GRANDPARENTS LIVED OR STILL LIVE HERE.
UH, LIONEL SOSA'S FAMILY LIVED ACROSS THE ALLEY FROM ME, MY MOTHER'S FAMILY, THE GARCIAS, THE
THIS HAS HAD A PROFOUND EFFECT ON THE CITY AND OUR HISTORY.
MR. MONEZ PRINT SHOP WAS A HOTBED OF POLITICAL ACTIVITY AND WAS THE START OF MANY POLITICAL LIVES SUCH AS HENRY B. GONZALEZ AND HENRY CIZNEROS.
I LEFT THE NEIGHBORHOOD A WHILE TO PURSUE MY EDUCATION AND MOVED BACK IN THE EARLY ABLE EIGHTIES TO BE ABLE TO REHAB THE OLD HOUSE AND HELP MY PARENTS WHO WERE GETTING ON IN AGE.
IN 2005, AFTER MY MOTHER'S DEATH, I PURCHASED MY BROTHER'S HALF OF, UH, 25 11 AND MOVED IN.
AND SO THESE ARE A COUPLE OF PICTURES.
IF YOU GO TO THE FRAME ON THE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OR THE FIRST FRAME, I'LL, UH, THERE'S TWO PICTURES I DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT, BUT MAYBE THEY DON'T NEED TO BE SAID NO BACK.
THAT'S MY BEAUTIFUL PARENTS WHEN THEY WERE MARRIED.
AND THAT'S IN THE FRONT ROOM OF 25 15.
THAT'S MY AUNT VERA AND ME CHRISTMASTIME.
AND THEN THOSE OTHER PICTURES WERE TAKEN AND I, I INCLUDED THEM BECAUSE THEY, UH, ON THE NEXT, ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I INCLUDED THEM BECAUSE IT INCLUDES, UH, MY NEIGHBORS.
SO THIS IS, UH, THE MAJORITY OF THESE WERE TAKEN, UH, AT MY PARENTS' 50TH ANNIVERSARY, AND THEY SET UP A BIG TENT IN THE BACKYARD.
HE'S IN THE UPPER RIGHT PLAYING THE CLARINETS, AND HE HAD SOME OF HIS BUDDIES GO.
AND MY FATHER PLAYED THE CLARINET AND THE SAXOPHONE, AND THE PIANO WAS ALWAYS SERENADING THE HOUSE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AND THEN BELOW THAT IS A PICTURE OF FRIENDS OF MINE.
MY AUNT VERA WAS IN THE FIRST SLIDE IS IN THAT RED DRESS, AND MR. RAS IS IN SITTING WITH A, I GUESS A BEER.
AND THEN MR. SENIO IS BEHIND HIM TALKING TO SUSAN RAD.
AND THEN, UH, THE BOTTOM LEFT AGAIN, MR. CONTRERAS.
MRS. CONTRERAS, THE BEAUTIFUL MRS. CONTRARAS TALKING TO MRS. RYENIA.
AND THEN ABOVE THAT, IT'S THE SAME CAST
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OF CHARACTERS WITH MY DEAR FRIEND BECKY CONTRERAS IN THE MIDDLE THERE.UH, SHE'S A BEAUTIFUL YOUNG WOMAN WITH, WITH DOWN SYNDROME, MY, ONE OF MY CHILDHOOD FRIENDS, AND THERE IN THE MIDDLE WITH MY MOTHER COMPLAINING ABOUT MY FATHER TAKING A PICTURE IN AN UNDERSHIRT WAS TAKEN AT SOME OTHER FAMILY EVENT.
UM, BUT BACK TO BACK TO THE STORY AND, AND THE REASON FOR MY BEING IN FAVOR OF THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION, THE DESIRE TO BRING ABOUT A SENSE OF PRIDE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND HONORING OUR HISTORY.
PROSPECT HILL, ANOTHER NAME FOR THIS AREA, WAS A SUBURB EARLIER IN THE CENTURY WHEN OUR LADY, THE LAKE COLLEGE AT THAT TIME, WAS SURROUNDED BY FIELDS AND FARMS. ACTUALLY, IT PROBABLY WASN'T EVEN A COLLEGE BACK THEN.
UH, AFTER WORLD WAR II, PEOPLE FLOCKED TO THE NEWER SUBURBS.
OUR HOUSES ARE NOT BIG AND FLASHY HOMES, BUT THEY'RE WELL DESIGNED AND SOLIDLY MADE WITH GOOD BONES.
AS THEY SAY, MANY OF THE HOMES JUST NEED A LITTLE T L C, A LITTLE TENDER LOVING CARE.
NOW, I WOULD LIKE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO KEEP OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AWAY FROM SLIPPERS AND DEVELOPERS WHO TRY TO BUY A CHEAP HOUSE REHAB AND SELL AT COMMERCIAL RATES.
WE ALL HAVE RECEIVED THE CALLS AND THE POSTCARDS.
I, YOU KNOW, I GET 'EM DAILY TO BUY OUR HOUSES FOR CASH.
I EVEN GET WOKE SOME TO BUY MY NEPHEW'S HOUSES AND SUCH.
UM, I ALSO WANNA PROTECT THE NEIGHBORHOOD FROM UNNECESSARY DEMOLITIONS.
THIS HISTORIC DESIGNATION OVERLAY PROVIDES SOME PROTECTION IN THAT DEMOLITIONS MUST BE APPROVED BY THE CITY, AND THEY GO THROUGH A PROCESS AND NOT AS WHAT SO OFTEN HAPPENS IN SAN ANTONIO, ESPECIALLY BEFORE WAS TO BE KNOCKED DOWN OVER THE WEEKEND OR AT NIGHT.
UM, TERRY CASTILLO WROTE A, A GREAT O OP-ED PIECE IN THE EXPRESS NEWS IN YESTERDAY'S PAPER.
IF YOU HAVE A CHANCE TO READ IT, READ IT, IT, IT'S GOOD.
SHE TALKS ABOUT INEXPENSIVE HOUSING AND THE BEST HOUSING BEING THE EXISTING HOUSING AND JUST FIXING IT UP.
I KNOW THAT THIS EFFORT TO DESIGNATE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AS HISTORIC HAS FOSTERED RESENTMENT IN SOME PEOPLE.
AND, UM, HOPEFULLY THIS MEETING AND OTHERS THAT WILL FOLLOW, WILL DISPEL SOME OF THOSE MISCONCEPTIONS AND CLARIFY WHAT HISTORIC DESIGNATION REALLY MEANS.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO MY STORY.
UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE, UH, YOUR WILLINGNESS TO SHARE SUCH A PERSONAL STORY WITH US, AND YOUR PHOTOS WERE REALLY JUST WONDERFUL.
UM, UH, I AM SURE THAT OTHERS ARE ENJOYING THIS JUST AS MUCH AS I AM, SO, UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.
AND, UM, I KNOW THAT AS WE GET INTO OUR QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, WE'RE, UM, ALL GONNA REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON, UM, UH, THIS, UM, PROCESS AND HOW THE, THE DISTRICT, UM, IF DESIGNATED HOW THAT WOULD AFFECT, UM, FOLKS LIKE YOU WHO HAVE LIVED THEIR WHOLE LIVES IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO, UM, JESSICA AND I ARE GONNA TALK FOR JUST A MINUTE ABOUT, UM, THE, THE PROCESS.
SO, UM, UH, STEPH, IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE FOR ME, WE'RE GONNA SHOW A MAP OF THE DISTRICT, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN KIND OF SEE, UM, WHAT THE PROPOSED BOUNDARY LOOKS LIKE.
UM, SO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE RECEIVED THIS BALLOT, UH, EXCUSE ME, RECEIVED THIS APPLICATION ON, UM, JUNE 2ND.
UM, THE APPLICATION REMAINS ACTIVE FOR 12 MONTHS.
SO, UM, DURING THAT TIME CODE REQUIRES US TO DO A FEW THINGS.
AND SO WE'VE ALREADY GOTTEN STARTED ON THAT PROCESS, AND I'LL JUST KIND OF BRIEFLY TELL YOU WHAT THEY ARE.
SO, UM, WE HAVE TO HOLD PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETINGS CODE REQUIRES THAT WE ONLY HOLD ONE, BUT OBVIOUSLY, UM, UH, IT'S A TIME THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE, UM, REACHING AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.
AND SO THIS IS THE THIRD, UM, PUBLIC INFORMATION MEETING THAT WE'VE HELD, UH, THUS FAR.
CODE REQUIRES THAT WE, UM, MAIL BALLOTS TO PROPERTY OWNERS.
AND THOSE WENT OUT IN AUGUST, UM, TO THE PROPERTY OWNERS THAT ARE ON FILE, UM, AT THE BEXAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT.
THAT'S WHERE WE GET THAT INFORMATION.
AND THEN FINALLY, UM, THAT THE STAFF OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE, UH, COLLECTS, UH, VERIFIABLE SUPPORT OR OPPOSITION FROM THE PROPERTY OWNERS, UM, ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THEY WOULD LIKE TO START THE DESIGNATION PROCESS.
UM, SO THE BALLOTS, THEY LOOK LIKE POSTCARDS.
UH, THEY HAVE PRE-PRINTED INFORMATION ON THEM,
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INCLUDING THE, UM, THE OWNER'S NAME, THE ADDRESS OF THE PROPERTY, AND THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION.UM, EACH PROPERTY GETS ONE BALLOT.
SO IF A PROPERTY OWNER, UM, OWNS MORE THAN ONE, UH, PARCEL WITHIN THE PROPOSED DISTRICT, THEY WOULD GET, UM, AS MANY BALLOTS AS THEY OWN PARCELS AS THEY OWN PROPERTIES.
UM, ON THE BALLOT, UH, THERE ARE THREE SECTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE COMPLETED.
THERE'S, UM, A SECTION WHERE YOU WOULD CHECK YES IF YOU, UH, SUPPORT STARTING THE DESIGNATION PROCESS, OR NO, IF YOU OPPOSE STARTING THE DESIGNATION PROCESS, UM, THERE IS A SECTION WHERE YOU WOULD NEED TO SIGN.
AND THEN, UM, FINALLY, THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PART.
WE NEED YOU TO INCLUDE A PHONE NUMBER OR AN EMAIL ADDRESS WHERE STAFF CAN REACH YOU TO VERIFY, UM, YOUR POSITION, YOUR RESPONSE.
UM, UH, IF THERE'S MORE THAN ONE OWNER FOR A PROPERTY, ONLY ONE SIGNATURE IS REQUIRED.
UH, AND THE BALLOTS ARE, UH, PRE-ADDRESSED AND, UH, POSTAGE PAID.
SO ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS FOLD IT IN HALF AND YOU CAN TAPE OR STAPLE IT, AND THEN PUT IT IN THE MAIL AND IT WILL GET BACK TO US.
UM, AND THEN, UH, AS I MENTIONED, STAFF'S GONNA BE CALLING YOU TO VERIFY TO, UM, UH, TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT, UM, YOUR RESPONSE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE IT RECORDED CORRECTLY.
UM, AND THE REASON THAT WE DO THAT IS IN ORDER TO START THE PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS FOR DISTRICTS, UM, WE HAVE TO DOCUMENT THAT 51% OF THE PROPERTIES WITHIN THE DISTRICT, UH, ARE IN SUPPORT OF MOVING FORWARD WITH THE DESIGNATION PROCESS.
SO, UM, I'M GONNA TALK IN JUST A MINUTE ABOUT WHAT THAT PUBLIC HEARING PROCESS LOOKS LIKE.
UM, BUT IT WON'T START UNTIL WE'VE, UH, RECEIVED VERIFIABLE, UM, SUPPORT FROM 51% OF PROPERTIES WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
UM, FOR THE PROPOSED BUENA VISTA HISTORIC DISTRICT, THERE ARE ALMOST 500 PROPERTIES.
AND SO IN ORDER TO REACH THAT 51% MARK, WE WOULD NEED RESPONSES FROM 254 PROPERTIES WITHIN, WITHIN THE DISTRICT.
SO, UM, I THINK YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHY, UH, ALL, UH, ALL OF US ARE DOING, UM, SO MUCH OUTREACH, UM, IN THIS REGARD TO, TO REACH FOLKS AND LET THEM KNOW, UH, HOW TO PARTICIPATE.
UM, JESSICA, IF YOU, UH, WANT TO TALK FOR JUST A SECOND ABOUT WHERE PEOPLE CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION, UH, ABOUT THE HISTORIC DISTRICT AND THE PROCESS INVOLVED.
AND STEPH, IF YOU'LL GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE FOR ME.
IT'S HELPFUL IF I UNMUTE MYSELF.
UM, JENNY MENTIONED EARLIER THAT THIS IS THE THIRD OF THREE PUBLIC MEETINGS THAT WE HAD SCHEDULED SO FAR.
THE FIRST MEETING WAS ON AUGUST 7TH, AND THE SECOND WAS ON AUGUST 19TH.
AND WE HAVE RECORDINGS OF BOTH OF THOSE MEETINGS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE.
UM, YOU CAN REACH THE ENA VISTA SPECIFIC INFORMATION BY EITHER GOING TO TINY URL.COM/BUENA VISTA, OR YOU CAN GO TO THE O P SITE, UM, SA PRESERVATION.COM AND SEARCH FOR BUENA VISTA.
THOSE ARE THE TWO EASIEST WAYS TO GET TO, UM, THE PAGE OF INFORMATION THAT LIVES ON THE CITY SITE.
UM, AND, UH, RECORDING OF THIS MEETING WILL BE ADDED THERE AS WELL.
AND THESE VIDEOS WERE ALSO LIVE STREAMED TO FACEBOOK, SO THEY'RE ALSO AVAILABLE, UM, IN OUR VIDEOS AT FACEBOOK.COM/SA PRESERVATION, UM, ON THE ENA VISTA WEBSITE.
IN ADDITION TO, UM, UH, BASIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISTRICT, UM, WE UPLOAD ANY OF SORT OF THE PRINTED COLLATERAL THAT WE'VE GIVEN OUT TO RESIDENTS.
SO THE INITIAL INFORMATION LETTER THAT YOU RECEIVED BACK IN EARLY JULY, I BELIEVE, UM, A FROM THE FIRST COUPLE OF SESSIONS.
AND WE'LL ALSO CREATE A Q AND A P D F AFTER THIS SESSION AS WELL.
UM, AND THEN THERE ARE TWO VIDEOS OF, UM, THE PRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, ONE IN SPANISH AND ONE IN ENGLISH.
SO YOU CAN ACCESS THOSE AT THAT WEBSITE AS WELL.
UM, WE HAVE AN HISTORIC DISTRICT HOTLINE THAT WE LAUNCHED AS PART OF, UH, THE BU VISTA, UM, PROPOSED DISTRICT.
UM, AND THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVEN IF FOLKS AREN'T ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, ACCESS THE WEBSITE OR, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU'RE IN YOUR TRUCK ON YOUR WAY TO WORK, YOU CAN DIAL THIS PHONE NUMBER AND CHOOSE A PRESENTATION EITHER IN SPANISH OR ENGLISH THAT GIVES AN OVERVIEW ABOUT THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
AND IT'S THE SAME PRESENTATION THAT'S IN THE VIDEOS ON THE WEBSITE LISTED HERE ON THE SCREEN.
SO I, UH, HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS THAT, UM, WE'VE RECEIVED THAT ARE, UH, PROCESS RELATED, SO SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE BALLOTS AND THE PUBLIC HEARINGS.
SO I'M GONNA ANSWER THOSE JUST BRIEFLY.
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FOR JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES, UH, TO GIVE OUR, UM, TRANSLATOR A QUICK BREAK.UM, AND THEN WE'LL COME BACK AND JUMP RIGHT INTO OUR, UM, Q AND A SESSION.
SO I APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S PATIENCE, UM, WITH, UH, THE PROCESS HERE.
SO I'M JUST GONNA TALK FOR A COUPLE MORE MINUTES, AND THEN WE'LL TAKE A QUICK BREAK AND THEN JUMP BACK ON.
SO THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED ABOUT BALLOTS, UM, ARE, UH, UH, IS THERE A DEADLINE TO TURN IN THE BALLOTS? UH, THE ANSWER IS NO, THERE'S NO SPECIFIC DEADLINE.
UM, I DID MENTION THAT THERE ARE, UM, UH, THERE IS A, UM, AN APPLICATION PERIOD, A WINDOW OF 12 MONTHS WHERE THAT, UM, DISTRICT APPLICATION REMAINS ACTIVE.
SO, UM, BALLOTS WOULD NEED TO COME IN BEFORE, UH, JUNE 1ST, 2021.
UM, UH, BUT THERE IS NO, UM, EARLIER, UH, DEADLINE FOR THOSE BALLOTS TO COME IN.
UM, HOW ARE BALLOTS THAT AREN'T TURNED IN COUNTED? SO IF WE DON'T RECEIVE A BALLOT THAT'S THE SAME AS, UH, A NO VOTE, BASICALLY.
SO, UM, THE, UH, THE 51% IS, UM, NOT 51% OF RESPONSES RECEIVED.
THE 51% THAT WE HAVE TO, UH, VERIFY IS, UH, OF THE FULL DISTRICT.
SO THAT 254 NUMBER THAT I MENTIONED, THAT REMAINS STATIC.
UM, UH, AND THEN, UM, UH, AFTER THE LAST PUBLIC HEARING ON SEPTEMBER 12TH, DOES THIS CLOSE THE SESSIONS TO ALLOW FOR PUBLIC FEEDBACK? NO, NOT AT ALL.
UM, I, I KIND OF ANTICIPATE THAT WE'RE GONNA HAVE MORE PUBLIC MEETINGS IN THE FUTURE.
I ALSO, UM, WOULD SAY SPECIFICALLY THAT WE HAVE, UM, UH, IN THE PAST, UM, HAD MANY, MANY, UH, COMMUNITY CONVERSATION, COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS AFTER THESE SORT OF MORE FORMAL PUBLIC HEARINGS.
AND, UM, AND ONCE YOU'VE TURNED IN YOUR BALLOT, UM, THAT DOESN'T SORT OF END ANYTHING.
UM, YOU'RE ABLE TO CALL AND TALK TO US ABOUT QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS THAT YOU HAVE.
UM, IF YOUR POSITION CHANGES, WE DO UPDATE THAT INFORMATION.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS CONTACT US.
UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE, UH, THAT WE KEEP VERY CAREFUL RECORDS OF.
AND THEN THE LAST TOPIC I WANTED TO COVER JUST VERY BRIEFLY BEFORE OUR QUICK BREAK, IS ABOUT THE TIMELINE FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS.
SO, UM, UH, I'M GONNA SAY THE WORD 51%.
AGAIN, ONCE WE HIT THAT 51% MARKER, UM, THAT WE PASSED THAT THRESHOLD, UH, THAT'S THE MOMENT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO SCHEDULE, UM, THE FIRST PUBLIC HEARING THAT'S REQUIRED, UH, TO CONSIDER THE DESIGNATION REQUEST.
UM, THAT WOULD BE, UH, AT THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION AND THE, UM, UH, PROPERTY OWNERS WOULD BE GIVEN A MAILED NOTICE ABOUT THIS.
IN FACT, UH, ALL OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE'RE COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE, UM, WE WOULD BE DOING THOSE SAME THINGS.
UM, PROVIDING INFORMATION TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION, UM, AND LETTING FOLKS KNOW, IF YOU SHARE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS WITH US, WE WOULD LET YOU KNOW BY EMAIL AS WELL, UM, THAT THAT MEETING HAS BEEN SCHEDULED.
UM, AFTER THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION HEARING, THE, UH, ZONING COMMISSION WOULD HEAR THE CASE.
THAT TYPICALLY TAKES ABOUT 30 DAYS.
UM, AND THEN AFTER THE ZONING COMMISSION HEARS THE CASE, IT WOULD GO FINALLY TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
AND AGAIN, UM, THE SPACE BETWEEN THE ZONING COMMISSION HEARING AND THE CITY COUNCIL HEARING IS TYPICALLY ABOUT 30 DAYS.
UM, UH, AND THEN, UH, LASTLY, JUST SOME QUICK, QUICK CLARIFICATIONS ABOUT, UM, DO I HAVE TO JOIN THE DISTRICT AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN IF I HAVE A BUILDING THAT'S NOT CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT? SO, UM, UH, ANY PROPERTY WITHIN THE BOUNDARY, IF CITY COUNCIL, UM, IN THE END, UH, APPROVES THE HISTORIC DISTRICT WOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE DISTRICT, UM, IF YOUR PROPERTY, LET'S JUST SAY IT'S A, UM, NEW CONSTRUCTION PROPERTY, UM, THERE, UH, CERTAINLY, UM, ARE SECTIONS OF THE HISTORIC DESIGN GUIDELINES, AND WE'RE GONNA TALK MORE ABOUT THAT IN A LITTLE BIT.
UM, THAT WOULD APPLY TO YOUR PROPERTY.
SO YES, EVERYBODY WITHIN THE DISTRICT WOULD BE, UM, WOULD BE PLAYING SORT OF BY THE SAME RULES WOULD BE CONSIDERED IN THE SAME WAY.
UM, I AM GOING TO PAUSE US FOR JUST A MOMENT, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S PATIENCE.
BUT, UM, WE'RE GONNA, UH, UH, JUST TAKE A QUICK BREAK.
UM, I'M GONNA SAY FOUR MINUTES.
UM, AND WE'LL BE, UM, UH, JUMPING INTO THE QUESTIONS THAT WE'RE, UH, RECEIVING, UM, UH, VIA BOTH TEXT AND FACEBOOK.
SO IF YOU HAVEN'T SENT IN YOUR QUESTION YET, YOU STILL HAVE TIME, 2 1 0 2 1 5 9 2 7 4, AND WE'LL COME BACK IN JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES.
[00:32:52]
OKAY.GONNA LET EVERYONE COME BACK ONLINE, REJOIN US, AND STEP WILL YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? THANK YOU.
AS, UM, FOLKS COME BACK ON, I JUST, UH, AM GONNA BRIEFLY ANSWER ONE MORE QUESTION THAT WE RECEIVED THAT IS, UM, AGAIN, SORT OF, UM, UH, UH, FOCUSED ON THE, THE PROCESS SIDE OF THINGS.
AND IT'S ABOUT, UM, UM, THE, UH, SOME OF THE VOCABULARY THAT WE'RE USING, I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL, UM, FAMILIAR WITH.
SO, UM, UH, THE QUESTION THAT WE GOT IS, WHAT IS THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION, AND WHAT IS A CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS? SO, UM, WE'RE GONNA BE, UM, PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT BOTH THINGS, UM, A LOT IN THE NEXT, UH, SECTION OF THIS PRESENTATION.
SO, UM, UH, THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION IS A GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS THAT ARE APPOINTED BY CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND THE MAYOR.
AND THIS IS THE BODY THAT'S RESPONSIBLE FOR, UM, REVIEWING REQUESTS FOR WORK WITHIN, UM, HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND TO PROPERTIES THAT ARE HISTORIC LANDMARKS.
UM, THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION ARE, UM, EXPERTS IN THEIR FIELDS.
THEY ARE, UM, UM, THEY REPRESENT, UM, FIELDS, UH, INCLUDING ARCHITECTURE, UM, LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE, UM, UH, REAL ESTATE.
UM, UH, YEAH, WE HAVE A, A REALLY WONDERFUL GROUP OF, UM, FOLKS WHO GIVE THEIR TIME TO, UH, SERVE ON THAT COMMISSION.
UM, O H P STAFF, UH, APPROVES ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE REQUEST ADMINISTRATIVELY THAT WE GET FOR WORK, UM, THAT COME INTO, UH, OUR OFFICE.
BUT THE OTHER THIRD REQUIRE A HEARING BY THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION.
SO, UM, AND THEN WHAT IS THE CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS? SO, UH, THE CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS IS THE WRITTEN APPROVAL THAT YOU GET TO, UM, MOVE FORWARD WITH THE WORK THAT
[00:35:01]
YOU WANT TO DO ON YOUR PROPERTY.SO, UM, IT'S WHAT YOU RECEIVE IN RESPONSE TO, UM, UH, A REQUEST, UH, TO, UM, TO O H P STAFF OR TO, UM, THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION.
AND, UM, JUST, UH, SOME, UH, A QUICK STAT THAT WE LIKE TO SHARE ABOUT THOSE, UM, REQUESTS FOR CERTIFICATES OF APPROPRIATENESS.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE GET A GREAT MANY OF THEM EACH YEAR, AND ABOUT 97% OF THEM ARE APPROVED.
UM, OUR STAFF WORKS REALLY HARD, UH, TO, UM, HELP APPLICANTS THROUGH THE PROCESS AND COME UP WITH, UM, A REQUEST THAT IS SOMETHING THAT EITHER CAN BE APPROVED ADMINISTRATIVELY BY STAFF, WHICH WOULD NOT REQUIRE A HEARING, OR IF IT DOES REQUIRE A HEARING TO BE SOMETHING THAT, UM, UH, IS IN LINE WITH THE HISTORIC AND DIS, EXCUSE ME, WITH THE HISTORIC DESIGN GUIDELINES.
AND SO, UM, IS, UH, APPROVED BY, UH, THE COMMISSION.
SO, UM, UH, THE HISTORIC AND DESIGN REVIEW COMMISSION, WE ALSO, UM, OFTEN CALL H D R C.
SO IF YOU HEAR US SAY H D R C, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
I THINK WE'VE HAD EVERYBODY JOIN US AGAIN.
UM, SO I'M GONNA INVITE, UH, UH, EVERYONE TO, UM, UH, UNMUTE IF YOU'D LIKE TO, UM, TO ANSWER QUESTIONS.
AND, UM, I'M GOING TO, UH, JUMP INTO, UM, THE FIRST ONE THAT I KIND OF WANT US ALL TO TALK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT TODAY.
SO, UM, FIRST, UH, THE, THE QUESTION THAT WE RECEIVED IS HOW ARE PEOPLE HEARING ABOUT THE PROPOSED HISTORIC DISTRICT? UM, ARE MATERIALS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH? AND WHAT ABOUT FOLKS WITHOUT ACCESS TO THE INTERNET? UM, AND I KIND OF WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THE SIGNS THAT ARE ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW, AND I WONDER IF ANYBODY WANTS TO SPEAK TO, UM, THAT EFFORT TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSAL.
UM, THIS IS LETTI SANCHEZ, AGAIN WITH THE, THE CO-CHAIR FOR THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE RESIDENT ASSOCIATION.
AND I, I WANT TO SAY, UM, OUR ASSOCIATION, OUR GOAL IS REALLY TO ADDRESS ISSUES THAT AFFECT OUR NEIGHBORHOOD AND ITS RESIDENTS.
AND ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT, THAT WE MEET FOR, FOR EVERYONE'S INFORMATION, YOU'RE ANYONE WHO LIVES IN THE BOUNDARIES OF, FROM, UM, LAREDO TO COMMERCE AND FROM RIO TO SARA MORA, ARE CONSIDERED MEMBERS OF THE HISTORIC WEBSITE RESIDENT ASSOCIATION.
SO, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE DO ARE TO, UM, TO REPRESENT RESIDENTS WHO HAVE TO GO BEFORE THE, UH, CITY'S BUILDINGS STANDARDS BOARD B S B, AND TRY TO HELP THEM TO PREVENT, UH, TRY TO HELP TO PREVENT RESIDENTS FROM LOSING THEIR HOMES AND TO PROTECT HOMES AND BUILDINGS FROM BEING DEMOLISHED.
AND WE ALSO ASSIST RESIDENTS WITH CODE COMPLIANCE ISSUES.
AND ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT HAS COME UP TIME AND TIME AGAIN AT OUR, UH, MEETINGS, UM, IS, UM, THAT OUR, OUR RESIDENTS ARE CONCERNED WITH THE ABILITY, UH, TO REMAIN IN THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE.
AND IT'S BECOMING MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF, UH, RISING PROPERTY TAXES AND BECAUSE OF THE SPECULATORS AND, AND DEVELOPERS WHO WANT TO PURCHASE OUR HOMES AND PROPERTIES AND, UM, FOR SMALL SUMS AND THEN SELL 'EM OFF AT UNAFFORDABLE RATES.
SO WE, THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE RESIDENT ASSOCIATION THAT, UH, OBTAINING THE HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION WILL HELP TO PROTECT US.
AND SO WE, UH, WE IN OUR MEETINGS HAVE BEEN DISCUSSING GETTING A HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION FOR OVER TWO YEARS NOW.
WE'VE BEEN GOING DOOR TO DOOR FURTHER SOUTH BECAUSE WE WERE GONNA START OUR, OUR, UH, UM, REQUEST FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATION FURTHER SOUTH.
UH, BUT, AND, AND MANY OF THE PEOPLE THAT WE'VE MET WITH DOOR TO DOOR HAVE SAID THAT THEY DO, THEY SUPPORT THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, UH, FOR MANY REASONS.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE ALL WANT TO PRESERVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE DON'T WANT DEVELOPERS COMING AND TEARING DOWN OUR CASITAS AND, UH, UH, FOR ABUELAS AND ABUELAS TO LOSE THEIR HOMES, YOU KNOW? SO THIS IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT WE CAN TRY TO DO THAT.
AND SO WHEN WE FOUND OUT THAT, UH, ONE OF OUR RESIDENTS, UM, CHARLIE AND, UH, RUBY HAD APPLIED FOR THE HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION, WE, UH, WE JOINED IN BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF OUR GOALS ANYWAY.
AND WE HAVE GONE, UH, WE HAVE ASKED, UM, FOR, UH, SUPPORT FROM THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION TO HELP US PUBLICIZE THE BENEFITS TO HAVING THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
[00:40:01]
WE, UM, YOU, YOU MAY BE SEEING SOME OF US GOING TO YOUR HOUSE AND ASKING IF WE CAN PUT UP OUR SIGNS, UH, TO VOTE YES FOR THE HISTORIC DISTRICT, AND WE WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL OF THE REASONS, UH, WHY IT'S BENEFICIAL TO OUR RESIDENTS.UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S PART OF THE REASON THAT WE HAVE THESE SIGNS.
UM, THAT, UH, REMINDS ME THAT, UM, WE'VE ALSO BEEN WORKING WITH, UM, UH, FOLKS WHO, UH, HAVE BEEN HELPING US TO COME UP WITH A LITTLE FLYER TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS, SOME, UM, FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE DISTRICT.
UM, AND I, UH, UM, I THINK WE, UH, LETTI MAY HAVE SHARED THAT WITH US THIS MORNING TO PRINT.
UH, AT THE SAME TIME, I ASSUME AS, UH, YOU ARE SHARING THE SIGNS AND ASKING FOLKS IF THEY'D LIKE A SIGN TO, TO BE PUT OUT, AND, UM, THAT INFORMATION WILL BE AVAILABLE BOTH IN ENGLISH AND IN SPANISH.
I'M GONNA ASK THE NEXT QUESTION, BUT IF SOMEBODY ELSE WANTS TO ADD SOMETHING, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JUMP IN.
UM, UH, WE GOT A QUESTION ABOUT THE BOUNDARIES.
UM, AND LETTI, WE'RE SORT OF HEADED IN THAT DIRECTION, I THINK, TALKING ABOUT, UM, HOW, HOW THE BOUNDARIES WERE, UM, WERE SUGGESTED.
AND, UM, FROM, FROM THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICES SIDE, YOU KNOW, THE APPLICATION COMES WITH A BOUNDARY PROPOSAL, SO THAT'S HOW WE MOVE FORWARD.
BUT I WONDER IF SOMEBODY WANTED TO SPEAK FOR JUST A MINUTE ABOUT, UM, HOW THOSE, UH, UH, PROPOSED BOUNDARY LINES WERE DRAWN.
YEAH, I COULD, UH, SPEAK ON THAT.
UM, SO WHEN WE PURCHASED OUR HOUSE ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO, I WAS TRYING TO DO RESEARCH ON, YOU KNOW, WHO BUILT MY HOUSE AND GET MUCH INFORMATION I CAN ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND MY HOUSE, AND I CAME ACROSS THE GUADALUPE WEST SIDE PLAN.
AND WHEN I WAS READING THAT, I, I SAW THAT THE, UH, AREAS BETWEEN BRUSSELS AND HAMILTON AND MONTEREY AND DURANGO QUALIFIED FOR HISTORIC STATUS IF THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHOSE TO GO THAT WAY.
SO THAT'S WHAT PRETTY MUCH, I JUST STUCK WITH THOSE BOUNDARIES.
BUT INSTEAD OF GOING TO HAMILTON, I JUST WENT TO, UH, SMO, AND THEN I WENT UP NORTH TO BUENA VISTA.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE, UH, THAT WAS, THAT'S HOW I CAME ACROSS THE BOUNDARIES.
THAT, UM, I THINK IS, UH, REALLY IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
UM, I ALSO WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT WE HAVE, UM, WITHIN THE BOUNDARIES, UM, OVER, OVER 20, I THINK, REALLY CLOSE TO TWO DOZEN INDIVIDUALLY DESIGNATED LANDMARKS.
SO THIS IS AN AREA THAT, UM, IN, UH, PREVIOUS DESIGNATION EFFORTS HAS BEEN, UM, RECOGNIZED AS, UM, HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT.
AND THERE ARE SOME PROPERTIES WITHIN IT THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN, UM, DESIGNATED AS, AS LANDMARKS.
SO, UM, UH, IT'S CERTAINLY, UM, WELL KNOWN, UH, THE HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS AREA.
I'M GONNA JUMP INTO THE NEXT QUESTION WITHIN A SECOND.
UM, STEPH, CAN YOU GO TO THE SLIDE, UH, AFTER THE YES, AFTER THAT ONE.
SO WE WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, OR I WANTED US TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE, UM, UH, THE IMPACT OF DESIGNATION ON PROPERTY OWNERS AND, UM, SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT, UH, WHAT IT MEANS.
AND I SORT OF, UH, BROUGHT UP THE HISTORIC DESIGN GUIDELINES ALREADY, BUT, UM, I WANTED TO, UM, INTRODUCE THOSE AGAIN MORE SPECIFICALLY.
SO WE HAD A QUESTION ABOUT, UM, WHAT THE RULES WERE THAT FOLKS WOULD HAVE TO FOLLOW AFTER, UH, AFTER DESIGNATION.
AND, UM, THE ANSWER IS THAT, UH, UH, THERE'S A DOCUMENT CALLED THE HISTORIC DESIGN GUIDELINES THAT, UM, ESSENTIALLY ANY, UH, WORK THAT'S DONE ON THE EXTERIOR OF A PROPERTY WOULD NEED, UM, WRITTEN APPROVAL AND NEED TO BE DONE IN LINE WITH THOSE HISTORIC DESIGN GUIDELINES.
UM, THERE ARE SOME DISTRICTS THAT HAVE DISTRICT SPECIFIC GUIDELINES WRITTEN FOR THEM, AND, UM, I KNOW THAT THAT'S BEEN A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION WITHIN THE COMMUNITY ABOUT, UM, PUTTING TOGETHER A DISTRICT SPECIFIC GUIDELINES.
SO I WONDERED IF ANYBODY WANTED TO, UM, TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHAT, WHAT THAT PROCESS HAS BEEN LIKE AND WHAT THAT CONVERSATION IS RIGHT NOW.
UH, WELL, I WAS GONNA, THIS IS ELA.
UM, JUST AGAIN, THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS DIFFERENT THAN MONTE, THE BEACON HILL, KING WILLIAM.
OUR HOUSES ARE MASS, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE SMALLER.
THEY'RE, UM, I MEAN, THEY'RE, THERE'S SOME THAT ARE SIMILAR TO LA VACA, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE JUST, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT COMMUNITY.
[00:45:01]
WE WANNA HONOR AND RESPECT WHAT IS DIFFERENT FROM OUR COMMUNITY.WE HAVE TIRE SHOPS ON BUENA VISTA STREET AND COMMERCE STREET THAT YOU WON'T FIND IN KING WILLIAMS. SO WOULD WE SAY THAT THEY HAVE TO BE GONE? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
WE KEEP THEM, BECAUSE THAT'S PART OF THE CULTURE OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT BRIGHT YELLOW CD TIRE PRACTICE IS, ARE THE COLORS THAT ARE OUR COLORS.
SO SOMEBODY ASK THE QUESTION ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WILL WE STOP PEOPLE FROM PAINTING THEIR H HOMES, YOU KNOW, BRIGHT PINK AND ORANGE AND PURPLE? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
SO IN CASE THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, WE WANTED TO CREATE OUR OWN GUIDELINES TO INCORPORATE THE
SO, UH, WE'RE TALKING TO THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION.
THEY SEEM TO HAVE CREATED ONE FOR THE SOUTH SIDE FOR THE MISSION AREA, AND WE WANNA FOLLOW UP AS WELL.
SO IT WOULD BE UNIQUE TO THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, I'LL JUST JUMP IN A LITTLE BIT TO TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE OFFICE SIDE OF THAT AND THE, THE PROCESS PART OF IT.
AND GRACIE'S, UH, ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.
NOT EVERY HISTORIC DISTRICT IS THE SAME.
AND SO WHAT THE COMMUNITY IS TRYING TO DO IS REALLY, UH, PRESERVE WHAT MAKES YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD UNIQUE.
AND SO THERE ARE SIMPLE THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE TO JUST WRITE DOWN WHAT IS IT THAT MAKES YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SO WONDERFUL.
UH, IT COULD BE COLORS, IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING AND STUDYING IS THE HAND PAINTED SIGNAGE ON THE WEST SIDE, WHICH IS VERY UNIQUE AND IS BASED ON ARTISAN SHIPS, THAT, AND PERHAPS PEOPLE FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO BEING ABLE TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS THAT MAKE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD SPECIAL AND UNIQUE ARE SOME OF THE THINGS TO BE THINKING ABOUT NOW.
AND THOSE CAN BE WRITTEN INTO A GUIDELINE TO ENSURE THAT THAT PART OF IT CONTINUES.
UM, AND I, I THINK THAT'S JUST THE SHORT OF IT, BUT, UH, WE CAN, ONCE SOMEBODY WANTS TO TALK MORE ABOUT THAT PROCESS, WE'D BE HAPPY TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON THAT SOME MORE.
GRACIELA, WERE YOU TRYING TO SAY SOMETHING? OKAY.
UM, WE HAD A, A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, UH, SORT OF BUILDING ON THIS IDEA OF, UH, WHAT, WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE, UM, ON PROPERTY OWNERS IS ABOUT WOULD I BE REQUIRED TO MAKE REPAIRS TO MY HOME? UM, AND, UH, I WONDER, UM, I'M GONNA CALL ON GRACIELA AGAIN, SINCE YOU'VE JUST GONE THROUGH, UH, THE DISTRICT DESIGNATION PROCESS AND YOU ALSO, UM, UH, UH, ALREADY, UM, WERE INVOLVED WITH PROPERTIES THAT WERE LANDMARKED.
UM, UH, COULD YOU TALK ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE THERE IF REPAIRS WERE REQUIRED TO BE MADE, UM, ON, ON THOSE PROPERTIES? NONE OF IT, WE WEREN'T REQUIRED TO DO ANYTHING TO FIX IT UP BEFORE WE APPLIED FOR HISTORIC DESIGNATION OR HISTORIC DISTRICT.
UM, WHAT WE WERE REQUIRED TO DO IS TO LEARN THE HISTORY OF THE HOME OR HOMES THAT ARE PART OF THE AREA.
AND, AND THAT'S JUST A FUN THING TO DO,
THAT THERE WAS A, YOU KNOW, NDA ON THE SIDE, UM, THAT WAS A LAUNDROMAT.
IT WAS A, A GROCERY STORE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE LIVED, UH, IT WASN'T, YOU KNOW, THEY HAD DIFFERENT PURPOSES, UH, AND USES FOR THEIR HOMES.
SO LEARNING THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T ALWAYS A MEXICAN AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD.
THIS AREA, THE PROSPECT HILL, THE BUENA VISTA AREA, THERE WERE GERMANS AND BELGIAN, UM, UH, JEWISH COMMUNITY MEMBERS HERE.
AND THEN WE CAME IN MAYBE IN THE, YOU KNOW, TWENTIES, THIRTIES AND FORTIES.
BUT IT'S JUST LEARNING ALL OF THAT HISTORY, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND SO, YEAH, YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND THE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT YOU'RE AFRAID THAT YOU'D BE HAVING TO SPEND.
UM, AND, AND THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO SHOULD RESPECT THAT'S IN THAT IT'S IMPORTANT AND ALSO BE DESIGNATED HISTORIC BECAUSE OUR HISTORY AND OUR COMMUNITIES ALSO MATTER.
UM, CONTINUING ON THAT SAME SORT OF, UH, TRACK, UM, UH, SOMEONE ASKED THAT IF THEY DO REPAIRS TO THEIR HOMES, DO THEY NEED TO HIRE AN ARCHITECT?
[00:50:01]
UM, AND THE ANSWER IS NO.UM, THERE'S, UH, THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT THAT YOU HIRE AN ARCHITECT.
UM, AND IN FACT, UH, YOU CAN DO THE WORK YOURSELF ON THE PROPERTY IF YOU WANT TO.
UM, UH, THE, UM, THE CHANGE WOULD BE THAT YOU WOULD JUST NEED TO, UM, COME TO OUR OFFICE TO, UM, AGAIN, REQUEST THAT CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS.
AND, UM, MOST, UH, MOST REQUESTS ARE THINGS THAT WE CAN APPROVE VERY QUICKLY.
UM, WE HAVE AN ONLINE APPLICATION WHERE YOU CAN COME, UM, TO OUR OFFICE AT 1901 SOUTH ALAMO TO MAKE THAT REQUEST.
UM, AND WE CAN TURN IT AROUND TYPICALLY WITHIN TWO OR THREE DAYS.
SO IT'S, UM, UH, A PRETTY FAST PROCESS AND, UM, DOES NOT REQUIRE THAT YOU, UH, HAVE AN ARCHITECT WORKING FOR YOU, UM, TO, TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
UM, STEPH, WILL YOU GO ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE? OKAY.
I WANTED TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE TAX INCENTIVES THAT WERE AVAILABLE.
AND, UM, WE, WE'VE GOTTEN SO MANY QUESTIONS ABOUT TAXES.
WILL MY TAXES GO UP? HOW DOES THIS AFFECT MY TAXES? DO YOU HAVE, UM, INCENTIVES AVAILABLE? AND, UM, I THINK JUST BROADLY, I THINK I WANTED TO START, UM, BY SHARING SOME INFORMATION THAT, UM, THAT WE HAVE ABOUT WHAT, UM, UH, WHAT HAPPENS AFTER A DISTRICT IS DESIGNATED.
UM, AND CLAUDIA, I'M GONNA CALL ON YOU HERE.
UM, CLAUDIA HAS DONE SOME REALLY, UH, EXCELLENT RESEARCH IN THE PAST THAT I THINK WE'RE WORKING TO UPDATE NOW ON, UM, UH, UH, TAXES WITHIN HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND, AND APPRAISED VALUES SPECIFICALLY.
SO WHAT I'M GOING TO ADDRESS IS THE QUESTION, UH, AND THE FEAR THAT TAXES RISE ONCE A DISTRICT IS DESIGNATED.
AND SO I THINK THAT WAS A REALLY IMPORTANT QUESTION.
AND, AND THE TRUTH IS, UH, WE THINK THAT IT DOESN'T, BUT I WENT ON, UM, SOME RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION TO DETERMINE WHETHER THAT WAS TRUE.
UM, AND SO AT THAT TIME, THIS WAS IN 2017, UH, WE WERE COMPARING, UH, A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WANTED TO BECOME A HISTORIC DISTRICT, BUT WAS AFRAID THAT TAXES WOULD GO UP.
AND SO I DID RESEARCH COMPARING IT TO OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS SIMILAR TO IT, UH, SOME THAT WERE DISTRICTS, SOME THAT WERE NOT, SOME THAT WERE CONSERVATION DISTRICTS.
AND WHAT WE FOUND WAS THAT THE DESIGNATION DID NOT APPEAR TO AFFECT PROPERTY TAXES GOING UP.
WHAT APPEARED TO AFFECT PROPERTY TAXES GOING UP WAS THAT PEOPLE WANTED TO LIVE IN HISTORIC HOMES THAT WERE CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN.
SO TAXES WERE GOING UP BEFORE DISTRICTS WERE EVEN CREATED, AND TAXES WERE GOING UP IN DISTRICT, IN NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WERE NOT DISTRICTS.
SO FOR US, OUR QUESTION NOW IS WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE FOR THE BUENA VISTA AREA? UM, I WAS RELUCTANT TO SAY THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE YOU ARE NOW.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE THE TAXES HAVE GONE UP NOW.
SO WE ARE GOING TO UNDERTAKE A FAST STUDY TO DETERMINE WHAT THE TAX PROPERTY TAX SITUATION IS IN THE BUENA VISTAS AREA NOW, AND COMPARE THAT TO OTHER CITIES AND COMPARE THAT NOT TO OTHER CITIES AND TO OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY, AND COMPARE IT TO, UM, HOUSING THAT IS EQUIVALENT TO WHAT EXISTS IN, IN BUENA VISTAS.
SO LOOKING AT THE SAME TYPES OF HOUSES, LOOKING AT THE SAME TYPES OF AGES OF HOUSES AND THE SAME TYPES OF, OF AGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THEM.
SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT I'M, I PROMISED JENNY, I WILL PUT TOGETHER VERY, VERY QUICKLY.
UH, SO I HOPE TO HAVE MORE DETAILS ON THAT IN TERMS OF APPRAISALS AND THE EFFECTS OF PROPERTY TAXES ON DESIGNATION.
JENNY, THERE'S SOMETHING I'VE LEFT OUT.
NO, I, I THINK, UM, UH, THAT'S, THAT'S EXCELLENT AND I SO APPRECIATE THAT WORK.
YEAH, WHAT I WANTED TO ALSO SAY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, 10, 15 YEARS AGO EVEN WE WERE SAYING, UH, YOU KNOW, HISTORIC PRESERVATION DISTRICTS MIGHT CAUSE GENTRIFICATION.
UM, AND SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO SEE ANY GENTRIFICATION.
WE DIDN'T WANT THE INCREASE IN OUR HOME VALUES OR LAND VALUES, BUT THE TRUTH IS, WE'VE SEEN IT HAPPENING.
IT HAPPENED IN THE EAST SIDE DINU NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF PEOPLE GOT PUSHED OUT, AND THE SOUTH SIDE OVER BY LA VACA JUST SOUTH OF KING WILLIAM AREA, AND IT'S GOING FURTHER SOUTH AND LONE STAR 'CAUSE ALL THIS DEVELOPMENT IS HAPPENING.
SO IT'S COMING, IT'S HAPPENING NOW.
U T SS A IS MOVING TO THE WEST SIDE.
I MEAN, IT'S EXPANDING ON THE WOLF SIDE.
UM, THERE'RE JUST ALL THESE DIFFERENT FOLKS THAT ARE BUYING PROPERTIES.
AND SO WE ARE SEEING THE INCREASE ALREADY.
SO WHAT WE HOPE IS THAT THIS HISTORIC DISTRICT, YOU KNOW, AT LEAST STOPS SOME, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE SOME SORT OF TAX BREAK BECAUSE THE BEXAR COUNTY TAX APPRAISAL IS INCREASING NOT ONLY YOUR HOME VALUE, BUT
[00:55:01]
THE LAND VALUE.SO YOUR, YOU KNOW, OUR LAND RIGHT NOW IS VALUED AT 15,000, $25,000 A LOT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, IN LA VACA LAND VALUES ARE, BUT THE SAME LAND, THE SAME LOT SIZE IS GOING FOR, YOU KNOW, 200,000 AND THE HOUSE STAYS SMALL, A HUNDRED THOUSAND.
SO ALL OF A SUDDEN YOU HAVE A $300,000 HOME, BUT IT'S THE LAND THAT WENT UP.
SO WE WANTED TO DO ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TO PROTECT.
AND ALSO THE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOOD, WEST SIDE RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION AND THE ESPERANZA AND OTHER GROUPS ARE ALSO TRYING TO FIND MONIES FROM CITY AND COUNTY TO HELP OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS FIX UP THEIR HOMES.
'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE A POOR NEIGHBORHOOD, SO, BUT THE CITY HASN'T SET ASIDE MONIES FOR INDIVIDUAL HOMEOWNERS TO DO THAT.
SO WE'RE TRYING, ASKING LOTS OF QUESTIONS.
WE'RE NOT JUST PUTTING SOMETHING ONTO OUR COMMUNITY, WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO FIND OTHER SOLUTIONS TO HELP US ALL OUT.
AND, AND I'D LIKE TO ADD THAT PART OF WHAT, UM, I HOPE THE STUDY REVEALS IS NOT JUST, UM, WE KNOW YOUR LAND IS VALUABLE, YOU KNOW, IT IS TO, WHAT WE WANNA GIVE YOU IS INFORMATION SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND HOW VALUABLE IT IS.
SO GETTING A DESIGNATION DOES NOT MEAN YOU CAN'T SELL YOUR PROPERTY.
YOU CAN SELL IT, BUT YOU WANNA MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET THE TOP DOLLAR THAT YOU CAN FOR THAT.
SO WE WANNA GIVE YOU ALL OF THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE SO THAT YOU UNDERSTAND HOW VALUABLE THE, THE ASSET IS THAT YOU OWN RIGHT NOW.
UM, TO, TO BOTH OF YOU, ELA AND CLAUDIA, AND THAT WAS, UH, VERY HELPFUL.
UM, I ACTUALLY HAVE PUT TOGETHER A LITTLE EXAMPLE OF WHAT ONE OF OUR TAX INCENTIVES LOOKS LIKE.
AND I WONDER, STEPH, IF YOU COULD GO, I THINK IT'S THE LAST SLIDE.
SO, UM, UH, THERE IS A TAX INCENTIVE THAT'S AVAILABLE.
UM, IT'S ACTUALLY AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED TO, UM, PROPERTIES THAT HAVE THE HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION WITH BEXAR COUNTY.
SO IF YOU LIVE IN THE HOME THAT YOU OWN, UM, UH, AND THE DISTRICT IS DESIGNATED, YOU WOULD RECEIVE A 20% REDUCTION ON YOUR CITY TAXES, YOUR CITY PROPERTY TAXES FOR UP TO 15 YEARS, AS LONG AS YOU'RE LIVING IN THE HOME.
SO, UM, I WANTED TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THIS MIGHT LOOK LIKE JUST WITH A, UM, A GENERIC PROPERTY VALUE.
SO, UM, UH, UH, FOR A HOME THAT IS, UM, HAS AN ASSESSED VALUE OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS, AND THAT'S BOTH THE IMPROVEMENT AND THE LAND TOGETHER.
UM, THE CITY TAXES OWED ANNUALLY WOULD BE SOMEWHERE IN THE RANGE OF $550 A YEAR.
UM, SO WITH THE INCENTIVE ON YEAR ONE, YOU WOULD SAVE A LITTLE OVER A HUNDRED DOLLARS ON THAT BILL, UM, AT THE, UH, AT THE END OF THIS INCENTIVE PERIOD.
SO BY THAT YEAR 15, UM, UH, WE ARE ASSUMING THAT, THAT THE PROPERTY VALUE WOULD, UM, UH, RISE.
AND, UH, THE AVERAGE PROPERTY VALUE INCREASE, UM, PER, PER BEAR COUNTY IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SEVEN AND 9% EACH YEAR.
SO THAT'S WHAT, WHAT I USED TO MAKE THIS ESTIMATE.
SO YOU WOULD BE SAVING ABOUT $300 A YEAR, UM, UH, ON YOUR PROPERTY TAXES.
AND, UH, SO OVERALL, THE, UH, THE FULL 15 YEAR LIFE OF THAT INCENTIVE, UM, YOU WOULD SAVE, UH, ABOUT $2,800, UM, ON A PROPERTY THAT'S, UH, ASSESSED RIGHT NOW AT A, AT ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
SO, UM, I JUST WANTED, UH, TO, TO DEMONSTRATE WHAT THAT, UH, COULD LOOK LIKE.
UM, AND AGAIN, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S AUTOMATICALLY APPLIED, UH, TO, UM, OWNER OCCUPIED HOUSES.
SO, UH, HOMES THAT HAVE A HOMESTEAD EXEMPTION FILED, UH, WITH BEXAR COUNTY WOULD RECEIVE THIS, UM, THIS TAX INCENTIVE IF THE DISTRICT DESIGNATION WERE IN PLACE.
WE ALSO HAVE TWO OTHER INCENTIVES THAT, UM, I'LL GO OVER VERY QUICKLY.
AND, UH, STEPH, IF YOU WANNA JUMP BACK ONE SLIDE.
UM, THE FIRST INCENTIVE THAT I'LL TALK ABOUT IS, UM, THERE WE GO, THE SUBSTANTIAL REHABILITATION TAX CREDIT.
SO THIS IS, UM, A TAX CREDIT THAT'S AVAILABLE, UH, FOR, UM, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES THAT, UM, THAT YOU'RE DOING WORK ON.
SO IF YOU ARE INVESTING, UH, 30% OF THE IMPROVEMENT VALUE BACK INTO THE PROPERTY, THEN YOU WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THIS INCENTIVE.
SO, UM, YOU HAVE, UH, A COUPLE OF CHOICES AND WHAT THE INCENTIVE LOOKS LIKE.
THE ONE I'M GONNA TALK ABOUT HERE IS A 10 YEAR TAX FREEZE.
SO, UM, AGAIN, WE'RE USING A, A PROPERTY THAT'S, UM, UH, ASSESSED AT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS WITH ABOUT AN $80,000 IMPROVEMENT ON IT.
UM, SO THE HOUSE IS WORTH $80,000, UM, PER, UH, PER THE BEAR COUNTY APPRAISAL DISTRICT.
SO IN ORDER TO QUALIFY FOR THE TAX CREDIT, YOU'D NEED TO SPEND,
[01:00:01]
UM, $24,000, UM, ON, UH, ON WORK TO THE PROPERTY.AND, UM, WE, UH, JUST SORT OF GIVING AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT COULD LOOK LIKE, UM, YOU MIGHT NEED TO DO SOME WINDOW REPAIR AND YOU MIGHT NEED TO REPLACE A ROOF.
BOTH OF THOSE THINGS WOULD BE WORK THAT WOULD QUALIFY, UM, FOR, UH, FOR THIS INCENTIVE.
AND SO, UM, ASSUMING THAT YOU PUT IN ABOUT $25,000 WORTH OF WORK, UM, ULTIMATELY THIS, UH, THIS TAX INCENTIVE WOULD FREEZE YOUR, UM, CITY PROPERTY TAXES AT THE PRE IMPROVEMENT VALUE.
SO AT THE VALUE, UM, THAT IT, THAT IT CURRENTLY IS.
SO THAT A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS VALUE.
UM, SO AGAIN, YOU'D, UH, YOU'D OWE ABOUT $550 EVERY YEAR FOR, FOR PROPERTY TAXES.
SO YOU WOULD PAY $550 FOR 10 YEARS, UM, EVEN AS YOUR APPRAISAL VALUE CLIMBS UP.
SO, UM, UH, JUST FOR EXAMPLE OF WHAT THAT, UM, IN THE END LOOKS LIKE, UH, WITHOUT THE INCENTIVE, UM, UH, AT YEAR 10, UH, ASSUMING THAT YOUR PROPERTY INCREASES IN VALUE AT THE, AT THE AVERAGE INCREASE, UM, YOU WOULD OWE, UH, WITHOUT THE INCENTIVE ABOUT $1,200, UM, A YEAR IN, UH, UH, CITY PROPERTY TAXES.
BUT WITH THIS INCENTIVE, YOU WOULD STILL ONLY BE PAYING $550.
SO IT'S A SAVINGS OF AROUND, UM, $2,000 OVER THE LIFE OF THE, UM, OF THE CREDIT.
UM, AND AGAIN, THAT, THAT OPTION IS AVAILABLE FOR, UM, RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES AND THEN STEP IF YOU'LL GO BACKWARDS ONE.
AND THEN FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAD A QUESTION COME IN SPECIFICALLY ABOUT COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES AND WHAT THE IMPACT WOULD BE, UM, UH, ON COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES WITHIN THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
SO, UM, YOU, UH, THERE'S, THERE'S NO CHANGE.
YOU, YOU CAN STILL CONTINUE USING YOUR PROPERTY AS IT'S CURRENTLY USED.
HISTORIC DESIGNATION DOESN'T AFFECT, UM, THE USE OF THE PROPERTY.
UM, THE, UH, TAX INCENTIVE THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IS VERY SIMILAR, UM, SIMILARLY DESIGNED TO THE ONE THAT'S AVAILABLE FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY.
SO, UM, UH, IT, UM, AGAIN, REQUIRES THAT YOU INVEST 30% OF THE IMPROVEMENT VALUE, UH, BACK INTO THE PROPERTY.
UM, I'M GONNA GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY BASED ON A PROPERTY IN NUITY HILL THAT WAS, UM, RENOVATED, UH, ABOUT FIVE YEARS AGO, SIX YEARS AGO.
AND, UM, UH, SO THESE NUMBERS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, BUT, UM, I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU SOMEBODY WHO HAD ACTUALLY DONE THIS HAD ACTUALLY, UM, TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF THIS, THIS CREDIT.
SO, UM, THE, UH, PRE RE-HAB ASSESSED VALUE.
SO WHEN THEY STARTED THE PROJECT, THE PROPERTY WAS ASSESSED AT $68,000.
THE, THE BUILDING ON IT WAS, UM, ASSESSED AT JUST UNDER $50,000.
SO THEY NEEDED TO INVEST, UM, $14,800 TO QUALIFY.
SO THAT'S 30% OF THE IMPROVEMENT VALUE.
BUT, UM, THEY WERE DOING A LARGE PROJECT, AND SO THEIR SCOPE OF WORK INCLUDED, UM, A LOT OF VERY EXPENSIVE ITEMS. SO THEY REPLACED THE, UM, UH, THE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM.
THEY, UH, HAD TO DO A LOT OF WINDOW REPAIR.
UM, THERE WAS A, UM, AN ADDITION ON THE, ON THE BUILDING THAT THEY HAD TO DEMOLISH.
UM, AND THEN THEY DID A LOT OF INTERIOR WORK.
SO THEY ACTUALLY ENDED UP SPENDING QUITE A BIT OF MONEY, UM, ON THIS PROPERTY.
AND IT, UH, IT INCREASED THE VALUE OF THE PROPERTY REALLY SUBSTANTIALLY.
AND SO I THINK THIS IS A GOOD DEMONSTRATION OF, UM, WHY THAT THAT TAX CREDIT BECOMES, UM, REALLY VALUABLE, UH, FOR FOLKS.
UM, FOR THE FIRST FIVE YEARS FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, UM, THE CITY TAXES WOULD BE ZERO, SO YOU WOULDN'T PAY ANY CITY TAXES AT ALL FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.
UM, THE CITY TAXES WOULD BE, UH, CHARGED AT 50% OF THE NEW VALUE.
SO, UM, UM, APPROXIMATELY $450 A YEAR, UM, FOR THE SECOND HALF OF THIS INCENTIVE.
SO AGAIN, JUST, UH, TO, UM, DEMONSTRATE THE VALUE OF THIS, UM, UH, WHEN THE INCENTIVE EXPIRES, THERE'S ABOUT $1,200.
UM, UH, YOUR CITY TAXES WOULD BE ABOUT $1,200 AT THAT POINT PER YEAR.
AND SO, UM, THE SAVINGS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE FOR THIS, UM, PROPERTY WOULD BE PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL.
IT'S, UM, UH, WELL OVER $5,000 OVER THE LIFE OF THAT CREDIT.
UM, AND AGAIN, THAT'S, THIS IS AN EXAMPLE THAT SHOWS A REALLY BIG PROJECT OF A PROPERTY THAT NEEDED A LOT OF WORK.
UM, AND SO THE INCREASE IN THAT APPRAISAL VALUE WAS REALLY DRAMATIC, AND THAT'S WHY THE SAVINGS ARE SO DRAMATIC AS WELL, UM, FROM THAT INCENTIVE.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ME TALK FOR SO LONG.
UM, I AM GOING TO, UM, SEND US BACK OVER TO ANOTHER QUESTION, IF YOU WILL.
BACK UP, RIGHT? THE DEMOLITION ONE.
UM, SO, UH, THERE'VE BEEN A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT
[01:05:01]
THE DEMOLITION PROCESS AND WHY, UM, WHY DESIGNATION, UM, AFFECTS THE DEMOLITION PROCESS.AND, UM, I WONDER IF, UH, SOMEBODY WANTS TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, WHAT THE VALUE IS OF DESIGNATION FOR, UM, FOR DEMOLITION.
WE'VE KIND OF TOUCHED ON THIS A COUPLE OF TIMES, UM, IN THIS, BUT I WANTED TO REALLY, UM, UH, EXPLICITLY ANSWER THAT QUESTION.
UM, ANYBODY WANNA TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, UH, AMELIA DID, DID, DID YOU WANNA TALK? I DON'T KNOW IF SHE'S PAYING ATTENTION.
OH, LET ME, IS SHE THERE? AMANDA? CAN YOU HEAR OKAY, I'M OFF.
YOU'VE BEEN GOING TO A LOT OF THE B S B BOARD MEETINGS AND YOU'VE SEEN HOW A LOT OF HOMES HAVE BEEN DEMOLISHED.
HOW, HOW WOULD A HISTORIC DISTRICT HELP, OR WHAT DO YOU, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? UH, I THINK MOSTLY IT'S THE PROPERTY PROTECTIONS.
A LOT OF THEM, UM, ARE THAT GET BEHIND OR ALSO TITLE, UH, TITLE PROBLEMS. UH, BUT THIS WOULD HELP, UH, THE DESIGNATION WOULD HELP WITH THEM JUST TO PROTECT THEIR PROPERTY.
UH, UNFORTUNATELY THIS PAST THURSDAY, UM, MR. GALLEGO AT EIGHT 13
HE SAID, IT TOOK ONE MINUTE FOR YOU TO SAY, ACKNOWLEDGE MY PROPERTY, BUT I'VE BEEN HERE ALL MY LIFE, MY LIFE, AND THAT THOSE ARE THE STORIES.
AND IF THEY WERE HISTORICALLY DESIGNATED, THIS WOULDN'T BE AN ISSUE.
AND I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT, AT LEAST FOR PEOPLE WHO'VE BEEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD HISTORICALLY AND TAKE PRIDE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
WE'VE SEEN, UH, THERE WAS A HOUSE ON ROCIO STREET.
THE NEIGHBOR SAID HE WAS GOING TO IMPROVE IT AND BUILD ANOTHER HOME, AND IT WAS GONNA BE TWO STORY HIGH.
AND IT WAS AN APARTMENT, IT WAS A RENTAL.
AND WE DIDN'T HAVE, IF IT HAD BEEN IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT, THE CITY OFFICES OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION WOULD'VE SAID, HOLD ON, LET'S CHECK IT OUT.
LET'S SEE THE HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS HOME.
YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S A PROTECTION, RIGHT? AND WE DIDN'T HAVE A PROTECTION FOR THIS HOUSE ON STREET.
SO IT WENT BEFORE, IT DIDN'T GO BEFORE HISTORIC.
THE HISTORIC DESIGN AND REVIEW COMMITTEE, IT WENT TO, UM, B B AND NO, IT DIDN'T EVEN GO THERE.
IT JUST, UH, IT, I DON'T, IT WENT THROUGH ZONING.
ZONING, SAID YES, TEAR IT DOWN, BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA BUILD SOMETHING NEW.
WELL, YOU KNOW WHAT, A YEAR AND A HALF LATER, IT'S A PARKING LOT AND IT'S ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE THERE WERE KICKED OUT AND THEY WERE RENTING FOR $460, THEN THEY WERE RENTING FOR $700.
YOU KNOW, THEY WENT, YOU KNOW, HALF A MILE NORTH ONTO SAN FERNANDO STREET.
BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT PROTECTED THAT FAMILY.
THERE WAS NOTHING THAT PROTECTED THAT LITTLE CASITA.
UM, YOU KNOW, AND SO THESE FOLKS, YOU KNOW, COULD BE HOMELESS FOR ALL WE KNOW RIGHT NOW, BUT THERE WAS NO PROTECTION AND THERE WAS NOBODY IN THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION TO HELP US.
THEY SAID, THUMB THUMBS UP TO THE, THE PROJECT.
AND, AND THAT PROJECT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
IT'S NOT A TWO STORY HOME LIKE THEY TOLD US.
AND TO ADD TO THAT, THEY HAD SAID THAT THEY WOULDN'T DEMOLISH.
WE ACTUALLY SHOOK HANDS IN THE BOARDROOM AND THE NEXT DAY, UH, THEY DEMOLISHED IT ANYWAY.
SO THESE THINGS WOULDN'T HAPPEN IF DESIGNATION WOULD BE THE
BUT, UH, AND WE WANNA SAY THAT FOR DISTRICT FIVES MORE, WHEN WE GO BEFORE THE BUS, THE BUILDING STANDARDS FOR HALF OF THE BUILDINGS THAT ARE COMING UP FOR DEMOLITION OR TO, YOU KNOW, THAT CODE COMPLIANCE IS TARGETING IS FROM DISTRICT FIVE.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE CITY TO STOP ANY DEMOLITIONS IN GENERAL.
BUT IF THEY CAN'T DO, OVERALL, IT'S LIKE DISTRICT FIVE.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING IT WHEN BUILDING AT A TIME, WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, HISTORIC DISTRICT HELPS US SAVE, PROTECT 500 BUILDINGS AT A TIME.
LIKE, THIS DISTRICT IS SUPPOSED TO BE 500 HOMES AND, AND
SO, YOU KNOW, IT IT, IT REALLY RELIEVES THE WORK
[01:10:01]
OF THOSE OF US WHO ARE GOING BEFORE THE BUILDING STANDARDS BOARD, YOU KNOW, TO TAKE THE BREAK ANDBECAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS AMANDA WAS TEARING UP, I MEAN, AMELIA'S THERE ALL THE TIME AND THE RESIDENTS ARE, YOU KNOW, DEVASTATED.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, THEY'RE HOMELESS SOMETIMES, OR THEY HAVE TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY'RE GONNA LIVE WITH SOMEBODY ELSE LATER ON.
AND, AND ONE MORE POINT THAT WE HAVE, PART OF THE REPAIRS UNDER THIS DESIGNATION IS AS SIMPLE AS THEY NEED A REPAIR FOR THEIR ROOFS AND SOME KIND OF FOUNDATION.
AND THAT THOSE ARE SIMPLE, SIMPLE THINGS FOR THEM TO TAKE CARE OF A ROOF.
IF THE DESIGNATION WITH THE REHAB MONEY, WE WOULD HAVE THAT AVAILABLE FOR THAT.
UM, THOSE ARE HARD STORIES TO HEAR.
UM, WE NEED TO TAKE, UH, ONE MORE BREAK.
UM, AGAIN, JUST A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND THEN I'M GONNA ASK EVERYBODY TO COME BACK AND, UM, SHARE SOME CONCLUDING THOUGHTS, UM, WITH EVERYONE.
AND, UH, WE CAN, UH, GIVE EVERYBODY THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY SOMETHING WE DIDN'T GET A QUESTION THAT YOU WANTED TO MAKE SURE WAS ANSWERED.
UM, OR IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE, UM, YOU'LL HAVE THE CHANCE TO DO THAT.
SO, UM, IT, I HAVE, UH, UH, 1225, UM, ON MY CLOCK.
SO WE'LL COME BACK RIGHT AT 1230.
UM, THANKS EVERYBODY FOR BEING PATIENT WITH US, UH, TODAY.
[01:16:59]
OKAY.I AM GONNA ASK EVERYBODY TO COME BACK, GIVE EVERYBODY JUST A MOMENT TO, UM, RETURN TO THEIR SCREENS.
STEPH, CAN YOU HOP FORWARD A COUPLE OF SLIDES TO, THERE'S ONE THAT HAS INFORMATION ABOUT GRANTS AND PROGRAMS THAT ARE, UM, OFFERED.
UM, SO I WANTED TO BE SURE TO POINT OUT IN MY CONCLUDING THOUGHTS THAT, UM, IN ADDITION TO THE TAX INCENTIVES THAT WE LISTED TODAY, THAT THERE ARE, UM, A COUPLE OF OTHER, UM, PROGRAMS THE CITY HAS, UH, THROUGH, UM, UH, ITS NEIGHBORHOODS DEPARTMENT, UM, SEVERAL PROGRAMS THAT CAN ASSIST WITH REPAIRS TO PROPERTIES.
AND WE'VE LISTED A FEW OF THOSE HERE.
UM, SOME OF THEM ARE SPECIFIC TO, UM, A PARTICULAR PART OF THE HOUSE, THE UNDER ONE ROOF PROGRAM, FOR INSTANCE, AND OTHERS CAN DO MUCH BROADER, UM, UH, WORK, UM, TO HELP WITH PROPERTIES.
UM, ADDITIONALLY THERE, UH, THERE IS AN ORGANIZATION IN SAN ANTONIO THAT HAS GRANT MONEY AVAILABLE TO DO, UM, REPAIR AND REHABILITATION ON, UH, HISTORIC PROPERTIES.
AND THAT'S, UM, AVAILABLE THROUGH THE CONSERVATION SOCIETY.
UM, UH, THAT MONEY IS RAISED EACH YEAR, UM, THROUGH THEIR FIESTA EVENT.
AND, UM, THEY HAVE AN APPLICATION CYCLE ANNUALLY, UM, TYPICALLY IN THE FALL.
UH, AND YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT EITHER ON THEIR WEBSITE OR, UM, BY GIVING THEM A CALL.
SO, UM, I DID WANNA MENTION THAT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE AVAILABLE HERE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, THERE AREN'T A LOT OF PLACES THAT HAVE, UM, UM, WHAT WE CALL BRICKS AND MORTAR GRANTS.
SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL TO HAVE, UM, AN ORGANIZATION WHO CAN PROVIDE THAT, UH, THAT KIND OF FUNDING.
UH, I THINK I HAD ASKED EVERYBODY IF THEY'D LIKE TO SHARE A CONCLUDING THOUGHT, UM, UH, THAT, THAT THIS MIGHT BE THE TIME TO DO THAT.
SO, UM, I WONDER IF THERE ARE VOLUNTEERS TO GO FIRST, OR I CAN JUST SORT OF GO DOWN THE LIST ON MY, OH, AMELIA'S WILL'S GOT HER HAND UP.
AGAIN, MY NAME IS AMELIA VALEZ AND I'M WITH THE HISTORIC RESIDENT ASSOCIATION.
I GET VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT A LOT OF THINGS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UH, SO THIS MIGHT TAKE ME SOME CRIME TO DO, I THINK IS BEST.
IN THE 1920S, THE VALDES FAMILY SETTLED IN A VERY HISTORIC AREA ON LOREDO AND
AND WHEN THEY USED TO HAVE FIESTAS BACK IN THE LATE 1930S AND FORTIES, AND WE HAD CELEBRATIONS.
[01:20:01]
UH, FOR US IT'S THE LEGACY FOR THE ANCESTRY PART, UM, BUT ALSO FOR MANY FAMILIES THAT HAVE SIMILAR STORIES IS TO PRESERVE COMMUNITY.THIS HISTORICAL DESIGNATION IS GONNA HELP PRESERVE COMMUNITY AND THE CULTURE FOR OUR LEGACY.
IT'S GONNA HELP STRUGGLING HOMEOWNERS TO STAY IN THEIR HOME AND TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR HOMES.
AND IT'S GONNA TAKE ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER, BUT ESPECIALLY O H P H D R, THE CITY, WE NEED YOUR HELP RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEN OUR LEGACY AND MY ANCESTORS WILL BE ALL A WASTE OF TIME, AND THAT WOULD BE SO DISRESPECTFUL, AT LEAST FOR THEM TO HAVE PAVED THE WAY TO BE WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.
ANYBODY WANNA VOLUNTEER TO GO NEXT? SOME THOUGHTS YOU'D LIKE TO SHARE? UH, UM, ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS LETTI, UH, WITH THE HISTORIC WEST SIDE RESIDENT ASSOCIATION, AND I JUST WANNA TELL ANYONE WHO'S LISTENING, UM, THAT OUR ORGANIZATION, THE PURPOSE OF OUR ORGANIZATION IS TO HELP THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE WITHIN OUR BOUNDARIES TO HELP PRESERVE OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, UNFORTUNATELY DURING, DURING THIS PANDEMIC, WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO MEET FACE-TO-FACE.
UM, BUT I EXTEND AN INVITATION TO EVERYONE TO CONTACT OUR ORGANIZATION.
IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS.
WE, AMELIA GOES TO THE BUILDING STANDARDS, UH, BOARD EVERY MONTH AND HAS TO, AND DOES WHAT SHE CAN TO TRY TO PROTECT HOMES AND RESIDENTS.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE IMPACTING OUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, EVERYBODY WANTS TO LIVE CLOSE TO DOWNTOWN SAN ANTONIO, SO NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYBODY WANTS TO LIVE ON THE WEST SIDE.
UM, SO WHAT, JUST TRYING TO, UH, PROTECT OUR OWN RESIDENTS AND OUR OWN BUILDINGS AND OUR HISTORY, UM, IS A FULL-TIME EFFORT.
AND ONE SMALL THING THAT WE CAN DO IS TO GET THIS HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION.
AND SO I HOPE THAT, UH, WHOEVER'S LISTENING WILL HAVE HEARD THE, THE TRUE BENEFITS AND, AND THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT A HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION WILL DO.
UH, WE HAVE GOTTEN CALLS FROM MANY RESIDENTS WHO'VE HEARD OPPOSING, UH, OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT, UH, HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION WILL DO.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THAT INFORMATION IS NOT CORRECT, AND WE DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO BE MISGUIDED BY THAT INFORMATION.
SO WE ASK THAT YOU CONTACT, UH, YOUR ASSOCIATION OR THE OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT.
UM, BUT REALLY THIS IS ALL TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY, YOUR HOME, UM, AND YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY.
UH, AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE UNDER SIEGE BECAUSE THEY TOO LIVE NEAR DOWNTOWN.
UH, AND THEY LIVE IN A, A BEAUTIFUL PART NEAR THE RIVER.
UH, AND YOU PROBABLY SEE A LOT OF THE STORIES THAT THEY'RE, UM, UH, OF THE STORIES THAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH RIGHT NOW IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT AND HOW THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD INTACT.
AND IT'S NOT JUST THE BUILDINGS, RIGHT? THIS IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE.
AND AMELIA, AMELIA WAS ALLUDING TO THIS, THIS ISN'T JUST ABOUT HOUSES.
IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT OTHER STRUCTURES, IT'S ABOUT THE STRUCTURE OF COMMUNITY AND THE SOCIAL FABRIC.
AND SO RIVER ROAD WANTS TO LET YOU KNOW THAT THEY HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE AGAINST DESIGNATION AT THE TIME, AND THEY BARELY GOT THROUGH.
AND THAT A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE AGAINST IT THEN ARE NOW FOR IT.
[01:25:01]
THAT THEY'RE GETTING.THEY DIDN'T REALIZE ALL OF THE, THE TRUTHS THAT WERE BEHIND IT.
SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE CONNECTING WITH PEOPLE WHO DO LIVE IN HISTORIC DISTRICTS BECAUSE THEY CAN TALK TO YOU, UH, ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY IS.
LIKE YOU HAVE A LOT OF PROPERTY OWNERS IN WINNE VISTA AREA THAT ALREADY OWN LANDMARK PROPERTY.
TALK TO THEM ABOUT WHAT IT REALLY IS LIKE.
I WILL TELL YOU, I LIVE IN A CONSERVATION DISTRICT, NOT A HISTORIC DISTRICT.
AND ONE OF THE FALLACIES IS THAT LIVING IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT MEANS THERE'S A LOT OF RULES AND REGULATIONS.
I'M GONNA TELL YOU THAT LIVING IN A CONSERVATION DISTRICT IS, IT'S EVEN STRICTER BECAUSE THOSE ARE STANDARDS, IT'S A LAW.
AND IN LIVING IN A HISTORIC DISTRICT, WHAT YOU HAVE ARE GUIDELINES.
THERE'S A LOT OF FLEXIBILITY, THERE'S A LOT OF WORKING WITH PROPERTY OWNERS TO ACHIEVE WHAT EVERYBODY'S LOOKING FOR AND WANTS WITH A LOT OF GUIDANCE, BUT WITHOUT HAVING THAT HEAVY REGULATORY STANCE THAT EVERYBODY IS AFRAID OF.
SO I HOPE SO, I HOPE EVERYONE WILL, WILL CONSIDER IT.
I HOPE THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO THINK ABOUT HOW THIS IS GONNA BENEFIT YOU AND LEARN THE LESSONS FROM OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE REALIZED HOW WELL IT'S BENEFITED THEM.
WELL, WE ALL TALK ABOUT THE WEST SIDE BEING SAN ANTONIO, THAT MEANS SOMETHING.
WHY DO WE TALK ABOUT IT BEING THE
MY FAMILY HAS LIVED IN A TWO BLOCK RADIUS, UM, ON VERA CRUZ, BETWEEN ES AND NAVI.
THAT'S FOR OVER TWO A HUNDRED YEARS.
MY GRANDFATHER WENT TO JT BRACKENRIDGE IN 19 0 6, 19 0 7, 19 0 8.
UM, MY MOTHER GRADUATED FROM LE LANIER HIGH SCHOOL IN 1942.
UM, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY GAVE US THIS SENSE OF PRIDE ABOUT OUR PEOPLE AND OUR COMMUNITY.
AND EVEN THOUGH OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WAS RAISED, IT WAS TOTALLY TORN DOWN.
UM, IN THE 1970S, THEY STAYED IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THEY ARE PROUD OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO WHAT HISTORIC DISTRICT CREATION OF HISTORIC DISTRICT IS NOT TO BRING IN ALL THE OUTSIDE PEOPLE, IS ALSO ABOUT PROTECTING THE
UM, IF YOU DON'T WANNA STAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT'S FINE,
UM, BUT FOR THOSE OF US THAT WILL WANNA STAY HERE, IT'S IMPORTANT.
WITHOUT THIS, UH, OVERLAY, WITHOUT THIS PROTECTION OF HISTORIC DISTRICT, WE, WE CONTINUE TO SEE THE DEMOLITION OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS.
AND I DRIVE BY ON SAN FERNANDO AND TOON AND EL PASO, AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF EMPTY LOTS.
AND THEN THE WHAT DO THE EMPTY LOTS CREATE? IT'S JUST ANOTHER PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO DUMP TRASH AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO IT'S NOT IMPROVING THE NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S HURTING THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO HELP US SAVE THIS TREASURE OF THE WEST SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO.
UM, AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, CALL THE ESPERANZA AT TWO TEN TWO TWO EIGHT ZERO TWO ZERO ONE.
UM, AND IF THERE ARE OTHER PHONE NUMBERS, I'M SURE OTHER PEOPLE WILL HELP OUT.
UH, IT'S JUST AN OFFICE NUMBER.
I DON'T KNOW WANT ANYBODY TO GIVE, UH, THEIR PERSONAL CELL NUMBERS, BUT IF PEOPLE, UH, HAVE QUESTIONS, JUST CALL US AND WE'LL TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
UM, ANYBODY ELSE HAVE SOME THOUGHTS THAT THEY WANNA SHARE? UM, ROLAND OR IRMA OR RUBY AND CHARLIE? ROLAND, GO AHEAD.
I WANTED TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR ALL THE EFFORT THAT PEOPLE ARE DOING, ESPECIALLY THE WEST SIDE HISTORIC RESIDENCE ASSOCIATION.
I MEAN THAT Y'ALL DO A LOT OF WORK AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S UNPAID.
IT'S JUST FOR THE VALUE OF, OF PROTECTING THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND I REALLY DO APPRECIATE THAT.
AND I THINK, UH, I THINK WE ALL DO.
WE JUST DON'T THINK ABOUT IT THAT OFTEN, BUT IT TAKES TIME TO PUT THOSE THINGS TOGETHER AND TO MAKE THE MEETINGS AND, AND TO DO ALL THE WORK.
[01:30:01]
UM, THAT'S, I, I HOPE WE'RE SUCCESSFUL IN THIS EFFORT.I, ANYONE ELSE? WE DON'T WANNA SKIP OVER ANYBODY ON RUBY AND CHARLIE.
SO MY SON, UM, ONE TIME WE WERE EATING DINNER AND HE TELLS ME AT THAT TIME HE WAS ABOUT SIX OR SEVEN, AND HE SAYS, MOM, I WISH I WAS RICH, RIGHT? LIKE ANY SIX YEAR OLD KID.
AND I SAID, BABY, WE ARE RICH.
WE ARE RICH IN CULTURE, WE ARE RICH IN FAMILY, WE ARE RICH IN LOVE.
THOSE THINGS THAT ARE SO IMPORTANT TO US.
AND THAT'S WHY WE BUILD, UH, PURCHASED HERE IN THE WEST SIDE BECAUSE WE WANT HIM TO GROW AND STAY.
UH, BECAUSE THAT COMMUNITY BUILT ME UP AND IT BUILT BOTH OF US UP FROM THE CASTANOS, FROM COOPER, FROM THE NEAR TO OUR LADY OF THE LAKE.
THAT'S WHY WE MADE THE DECISION TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT.
AND THE ASSOCIATION HAD THE FOUNDATION WE NEEDED TO, TO PUT IN THIS APPLICATION, THEIR GREAT WORK AND THEIR ADVOCACY THAT THEY HAVE LAID FOR THE WEST SIDE AND THE PE THE DAILY WORK, THE, THE WORK THAT WE DON'T SEE, UM, ON A, A DAILY BASIS.
THEY'RE PRESERVING, UM, OUR BUILDINGS AND WE JUST WANNA BE A PART OF THAT.
WE WANNA BE A PART OF THAT RICHNESS AND CULTURE AND FAMILY AND LOVE, AND CONTINUE THAT AND CONTINUE TO BE THE PRIDE OF THE WEST SIDE AND NOT JUST THE PRIDE OF THE WEST SIDE, BUT THE PRIDE OF SAN ANTONIO.
AND, UM, IT WASN'T MEANT TO CAUSE CONFLICT BETWEEN NEIGHBORS.
IT WASN'T COME TO DO ANYTHING, UH, JUST TO BRING THAT UNITY.
IT WAS THE OPPOSITE TO BRING UNITY, UH, TO OUR COMMUNITY.
SO I HOPE THAT, UM, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, PLEASE REACH OUT, GET THE RIGHT INFORMATION, IT'S OUT THERE.
UM, LIKE THEY SAID, THEY'RE A PHONE CALL AWAY.
JUST PICK UP THAT PHONE, KNOCK ON HER DOORS, AND BE OKAY TO ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
UM, YEAH, IT'S, IT'S WONDERFUL AND, AND VERY HEARTWARMING LISTENING TO THE HEARTS AND THE LOVE THAT EVERYONE IS POURING INTO, UM, THIS PRESENTATION.
AND, AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT.
IT'S ABOUT LOVE, UH, LOVE FOR, UM, FOR LIFE, LOVE FOR FAMILIES, LOVE FOR COMMUNITY, LOVE FOR, UM, CONTINUING ON AND HELPING ONE ANOTHER.
AND, UM, YEAH, SO WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER.
WE'RE AT, UH, ANOTHER TURNING POINT IN OUR COMMUNITY, IN OUR CITY.
UH, AND WHEN I, WHEN AND WHEN ANYBODY LOOKS AT THE ZILLOW PRESENTATIONS, I MEAN, ZILLOW IS NOT ONLY FOR COMMUNITY, IT'S WORLDWIDE.
SO YOU HAVE PEOPLE FROM CANADA, FROM CHINA, FROM OTHER PLACES LOOKING AT THESE, UH, PROPERTIES.
UM, AND UM, I REMEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK WITH TWO DEVELOPERS THAT ARE COMING INTO THE COMMUNITY.
ONE OF THEM WAS, IS FROM NEW YORK AND THE OTHER ONE'S FROM CALIFORNIA.
AND, UM, THEY WERE SAYING, OH, WE'RE GONNA DO A LOT FOR YOU ALL.
AND, OH YES, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY GONNA CHANGE.
AND I THOUGHT TO MYSELF, THEY HAVE NO IDEA OR HEART OF WHAT THIS COMMUNITY IS ABOUT.
THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE, AT THE DOLLAR, THE DOLLAR SIGNS.
UH, NEVERTHELESS, THERE'S A LOT OF STRONG POLITICS AND MONEY FLOWING THROUGHOUT, UH, THROUGHOUT CERTAIN CIRCLES.
UH, AND IF WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE, AND TO CONTINUE ON, UH, THE LEGACIES OF OUR, UM, GRANDPARENTS, OUR GREAT-GRANDPARENTS, UH, AND JUST, UH, JUST DO IT, DO THINGS FROM OUR HEART, UH, AND WORK TOGETHER AND NOT AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, UH, WE WILL, UH, ALLOW THE, THE WEST SIDE TO FLOURISH.
IT'S GONNA TAKE, IT'S GONNA TAKE WORK.
AND WE HAVE TO PUT EGOS AND OPINIONS ASIDE
[01:35:01]
AND ALWAYS THINK OF WHAT IS FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE.I THINK, UM, UNLESS ANYONE ELSE HAS ANY THOUGHTS THAT THEY WANTED TO ADD, I THINK IT'S PROBABLY TIME FOR US TO GO AHEAD AND CONCLUDE.
UM, I WANT TO AGAIN, THANK UM, EVERYONE WHO JOINED US TODAY, UH, FOR TAKING THE TIME TO, UM, UH, UH, SPEND YOUR SATURDAY, UH, WITH US AND, UM, TO PROVIDE, UM, THIS INFORMATION FOR EVERYONE.
AND, UM, AGAIN, I WOULD REMIND, UH, FOLKS WHO ARE LISTENING THAT YOU CAN, UM, CALL THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE THE HOTLINE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
UM, AND I'M GONNA LET JESS GIVE THAT NUMBER SO THAT I DON'T MESS IT UP.
THE HISTORIC DISTRICT HOTLINE IS 2 1 0 2 0 7 7 9 6 8.