poyea

Please continue the discussion in the existing topic below. http://swamplot.com/apartment-developer-ready-to-buy-landmarked-heights-waterworks-land-wants-to-know-whatcha-think/2016-11-18/ Passing this one along long since it is a huge piece of land and on 19th street (with a second parcel on 20th). Please let it not be another apt complex. Note the public meeting slated for next Tuesday at the 12th St fire station.

I wonder if they know what "420" also is commonly known for/as? Easy Google search if you are wondering wth I'm referring it.

As much as I hate to get this banter started again when it's finally quieted down, I saw this today and realized, we are not the only knuckleheaded neighborhood in the country.... http://www.today.com/money/neighbors-want-architects-dream-home-torn-down-its-devastating-2D79606820 Last quote from the article. "I don't think it's appropriate to exert your tastes on other people's property rights''

Another head scratcher is the recently approved 5,500 sq ft house in the 1500 block of Allston...approved in 4th quarter of 2013 sometime. Slightly larger lot at ~8,000', but take a drive down the street and see if you think it is "compatable". And this went through HAHC and with a heated protest before the committee.

Excellent point.

I guess I am just a preservationist of things that I own, and choose to not tell other what they can and can't do with their own property. Personally, I think that all cars should have white walls facing out, because that's the way it used to be. And I feel like I should be able to force others to follow these guidelines, no matter the cost and regardless of what they like. You should just stay out of my business. Do your own thing. But leave me alone. If you want a leaky window, have at it. But don't tell me what I can and can't do with my property. If you want to control it, then BUY it yourself. I'm amazed that you think otherwise honestly.

I enjoy how s3mh has no problem calling out Brie and putting her on the clock for a response but goes silent when asked to respond to some things, especially when he is so blatantly incorrect. Maybe he thought it was a rhetorical question? It wasn't. So, I'd like to know how someone like me can be anti-ordinance but absolutely for preservation??? Just curious. Silence will be deemed to be in agreement.

You're not paying attention again.... You have had three examples in the past two days of people against the ordinance, but who live in and have spent money restoring hundred year old homes (oh, and HAHC has even publicly praised our efforts by including our homes as shining examples of what good additions should look like). Personally, we're probably $700k into this bungalow. Yes, we could own a larger, newer home, in the Heights even. And we could have just torn down and built new. But we chose to buy, reno, expand, and reno some more because we love this old, breezy, leaky, inefficient home. So, please explain to me how I am anti-preservation? I already know I am anti-ordinance so I have that half of your equation covered.

That is interesting Red. And really annoying. I know there was chatter right after it passed about lawsuits that would revoke it. Does anyone know if that is still going on? Curious. My guess is it will take someone getting pinned by the HAHC and finally running it up the court system, and likely someone who is a lawyer so they could burn sweat equity instead of cash. Oh, and thanks Brie for letting us know about the Starr's winning today. I was able to fire off a letter this morning.

Mark me down as one of those who has done a major expansion, and we are currently on our 4th project inside, for a 1915 bungalow. We did the expansion before the ordinance, but retroactively applied for and received a COA. In fact, our house is used as an EXAMPLE in the HAHC handbook as an acceptable expansion. And guess what, I hate the HAHC. It was underhanded and is over reaching and I don't understand why anyone would turn over that much power to so few individuals about something worth so much to their new worth. Am I a preservationist? Heck yeah. Love the old house, leaky windows and all. But give me the right to make decisions about my own property. I recall a couple coming around gathering signatures a few years ago (for the ordinance). I told them as an example, that I didn't like their rims on their car, and they should change them out. Didn't belong on that car, in my opinion. And come to think of it, they were one of the main supporters of the ordinance and within a few months of approval, what did they do....moved out of the area. Thanks for that. (Off the soap box...next man/woman up).

YAWN!!! Can we just let this thing die already?

We are pulling for you Briekelman. What they are doing to you is beyond unbelievable. It is appalling. We live in a 1915 bungalow and they use our home as an example of acceptable additions. We were against this ordinance precisely for this reason. It is unclear and subjective. I can only hope your pain is short-lived and possibly be the catalyst for some changes to the ordinance to make it go away ideally, or at least amended. Good luck!! We are pulling for you Briekelman. What they are doing to you is beyond unbelievable. It is appalling. We live in a 1915 bungalow and they use our home as an example of acceptable additions. We were against this ordinance precisely for this reason. It is unclear and subjective. I can only hope your pain is short-lived and possibly be the catalyst for some changes to the ordinance to make it go away ideally, or at least amended. Good luck!!

We hit Happy Fatz on Saturday night after dinner at Glass Wall. Skipped dessert just to try it out. It is a great little bungalow with a cozy feel and GREAT desserts. Some small items, and some UUUUGE cakes slices. We tried a variety of bite size chocolate covered cheesecake balls and a couple mini red velvet cupcakes. They also had some little cake balls on a stick (couldn't fit one of those in my gullet). All were great. I think they'll do well here. Perfect for an after dinner snack. And they also serve lunches which I wasn't aware of before. We hit it again tonight on a whim on our way home. Again, great. Owners are super friendly, so we're pulling for them. Go check them out.

Here is an email I received from Suzy....so nice of her. I responded asking why she didn't bother to respond to my emails during the debate itself, but instead chose to respond now....I copied my response below as well. So damn mad at all of them. Mr. XXXX, Thank you for contacting Mayor Parker and Council Members regarding the historic preservation ordinance and the transition process. I can see you feel strongly about this issue; however, what is posted for Council’s consideration on Wednesday is whether or not to accept the reports from Planning regarding the boundaries of the six existing districts. Sincerely, Suzy Hartgrove Public Affairs Manager Planning & Development Department AND HERE IS MY RESPONSE: I take note that you can reply to my letter for this request, but did not bother to respond to my other letter during the debate over the changes to the ordinance. I can’t believe how over-reaching this whole process has been, with total disregard for the wants and desires of the constituents within the districts. I can already envision the cost of the lawsuits that will inevitably occur due to this process. That being said, thank you for your note. Regards,

Here's one for you. I live in a historic district (HW), live in a historic bungalow which we renovated 4 years ago (before the stupidity). I even signed the original petition once our work was done, and went back to get a COA after the fact to qualify for the tax break. And I hate what has been done to me and to others who were duped. Heck, they even used our house as an EXAMPLE of what an acceptable addition is in their advertising during the debate. So, S3MH, am I anti-preservation??? Nope, anti-ordinance.

Check your mailboxes folks. I just got my ballot in the mail today. (I'm in Heights West). It is up to you to fill out your name, HCAD #, Block #, Subdivision, etc. Must be "postmarked or delivered" by December 23, 2010. The letter also mentions the public meeting for Dec 8th at 6:00pm at Reagan High School. Mine is filled out already, with a photocopy to keep for my records. I wish there was a way for us to track the responses to repeal so that we'd know exactly who sent them in by lot/block, etc.

Yes, go you! And go me. Not a builder, not a developer. 1915 Bungalow. In Heights West HD (unfortunately). Did an add-on out the back a few years ago. I can't wait for this ordinance to get overturned...I just hope we can make it happen. I hear that HWHD is going to be the most difficult one to overturn (for whatever reason). Did anyone attend the meeting tonight for the discussion on the ordinance? Curious about what it was all about.

This shouldn't matter....I'm not a realtor or a builder and I live in a historic 1915 bungalow. I even went through the COA process to do an addition. And I was fine with the 90 day rule because ultimately it left me to do what I wanted with MY property. I even signed it. However, this new ordinance completely takes it out of my hands and into the city's hands. And we know how good the city is at running themselves. Let me change out my siding if I want to without getting into MY business. My house....I paid for it. And stop saying it is just builders/developers who want to ruin the neighborhood. It is people like me. Nothing else in the game except to keep others/gov't out of my business. SCRAP THE NEW ORDINANCE!

According to my 1915 bungalow, 95 years and counting....

Form letter....I got the same one. How about they just let us vote, and eliminate the 15-30 day time frame extension.

After reading Outfield Dan's post, I thought I'd post what I wrote to city council members last night, since I cannot attend tomorrow. I'm largely on the same page with OD, but thought I'd post what I wrote and maybe encourage others to write to city council tonight as well. And I agree there is no way Annise Parker will get my vote next time after her blatant disregard for the opinions of the majority of her constituents. Using Lovell as the point person on this is brilliant since Lovell can't run for re-election. "City Council Members, We live in the Heights West district and live in a 1915 bungalow. Since I’m aware you will probably be inundated with emails this week, I will start with our position which is that we absolutely want a re-vote on the ordinance. Not an opportunity to go door to door to collect signatures with the hope of having the chance to re-vote. The people already stated very, very clearly during the town hall meetings that we wanted to re-vote once the final ordinance was passed by city council and CM Lovell clearly stated that we would get that. This new proposal seems extremely shady and politically motivated. The original ordinance that was passed had drastically different provisions from what is now being considered, and the residents deserve to have a say on something that is very personal and financially important. This should not be something that is forced upon us. Let the people vote on it. This is a democracy last time I checked and that is the only fair way to truly hear what the residents want. PLEASE READ::::: We love our home and our neighborhood. We have already gone through an expansion, the COA process, HAHC guidelines, etc, and had our home on the Spring Home Tour in 2009. We were approved by HAHC/COA on the first pass for two separate projects, so we really shouldn’t care, right....except that we do care. We care about our neighbors and wouldn’t want them to lose the ability to do what they want to do with their land, their houses, their investments, their property. The sad part is that everyone talks about “loving the Heights”...but for us, what makes the Heights special aren’t the houses. It is the people who live in those houses, and open their doors to neighbors and strangers alike. It isn’t about windows that look like they did 100 years ago, or siding that matches. People are getting lost in the details. The Heights is great because of the people who have made it great, and you know what; it was made over time and without any of these controlling ordinances. Let us be the way we have been, and continue to evolve. Great houses will “find” great people to maintain them, and to adapt them to fit their uses today, and again tomorrow. This ordinance will ruin that ability. Please let us vote!"

For those of you who don't know, here is a reminder about the city council vote this week: The proposed amendments to the historic preservation ordinance are on next week's city council agenda. If you want to be heard, you can show up for Tuesday's public council session. You can sign up to speak for 1, 2, or 3 minutes. The meeting begins at 2 p.m. To reserve a spot on the speaker's list call the City Secretary at 832-393-1100 on Monday. If you cannot attend, please email all council members and tell them your position. districta@houstontx.gov; districtb@houstontx.gov; districtc@houstontx.gov; districtd@houstontx.gov; districte@houstontx.gov; districtf@houstontx.gov; districtg@houstontx.gov; districth@houstontx.gov; districti@houstontx.gov; atlarge1@houstontx.gov; atlarge2@houstontx.gov; atlarge3@houstontx.gov; atlarge4@houstontx.gov; atlarge5@houstontx.gov; historicpreservation@houstontx.gov

Unfortunately, I think I recall Lovell saying (at the Heights Town Hall meeting) that either she isn't running or is term limited and can't run for re-election again. So she is a perfect candidate to head up this cram-down ordinance. She has NOTHING to lose.

I sent a email last week to City Council Members about the ordinance. I got this email back from CM Lovell (both emails are below). Needless to say, they are ticking me off. I sent a reply, again requesting a re-vote, since that is what we were promised and what we all "voted" on at the last town hall meeting. Just thought some might want to read it. Please email them yourselves and tell them what you think. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [Ms. Lovell's response] Dear XXXXX, We are keeping our word. We have put in place a process that will allow property owners to reconsider their decision. Currently in the ordinance a vote of 25 percent of property owners (this number could go higher or lower, depending on the vote of City Council) in a historic district can request an opportunity to reconsider their decision. We kept our promise to the property owners that they would have the opportunity to reconsider, and this is the process that we have recommended. In order to be fair to everyone, there must be a uniform process put in place. When the preservation ordinance is passed by City Council, the passage will automatically trigger this procedure. Thank you for contacting my office and for caring about your neighborhood and your city. Best regards, Council Member Lovell At-large, Position 2 From: Sent: Friday, September 17, 2010 11:24 AM To: COH - Mayor; Gafrick, Marlene - PD; CNL District H; CNL District A; CNL District B; CNL District C; CNL District D; CNL District E; CNL District F; CNL District G; CNL District I; CNL At Large 1; CNL At Large 2; CNL At Large 3; CNL At Large 4; CNL At Large 5 Subject: Historic District Ordinances Mayor Parker and Houston City Council Members, I am writing regarding the proposed amendments to the Historic Preservation Ordinance which was recently posted. I live in the Heights West District. If what I’m reading is correct, I believe we were misled on what we should have expected when we attended the public meetings over the past several weeks. During the last meeting for the Heights districts, CM Lovell took a vote of those in attendance to determine if we, the citizens of the city and district, wanted a re-vote and overwhelmingly, all three districts voted “yes”. I was in attendance and heard Ms. Lovell speak very clearly that cards would be mailed out once the new ordinance was finalized and posted. However, based on my reading, it appears that we would have to collect signatures constituting 25% of the tract owners within the district requesting this re-vote (which was already promised to us), and it must be done within 15 days. If I am misreading this, I apologize and look forward to hearing the explanation. If this is the correct procedures that you’ve created, I feel you have deliberately misled your constituents, and forced your own beliefs upon the citizens who voted you into office. This is not a minor change and affects the property values on what is our largest investment. During the last Heights meeting, you provided the opportunity for the peoples’ voices to be heard and you are now changing what you said. Let the people vote. You promised us that option, we voted on having that option, and we deserve that opportunity, and without having to gather any signatures. If anyone would like to contact me, please feel free to contact me directly at 713.xxx.xxxx. Sincerely,

I sent an email to Councilman Gonzalez as well as the Historic Preservation Planning and Development group (see email address below), to explain that the people have already spoken up that they would like a re-vote and that we shouldn't have to gather signatures in order to "earn" the ability to re-vote. Can't hurt to have a few hundred similar emails sent to them with this same point. Let us vote. If the majority wants it, then I guess I will have to live with it. My guess is that it wouldn't pass a re-vote however. Notice of Public Hearing The City of Houston Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Historic Preservation Ordinance (Chapter 33), Thursday, September 23, at 6:30 p.m. at the George Brown Convention Center, 1001 Avenida de Las Americas, General Assembly Room on the 3rd Floor. For a map and directions to the George R. Brown, please go to www.houstonconventionctr.com/Home/MapsParking.aspx. Some street parking may be available or attendees can park in the Hilton/George R. Brown parking garage located on Polk Street subject to availability. Attendees can submit their parking stub for validation (from that garage only). Speakers will be allowed one minute to make their comments at the public hearing. To view the proposed amendments and other information about the process, please to the following web page: www.houstontx.gov/planning/HistoricPres/hist_pres_amend.html. If you cannot attend the meetings, but would like to comment please email historicpreservation@houstontx.gov or mail your comments to Historic Preservation, City of Houston, Planning and Development Department, P.O. Box 1562, Houston, Texas 77251-1562 by September 22, 2010.