chester77008

I don't think there is enough square footage at this location for a Wal-Mart parking lot; much less the Wal-Mart. Anyone know?

From what I hear the HAHC wants to change the current 90 day cooling off period to 5 years. This means that if "they", the HAHC, does not like you plans for renovation or new construction you have to wait 5 years to do what you planned to do. I guess you and your kids will all have to share that one bathroom until then! Well, maybe not, maybe they will approve your plans...the HAHC will let you know what is best.

Below is an email that is currently circulating regarding this topic, including City Council dates, email addresses, etc. This email does not reflect my opinion on this topic, and I'm only posting it to keep interested parties educated. I will try to post the attachments which have more details abotu what is being proposed. I, for one, did sign up for the historic district, and did so specifically with the knowledge of the 90-day wait period. Any changes should be voted on again in my opinion...this would not be a minor change.

Personally, I like the 90-day rule, as it allows for suggestions from the preservationists, and my guess is that some/most people would take constructive suggestions and apply them if possible. The only way I would support removing it would be if the residents of the district were allowed vote on proposed demos/construction and not just a small handful of people.

Here is the email that I received:Explantemporary ord 2010.pdfCITY OF HOUSTON E-MAIL.docAGENDA 60210.doc

TO HISTORIC PRESERVATIONISTS THROUGHOUT HOUSTON:

The ordinance which will "temporarily discontinue" demolitions and incompatible new construction in historic districts is on the Agenda for the City Council meeting Wednesday, June 2. We need to show support for this proposed ordinance! The Agenda item is attached to this email. Please note that the ordinance will also discontinue temporarily applications for additional historic districts, a last minute change which was apparently made to get the Greater Houston Builders Association not to oppose the temporary ordinance.

That shows that our opponents have been busy lobbying City Council and the Mayor's office. Mis-information about what the temporary ordinance will do, as well as what the new permanent ordinance which will hopefully follow will do, has also been circulating. Attached is "Explanation of Proposed Changes in Historic Preservation Ordinance," which accurately describes the content of the temporary ordinance (except the temporary discontinuance of accepting applications for new historic districts), and the status of possible changes in the permanent ordinance. The paper also describes what opponents of "no means no" are saying and some answers to their claims.

"No means no" will not happen without strong support from the historic preservation community. It is very important to show up and/or speak in support of the temporary ordinance at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 2 at City Hall Chambers and follow that up with an even bigger show in the coming weeks. Since the deal with the builders was made, this temporary ordinance will probably pass, but we need to give the Mayor and City Council the comfort of knowing there is widespread support for it, which will also show them we support the permanent change to "no means no." Therefore, let's

• Call the city secretary Tuesday, June 1 (832-393-1100) and sign up to speak for one or two or three minutes at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 2 (you get reached faster if you request a shorter time to speak).
• Every historic district should send at least one speaker, in order to show that there is support for "no means no" throughout the City.
• Come to the City Council meeting Wednesday, June 2, at 9 a.m. to speak or support those who do speak.
• Our message is that we are for the ordinance which temporarily discontinues the "90 day waivers," and we are for a "no means no" permanent ordinance.
• Email or telephone the Mayor and City Council that you support the temporary ordinance and a "no means no" permanent ordinance without having to repetition. A list of the email addresses and telephone numbers for the Mayor and all councilmembers is attached to this email.

For future action, I suggest that every district send a representative and every interested individual attend the Mayor's Task Force meetings which are to consider amendments to the permanent ordinance. These meetings have been taking place on the 6th Floor at 611 Walker on Mondays from noon to 1:30 and are open to the public. Councilmember Sue Lovell is chairperson, and Councilmember Ed Gonzalez is vice-chair.

Who wrote this explanation that you posted? It is very one-sided.

There is also a list for the West Historic District but I am unable to post it, HAIF limits upload file sizes.

I'm told there won't be an opt out, at least not for quite some time - the city council will put a moratorium on permitting at least until the end of the year while they work on making the changes to the districts. If they want to change them, it seems fair to continue under the current rules until new voting/petitions can be circulated.

What they are trying to do is prevent any future demolitions of homes considered historically "Contributing" or "Potentially Contributing". If you own a property on the attached list and if it falls in the "C" or "PC" category, your only option will be a remodel, no new construction. It is not clear what the new guidelines will be for remodeling. The current guidelines have some silly limitations such as no Hardi siding etc.

Now that the districts are created, the HAHC is pulling the old "bait and switch" and attempting to roll the Historic Districts into Protected Historic Districts meaning no demolitions. Property values will ultimately go down, which is what some residents want. Lower lot values mean lower property taxes.

Isn't it nice to be told how you can use your own property?

Houston Heights Historic District East.DOC

Has anyone ever had to request access to their alley easement? The survey for my house in the Heights clearly shows that my property has an alley easement behind it. My property shares its rear fence with the property behind it. However, there is no alley behind my rear fence because the home behind mine uses the alley property as if the alley were part of its back yard. In fact, this is the situation with all of the houses on my block. I'm not really interested in pursuing this alley access, but I am curious about the procedure and whether others are in similar situations.

Anyone can recapture an alley for access to their property. Call Bob Hempler at the City of Houston Public Works and Engineering Department, he handles the miles of red tape and corresponding hoops to jump through. Drainage is the big issue, by code the alley must drain to the ends of the alley, not the neighbors property, so drains may be required (24"!). You can not raise the level of the alley either, if a neighbors back yard currently drains into the alley that condition must exist after you add road base.

It is much easier to just talk to your neighbors and work something out without getting the city involved.