Marksmu Posted August 14, 2014 Share Posted August 14, 2014 Starting a post with a gratuitous insult is rarely a good debate tactic. I've already said more than once that I was NOT commenting on Heights proper, because I did not participate in that process; instead, I was discussing other districts where I do have personal knowledge of the hows and whys of their creation. If I choose not to respond to a future post of yours, please don't take that as agreement. More likely, it will be a desire to not engage with someone apparently unwilling to acknowledge any viewpoint other than their own. -- 30 -- I was not insulting you - I clearly stated that maybe you do not recall the process that was used to create the Heights districts, many people have short memories...if you did not, I was telling you how it was done, if you did and you still thought it was fair, then you were being dishonest...which is not an insult - its an observation. There are lots of people who are willfully ignorant on this subject, and it has a direct effect on those who do care, on both sides of the argument. I can't imagine the pro-historic crowd is proud of how low they had to stoop to win....victory at all cost is no victory at all. The two districts that I have personal knowledge about did have well over 50% participation (actually, 67% was the minimum threshold), so, majority rules and all that. You said you had personal knowledge of two districts that had well over 50% - You did not state which, so I was forced to reply with the districts to which this thread is devoted...you know the HEIGHTS...Last I checked you were reading & responding to a thread about historic districts found entirely housed inside of Houston Neighborhoods -- The Heights forum -- forgive me for assuming you were talking about the HEIGHTS. The Heights only has 3 districts in it, and 2 were part of the most fraudulent formation ever. If I choose not to respond to a future post of yours, please don't take that as agreement. More likely, it will be a desire to not engage with someone apparently unwilling to acknowledge any viewpoint other than their own.I do acknowledge others viewpoints regularly - I was basing my comments off of your comments above on the assumption you were talking about the Heights. I have no knowledge of the areas which did not effect me - so I can't offer any insight at all into how they were formed. In my opinion, the Heights districts were formed in such a manner that it amounted to outright fraud - They should be dismantled and put to a true vote - Yes or No - where not voting means nothing. If the pro-historic people can gather 67% of the votes of all home owners, including people with more than one property then they win, and there is not much to argue about...but it needs to be legit - 67% of all homes, not including city property, not just 67% of returned ballots. I am very reasonable - I just want it to be legit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFubbles Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Hello - does anyone know what the process looks like to turn a residential building into retail along Heights Boulevard? Can any non-contributing building be listed as retail, or do you have to submit a variance? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hindesky Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 38 minutes ago, MrFubbles said: Hello - does anyone know what the process looks like to turn a residential building into retail along Heights Boulevard? Can any non-contributing building be listed as retail, or do you have to submit a variance? Thanks! Might want to start here..... https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Commissions/HAHC.html https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Forms/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 Preservation Ordinance does not govern building use. You will need to follow the requirements for non-contributing buildings. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted August 28, 2023 Share Posted August 28, 2023 But also - any contributing building can change use as well. Physical changes are of course regulated but you can put a little cafe or whatever into a bungalow no problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFubbles Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 (edited) 19 hours ago, Texasota said: But also - any contributing building can change use as well. Physical changes are of course regulated but you can put a little cafe or whatever into a bungalow no problem. I found this on the permitting website: A Certificate of Occupancy must be obtained before a commercial building or an individual lease space within a commercial building may be occupied, or if changes to an existing occupancy classification are made. https://www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/hpwcode1106 If the building is currently used only as residential, does that mean I have to apply for a change in "occupancy classification"? The wording is a bit vague, makes it seem like the certificate is only needed for a currently commercial building to be re-classified. My use case would be residential unit to retail. Edited August 29, 2023 by MrFubbles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 I think you would probably need to re-plat, but that would be true outside of a historic district as well. The code requirements do change based on use unfortunately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted August 29, 2023 Share Posted August 29, 2023 Needing a certificate of occupancy (or CO for short) for commercial use isn't linked to whether you need to replat AFAIK. The point of the CO is to make sure that the facility buildout meets all the requirements for the proposed use - parking, fire suppression, ventilation, etc., etc. What a restaurant needs to have in place is different from what a boutique would need, which in turn would be different from office. I'd get a design professional involved before dropping any serious bucks into anything beyond planning. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasota Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 I am 100% confident in my understanding of the historic ordinance. Anything else I make no promises. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s3mh Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 17 hours ago, mollusk said: I'd get a design professional involved before dropping any serious bucks into anything beyond planning. This. The City of Houston's permitting department can be very difficult to deal with when you are doing something that is outside the usual box of strip mall pads and other typical commercial spaces. There are many horror stories about the City approving plans but then an inspector comes out during construction and wants to change everything. Even if you need only minimal changes to the interior, going from a residential space to a commercial space may require a lot of changes and updates. Better to spend a bit extra to get the project properly planned out at the beginning than face lengthy delays getting permits approved and then having to go back and redo things for whatever reason. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrFubbles Posted August 30, 2023 Share Posted August 30, 2023 Thanks for all the advice everyone! Will keep yall posted. Hopefully something exciting in the works 👀 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.