* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. COMMITTEE MEETING. [00:00:01] TODAY'S HYBRID COMMITTEE MEETING [Quality of Life Committee] IS BEING HELD VIRTUALLY VIA MICROSOFT TEAMS, AS WELL AS IN PERSON. THE CHAIR AS PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE COMMITTEE IS PHYSICALLY PRESENT IN CHAMBERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 5 5 1 0.127 OF THE TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE. AND I'LL BE CALLING THE MEETING TO ORDER IN ABOUT ONE MINUTE. KEVIN SPECIAL CALLED QUALITY OF LIFE COMMITTEE MEETING. I'M ROBERT GALLEGOS, CHAIR OF THE COMMITTEE. IT'S NOW 2 0 2, AND I AM PLEASED TO CALL TODAY'S MEETING TO ORDER. LET ME START BY RECOGNIZING MY COLLEAGUES WHO ARE JOINING US TODAY. WE HAVE VICE CHAIR ABBY, ABBY CAYMAN, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER AMY PECK, AND COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCORN. WE ALSO HAVE STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ASHA JACKSON COUNT, UH, MAYOR PRO TEM DAVE MARTIN, COUNCIL MEMBER CARLOS CISNEROS, COUNCIL, UH, MAYOR PRO, UH, VICE MAYOR PRO TEM MARTHA CASSICK. TATUM, COUNCIL MEMBER MIKE KNOX. COUNCIL MEMBER DAVID ROBINSON. AND COUNCIL MEMBER LETITIA PLUMMER. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY AS WELL. UH, DID I MISS ANYONE? IF SO, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IF NOT, UH, VICE CHAIR, WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY A FEW OPENING REMARKS? UH, NO. THANK YOU, CHAIR. LOOKING FORWARD TO THE PRESENTATIONS. THANK YOU. A REMINDER FOR COUNCIL MEMBERS, PLEASE HOLD YOUR QUESTIONS UNTIL THE END OF EACH PRESENTATION. WHEN YOU'VE REC, WHEN YOU'RE RECOGNIZED, REMEMBER TO UNMUTE YOUR MICROPHONE. I WILL LET YOU KNOW WHEN YOUR THREE MINUTES FOR QUESTIONS HAS ENDED. NOW SWITCHING TO THE MEETING AGENDA TODAY, THE COMMITTEE WILL RECEIVE UPDATES FROM THE HOUSTON PLANNING AND AND DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT REGARDING CHAPTER 42 TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS, AS WELL AS THE PROPOSED FIRST RIVERSIDE TERRACE HISTORIC DISTRICT. THE FIRST PRESENTATION, I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO OUR FIRST PRESENTER, UH, PRINCIPAL PLANNER VID BDI WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT. MS. BONDY, YOU MAY BEGIN. IF YOU PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE RECORD AS WELL AS ANY MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM JOINING YOU TODAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH, MR. CHAIR. UM, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE. MY, UH, NAME IS AVITA BANDY, AND I'M WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT, UH, DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIVISION PRINCIPAL PLANNER. AND WE HAVE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS HERE. UM, OUR DIVISION MANAGER, DIPTI, IS ASSISTING ME IN THE PRESENTATION AND OUR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, UM, UH, JENNIFER OLAND IS HERE, UM, FOR ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS. AND WE HAVE OTHER TEAM MEMBERS ALSO WHO JOINED US, UM, IN THE, IN THE MEETING. CAN I GET STARTED ON THE ITEM? YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. THANK YOU. UM, THE, THE PURPOSE OF TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS TO FOLD. IT IS TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE LABLE PLACES ACTION COMMITTEE'S WORK, AND ALSO TO PRESENT CHAPTER 42 TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS, WHICH WILL BRING, WHICH WE WILL BRING TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. THE PURPOSE OF LIVABLE PLACES ACTION COMMITTEE IS TO CREATE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN OUR DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS THAT ENCOURAGE HOUSING VARIETY AND AFFORDABILITY. THIS EFFORT IS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF COMMUNITIES PREFERENCES IDENTIFIED THROUGH ACTION STEPS IN SEVERAL PREVIOUS PLANNING EFFORTS SUCH AS PLAN HOUSTON, RESILIENT HOUSTON, AND OTHERS. THE THE FIRST ITEM IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS AN UPDATE ON THE COMMITTEE'S WORK [00:05:02] CURRENTLY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. YEAH, CURRENTLY WE ARE DISCUSSING TOPICS RELATED TO INFILL DEVELOPMENT, LIKE LOT WIDTH, LOT ACCESS ASSOCIATED PARKING REQUIREMENTS AND INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS, AS WELL AS STANDARDS FOR SMALL LOT DEVELOPMENTS, WHICH ARE ALSO CALLED COURTYARD STYLE DEVELOPMENTS. IF YOU'RE INTERESTED, UH, PLEASE TUNE IN TO OUR NEXT MEETING, WHICH WILL HAPPEN ON MAY 11TH AT 3:00 PM. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE NEXT ITEM IN TODAY'S PRESENTATION IS THE PROPOSED CHAPTER 42 TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. THIS IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE WORKED ON WITH THE LOUISVILLE PLACES ACTION COMMITTEES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SORRY. WE CAN BE ON THIS SLIDE. UM, YOU MAY BE WONDERING WHAT IS MEANT BY TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. THESE ARE MINOR AMENDMENTS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR EVERYDAY OPERATIONS AND TO CLARIFY OR CODIFY SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS OR POLICIES, THEY WILL HELP ELIMINATE INCONSISTENCIES, WILL IMPROVE THE WORKFLOW AND MAKE THE PLANNING PROCESS MORE EFFICIENT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF NINE PROPOSED TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS TO CHAPTER 42. AS SHOWN IN THIS LIST, I'LL PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE FIRST TWO ITEMS, WHICH MAY BE TOPICS OF INTEREST. OTHERS ARE MORE TECHNICAL IN NATURE AND ARE NEEDED FOR, UH, BRINGING CLARITY IN THE ORDINANCE LANGUAGE, OR INCORPORATING A POLICY INTO THE ORDINANCE. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. YES, THIS ONE. THANK YOU. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS AMENDMENT IS TO MAKE THE NOTICE PROCESS CONSISTENT ACROSS ALL APPLICATIONS THAT REQUIRE NOTICE EFFICIENT, AND TO AUTOMATE AND PROVIDE MORE TIME FOR PUBLIC TO PREPARE FOR THE MEETINGS AND THE PUBLIC HEARING. NOTICE, UM, REQUIREMENT IS BEING IMPROVED. THE PROPOSED NOTIFICATION CHANGE INCLUDES MAKING, UM, A TWO 50 FEET RADIUS REQUIREMENT ACROSS THE BOARD FOR ALL APPLICATIONS THAT REQUIRE NOTICE, ALLOWING 20 DAYS FOR THE LETTERS TO BE MAILED OUT AND REMOVE THE SIGNS AFTER 60 DAYS, ONCE WITHIN 60 DAYS AFTER THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS ACTED ON THE ITEM. I'M GOING TO SHOW YOU AN EXAMPLE, UM, TO SHOW THE DIFFERENCE OR WHAT IS CHANGING. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, SO HERE IS, UM, THE, THE CURRENT REQUIREMENTS IS TO HAVE A NOTICE AREA AROUND ONE 50 FEET RADIUS AROUND THE PROPERTY, AS WELL AS IT CONTINUES ALONG THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY FOR A DISTANCE OF 500 FEET LINEAR LENGTH UNTIL IT REACHES AN INTERSECTION. STAFF'S RECOMMENDATION IS TO SIMPLIFY THE NOTICE. THE, UM, CURRENT REQUIREMENT IS ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND THE PROPOSED REQUIREMENT IS ON THE RIGHT SIDE. SO STAFF RECOMMENDATION IS TO SIMPLIFY THE NOTICE AREA BY PROVIDING NOTICE ALONG AROUND TWO 50 FEET RADIUS BOUNDARY AROUND THE PROPERTY. AND THIS WILL HELP US AUTOMATE THE PROCESS AND IMPROVE EFFICIENCY IN SENDING OUT THE NOTICES. THIS AMENDMENT GOES HAND IN HAND WITH INCREASING THE NUMBER OF DAYS FOR NOTIFICATION, WHICH I'LL EXPLAIN IN THE NEXT SLIDE. SO HERE YOU CAN SEE THAT, UM, THE CURRENT AND PROPOSED REQUIREMENTS FOR NOTIFICATION FOR, UM, PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS, AS WELL AS OTHER SPECIAL REQUESTS. SO THE CURRENT REQUIREMENT FOR, UH, PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS IS 16 DAYS. WE ARE CHANGING THAT TO 20 DAYS, AND FOR VARIANCES AND SPECIAL EXCEPTIONS, CURRENTLY IT IS SEVEN DAYS AND THE PLAN, UH, THE AMENDMENT IS TO CHANGE IT TO 20 DAYS. ALSO, THE REQUIREMENT ABOUT REMOVING THE SIGNS, THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT IN THE ORDINANCE TODAY, BUT WE ARE ADDING THE REQUIREMENT TO HAVE THE SIGNS REMOVED WITHIN 60 DAYS, UM, AFTER THE PLANNING COMMISSION ACTS ON THE ITEM ITEM. I'M GOING TO PAUSE HERE TO SEE IF ANYONE HAS QUESTIONS ON THIS PARTICULAR ITEM, AND IF NO QUESTIONS, I CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM. YES. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, 60 DAYS SEEMS LIKE A LONG TIME AFTER THE PLANNING COMMISSION ACTION TO ME TO TAKE DOWN THE SIGN, IF, IS THAT, WAS THERE A REASON FOR 60 DAYS? YES, MA'AM. UH, YES. COUNCIL MEMBER. UM, WE STARTED WITH ACTUALLY 30 DAYS IN OUR ORIGINAL PROPOSAL, AND WE RECEIVED, UH, CONCERNS FROM PUBLIC AND ACTUALLY FROM ALSO APPLICANTS THAT SOMETIMES THE RECORDATION PROCESS DOESN'T HAPPEN IMMEDIATELY. UM, WITHIN THAT 30 DAYS, THERE IS A LOT THAT GOES ON. SO THE REQUIREMENT WAS REQUESTED TO [00:10:01] BE CHANGED FROM 30 DAYS TO 60 DAYS, BUT AFTER THE PLANNING COMMISSION HAS ALREADY TAKEN ACTION, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT PURPOSE DOES IT SERVE TO KNOW? JUST TO TELL PEOPLE THAT THAT'S HAPPENING OR THEY CAN FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT IT, OR THEY CAN STILL FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION BEFORE THE PLAT ACTUALLY GETS RECORDED. SO IN THAT MANNER, IT STILL KIND OF, UM, PROVIDES SOME, UM, OR IF THERE'S ANY KIND OF APPEAL OR ANYTHING YEAH. OKAY. SO THAT WE CAN LOOK AT WHAT'S HAPPENING BEFORE IT GETS RECORDED. OKAY, THAT MAKES SENSE. UM, IN CASE WE FIND OUT SOMETHING. YEAH. OKAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THERE, THERE ARE NO OTHER QUESTIONS, MS. BONDY, TO CONTINUE. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO THE NEXT ITEM THAT I WOULD LIKE TO PRESENT IS SUBDIVISION NAMING STANDARDS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS AMENDMENT IS TO CODIFY THE LONG STANDARD SUBDIVISION NAMING GUIDELINES AND REMOVE COMPLEX SUBDIVISION NAMES. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR ESTABLISHING GUIDELINES FOR CREATING UNIQUE SUBDIVISION NAMES AND BETTER FACILITATE CATALOGING PLAT IN THE CITY AND COUNTY RECORDS STAFF HAS A LONGSTANDING, UM, POLICY NA OF NAMING GUIDELINES, AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IS INCORPORATED INTO THE ORDINANCE. THE SUBDIVISION NAMING STANDARD AMENDMENTS WILL INCLUDE REMOVAL OF THE LANGUAGE THAT WILL REQUIRE COMPLEX SUBDIVISION NAMES. SO, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UM, SO HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT THE ORDINANCE REQUIRES TODAY IS ON THE LEFT AND, UH, WITH THE PROPOSED AMENDMENT, UM, WE ARE PROPOSING THAT, UH, THE REQUIREMENT ABOUT INCLUDING ALL OF THE ORIGINAL DEED RESTRICTED SUBDIVISIONS WITHIN THE PLAT NAME, WE ARE REQUIRING THAT, UM, THAT BE AMENDED SO THAT WE CAN HAVE UNIQUE NAMES. HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO DRAW ATTENTION TO THE HIGHLIGHTED PORTION IN BOTH THE IMAGES, THE LEGAL DESCRIPTION ON, UM, BOTH THE EXAMPLES YOU CAN SEE HIGHLIGHTED IS THE REFERENCE TO THE ORIGINAL DEED RESTRICTED SUBDIVISIONS, AND THAT WILL CONTINUE TO STAY. THIS WILL, UM, BETTER HELP IN CATALOGING AND EASY REFERENCE, UM, WHEN WE ARE LOOKING THROUGH THE RECORDS. UM, NEXT I, UH, THE REST OF THE SEVEN ITEMS. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE REST OF THE SEVEN ITEMS ARE VERY TECHNICAL AND, UM, RELATED TO CODIFYING EXISTING POLICIES AND PROCEDURAL CLARIFICATION, THEY ARE, UM, LISTED HERE, VARIANCES FOR SPECIAL MINIMUM LOT SIZE AND BUILDING LINE. WE JUST WANNA CLARIFY, THERE IS, UM, A REQUIREMENT OF STATEMENT OF FACTS, UM, IS NOT NEEDED WHEN THERE IS, UM, VARIANCE REQUESTED FROM VESTED RIGHTS. AND THAT'S A CLARIFICATION THAT WE WANNA MAKE IN THE ORDINANCE. UM, ADDING FLOODPLAINS ON THE GENERAL PLAN IS A POLICY THAT WE WANNA INCORPORATE. UM, SO EVERYTHING ELSE LISTED HERE IS ALL POLICY OR CLARIFICATIONS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AMENDMENTS IN THE ORDINANCE. AND I'M READY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE ON ANY OF THESE ITEMS IF YOU NEED MORE INFORMATION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AS PART OF THE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND TO NOTIFY PUBLIC ABOUT THESE AMENDMENTS DEPARTMENT TOOK THE FOLLOWING STEPS, WE WENT, UH, THESE ITEMS WERE PRESENTED TO THE LOUISVILLE PLACES ACTION COMMITTEE AND TO THE PLANNING COMMISSION WITH A PUBLIC HEARING. A 30 DAY COMMENT PERIOD WAS OPENED UP FOR PUBLIC TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK. PLANNING COMMISSION ACTED ON THESE ITEMS ON MAY 27TH AND FORWARDED THEM TO CITY COUNCIL FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION. THE NEXT STEP IS THE PRO IN THE PROCESS IS TO BRING THESE AMENDMENTS TO CITY COUNCIL IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR A PUBLIC HEARING. UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE PROJECT, PLEASE SEND EMAIL TO LIVABLE PLACES AT HOUSTON TX DO GOV OR REACHES AT 8 3 2 3 9 360 600. WITH THAT, I, UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO PRESENT AND I'M READY FOR QUESTIONS. DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL OR STAFF? OKAY. DOESN'T SEEM THAT WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS. SO AGAIN, THANK YOU MS. BAND BONDY FOR THE, UH, PRESENTATION. THANK YOU, SIR. WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO OUR SECOND PRESENTATION ON THE PROPOSED FIRST RIVERSIDE TERRACE HISTORIC DISTRICT. THIS PRESENTATION IS BEING LED BY HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER ROMAN MCALLEN. IF YOU'LL PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF FOR THE, FOR THE, UH, RECORD AS WELL AS ANY MEMBERS OF YOUR TEAM JOINING YOU TODAY. THANK YOU. COUNCIL MEMBER GALLEGOS [00:15:01] AND OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS PRESENT. I'M ROMAN MCALLEN AND I'M THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER, UH, FOR THE CITY. UH, CHECKING TO SEE IF MY, ANY OF MY STAFF IS ONLINE. WE'RE, WE GOT A LOT OF THINGS ALWAYS GOING ON. I DON'T THINK ANYONE ELSE IS HERE, SO IT'S JUST ME. I WANNA PRESENT FOR YOU THE, UH, QUALITY OF LIFE, UH, UH, I MEAN, THE PROPOSED FIRST RIVERSIDE HISTORIC DISTRICT, UH, THIS DISTRICT, YOU CAN JUST GO FORWARD, PLEASE. I'M SORRY. I'M SHARING THIS SLIDE PRESENTATION WITH, SO THOSE OF YOU WHO NEED A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON RIVERSIDE ISTS, IT'S A VERY NOTABLE SUBDIVISION THAT WAS ONCE HOME TO A LARGE NUMBER OF JEWISH FAMILIES, INCLUDING THE WINE GARDENS, THE FINGERS, THE SICS, THE SCHLUMBERGER, THE BATTLE STEAMS, ET CETERA, WHO WERE ALL EXCLUDED FROM, UH, LIVING IN, UH, RIVER OAKS, UH, DUE DEED RESTRICTIONS. AND THEN, UH, SO THE AREA WAS KNOWN AS THE JEWISH RIVER OAKS, SO YOU HAVE A LOT OF IMPORTANT NAMES THERE. THEN WHAT HAPPENED IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD BEGAN, DEMOGRAPHICS BEGAN SHIFTING IN 1952. THIS OCCURRED WHEN, UH, JACK CAESAR MOVED HIS FAMILY TO RIVERSIDE, AND HE STAYED THERE DESPITE HIS HOME BEING BOMBED, A BOMB BEING DETONATED ON HIS FRONT PORCH. UH, SO IT HAS THIS TREMENDOUS HISTORY. UH, IF YOU DON'T KNOW THE HISTORY OF A RIVERSIDE, UH, GIVE, GIMME A CALL. I'LL TELL YOU WHERE TO FIND OUT MORE. WE HAVE GREAT HOMES THERE THAT ARE IN THE FRENCH TUDOR COLONIAL MEDITERRANEAN, AND ECLECTIC REVIVAL STYLE, AND THIS PROPOSED SMALL HISTORIC DISTRICT AND IS JUST A SMALL PART OF THE GREATER RIVERSIDE TERRACE AREA PLAID. PLEASE GO FORWARD. THIS IS WHAT MOST THOSE OF MOST OF YOU KNOW, IS RIVERSIDE TERRACE HERE WITH 2 88 ON YOUR LEFT WHILE STRETCHING OVER TO CALHOUN ON THE RIGHT. UM, AND, UH, THERE WERE MANY PARTS OF, OR MANY SUBDIVISIONS WITH THE RIVERSIDE NAME IN THEM, BUT THAT'S THE GREATER MAP AREA. NOW, IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THIS MAP, YOU SEE A SMALL SQUARE, UH, JUST ABOVE SOUTHMORE BOULEVARD THERE. THAT'S THE AREA WHERE THIS DISTRICT IS PROPOSED. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS IS A ZOOMED IN IMAGE OF THE PROPOSED AREA. IT'S BOUNDED, UH, BY, UH, UH, WE'LL SEE. UH, WHAT DO WE GOT? WE BOUNDED BY EMANCIPATION ON THE NORTHWEST AND LIVE OAK, EXCEPT FOR ONE HOUSE THAT'S ON, ON THE EAST SIDE OF LIVE OAK, BUT VERY LIVE OAK ON THE SOUTHEAST. AND THEN THERE ARE THREE HOMES ON WICHITA, ALL CONTIGUOUS TO THE HISTORIC DISTRICT. CONTINUITY IS A KEY IN MAKING A HISTORIC DISTRICT. WE LOOK FOR PROPERTIES THAT, UH, ARE ADJACENT TO ONE ANOTHER, AND THAT THE DEFINITION FOR THAT IS, UH, THAT DEFINITION IS DEFINED BY, BY THE, UH, BY OUR ORDINANCE. I SAW A CHAD, AND PLEASE CHAIR, LET ME KNOW IF I NEED TO STOP. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS IS A SANBORN MAP. THESE ARE THE INSURANCE MAPS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE USE, UH, WHEN IN HISTORIC PRESERVATION. THEY WERE MAPS PRODUCED BY SANBORN COMPANY FOR INSURANCE COMPANIES TO DETERMINE WHAT, UH, WHAT TO CHARGE PEOPLE FOR INSURANCE. AND WE USE THEM HERE. AND YOU CAN SEE HERE MANY OF THE ORIGINAL STRUCTURES TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, THAT WERE IN. AS YOU SEE IN THIS MAP IS SHADED AREA. YOU SEE THAT MOST OF THE STRUCTURES ARE ORIGINAL EVEN TO THAT PERIOD OF TIME. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THIS MAP IS A MAP THAT SHOWS WHAT WE CALL CONTRIBUTING VERSUS NON-CONTRIBUTING PROPERTIES. SO THE PROPOSAL THAT'S GOING FORWARD TO CITY COUNCILS TO CREATE THIS HISTORIC DISTRICT, AS YOU SEE BY THE BOUNDARIES HERE. AND IT IS ALSO TO LABEL THE DARKER COLORED PROPERTIES AS CONTRIBUTING AND THE LIGHTER ONES AS NON-CONTRIBUTING. AND I'LL GO OVER EACH OF THESE PROPERTIES REAL QUICKLY. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THESE THREE WOULD BE CONTRIBUTING PROPERTIES BECAUSE THEY HAVE MOST OF THE ARCHITECTURAL INTEGRITY DATING BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL CONSTRUCTION. AND YOU SEE THEIR YEARS THAT, THAT THEY WERE BUILT THERE. THESE ARE THE THREE ON WICHITA. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THE NEXT SLIDE IS HERE ON ROSEDALE, ON THE WESTERN EDGE, IF YOU WILL. AND, UH, THESE ARE ALL ALSO CONTRIBUTING PROPERTIES AND THE ORIGINAL BRICK VENEER, UH, CONSTRUCTION. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. SO, STARTING AT 24 0 9 TH TH HERE YOU'LL GET SOME OF THE DETAILING THAT OCCURS ON, UH, ROSEDALE STREET. UM, LIKE ON THE, ON THE MIDDLE STRUCTURE, WE CALL THOSE COINS THAT ARE AROUND THE ARCH ENTRYWAY. THOSE ARE ORIGINAL. [00:20:01] UM, AND THEN WE HAVE A DOMINANT CHIMNEY THERE IN FRONT, WHICH IS PART OF THE FRENCH ECLECTIC STYLE. UH, AND THEN I SEE THE, THE MEDITERRANEAN STYLE HOME ON THE LEFT. SO THESE ARE THE KIND OF HOMES THAT ARE THERE THAT ARE THROUGHOUT THE GREATER RIVERSIDE AREA. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. MORE HERE AS A KIND, A STONE CLAD HOUSE AT 24 20 ROSEDALE STREET IN 1936. ALL THESE IN THE BUILDING BUILT AT THE TIME OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WE DO HAVE A, UH, A DOCUMENT CALLED THE HISTORIC DESIGNATION REPORT, WHICH HAS A, A LOT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARCHITECTS AND, UH, THE PERIOD OF TIME IN WHICH ALL THIS, THESE NEIGHBORHOODS WERE CONSTRUCTED. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. SO, AGAIN, THREE MORE CONTRIBUTING PROPERTIES. LET'S SEE IF I HAVE ANY DETAILS I WANTED TO SPECIFICALLY SHARE HERE, BUT NOT MUCH PROPERTY, OTHERWISE, WHAT WE WOULD CALL THE TUDOR, UH, CHATEAU ESQUE STYLE RESIDENCE. UH, GOT A COLONIAL RESIDENCE ON THE LEFT. THOSE ARE THE, THOSE ARE MORE PROPERTIES. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF 19 LOTS IN THIS PROPOSED DISTRICT, AND ONE, UH, ONE OF THEM IS VACANT, WHICH IS ON THE RIGHT, RIGHT HERE. SO THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE, I BELIEVE KNOW SECOND TO LAST SLIDE OF STRUCTURE. SO WE HAVE ON THE LEFT A VERY PROMINENT HOUSE, WHICH IS A GOOD REASON FOR THE EXISTENCE TO CREATE THIS DISTRICT. 25 20 ROSEDALE IS THE LEWIS WHITE HOUSE. IT IS ALREADY A PROTECTED LANDMARK DESIGNATED BY THIS, THAT, THAT FAMILY AS A PROTECTED LANDMARK. THAT'S THE WHITE FAMILY. WE ALSO HAVE A, ANOTHER LANDMARK UP ON, UM, LIONS AVENUE FIFTH WARD. AND IT'S A LITTLE STORE THAT SOMEONE'S, UH, OFF IS SAVING, WANTING TO SAVE AND REPURPOSE. IT'S NOT MUCH OF A BUILDING. IT'S, IT WAS A CONVENIENCE STORE, UH, THAT WAS, UH, RATHER CRUDELY CONSTRUCTION. BUT ANYWAY, WE HAVE THIS LEGACY OF THE WHITE FAMILY AND WE HAVE THAT HOME. MR. WHITE PASSED AWAY, UH, GOD BLESS HIS SOUL, I THINK WITHIN THE LAST YEAR. THE STRUCTURE IN THE MIDDLE IS 2,600 ROSEDALE. THAT'S THE ONE ON THE EAST SIDE OF LIVE OAK. AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THERE YOU HAVE 24 18, UM, ROSEDALE, WHICH IS VACANT. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. OR IS THERE ANYTHING ONE MORE OR NO MORE? LET'S SEE. NO MORE THE QUESTIONS. ALRIGHT, LET'S GO BACK AND HOLD ON THAT SLIDE. AND LET ME JUST, UH, MAKE SURE I COVERED WHAT'S REALLY SIGNIFICANT HERE. I WANT TO MENTION FROM THE REPORT, THE DESIGNATION REPORT THAT THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, YOU ONLY NEED MEET ONE CRITERIA. WE HAVE THIS TIES MEETING 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 6 CRITERIA. AND I JUST WANNA SHARE THREE OF THEM. UH, CRITERIA TWO IS WHETHER THE BUILDING IS A LO OR THE AREA IS A LOCATION OF SIGNIFICANT LOCAL NATIONAL OR, OR, OR STATE EVENTS. AND THIS NEIGHBORHOOD REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT CULTURAL SOCIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND SHIFTS THESE RESTRICTIONS THAT PRECLUDED AFRICAN AMERICANS AND JEWS FROM LIVING IN HOUSTON'S PREMIER NEIGHBORHOOD. RIVER OAKS BECAME AN ATTRACTIVE RESIDENTIAL AREA FOR WEALTHY BUSINESSMEN AND PROFESSIONALS. UM, ANOTHER ONE IS WHETHER THE, UH, AREA IS INCLUDES WAS, CAN BE IDENTIFIED WITH PEOPLE SIGNIFICANT TO THE CULTURAL OR HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OR STATE OR NATION. SO HERE WE WROTE SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS HAVE LIVED IN THE PROPOSED DISTRICT, SUCH AS BEYONCE, KNOWLES CARTER, AND ITS CURRENT RESIDENT, FORMER CITY COUNCILMAN JU DON BONY, WHO IS, IS IN SUPPORT OF THE DISTRICT'S CREATION. UH, THEN WE JUST HAVE ANOTHER CRITERIA FINALLY, IS THAT WHETHER IT EXEMPLIFIES A PARTICULAR ARCHITECTURAL STYLE IMPORTANT TO THE CITY. UM, THESE STRUCTURES, AS I'VE JUST SHOWN, ARE ALL 50 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AND ARE FROM THE VERY EARLIEST 20TH CENTURY AND, AND OLDER THAN A, UH, IN THE CONSTRUCTION RANGE FROM 27 TO 50. SO THEY'RE ALL INTACT PERIOD. EXAMPLES OF THE TYPES OF CONSTRUCTION REPRESENTED IN THE GREATER COMMUNITY. AND WITH THAT, I, I DO HAVE WANNA SHARE JUST TWO OTHER POINTS BECAUSE I KNOW THIS HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF, UH, FEEDBACK LATELY. OKAY. SO I NEED TO MAKE JUST, JUST A COUPLE POINTS. FIRST, UH, I JUST WANNA SAY MY STAFF AND I WE'RE, WE ARE PUBLIC SERVANTS FIRST AND PRESERVATION IS SECOND. WE WORK FOR, FOR ALL THE RESIDENTS. SO, UH, WE, WE, WE WOULD, WOULD BE BALANCED HERE IF THIS DISTRICT WERE TO NOT HAPPEN. WE WILL KEEP, KEEP OUR NOSE TO THE, TO THE DESK AND KEEP WORKING ON OTHER PRESERVATION ISSUES. BUT THE, UH, ONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT HAS SPOKEN OUT A LOT ABOUT THIS HISTORIC DISTRICT, YOU MAY HAVE RECEIVED EMAILS, BUT THERE'S BEEN A LOT ONE PERSON, VERY VOCAL THAT DOESN'T LIVE IN THE DISTRICT AND IS SAYING THEY WEREN'T INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS TO CREATE IT. UH, I'VE BEEN SO BUSY THAT IT TOOK ME A WHILE TO WAKE UP ONE DAY TO THE OTHER DAY REALIZED, WAIT A MINUTE. THERE WAS [00:25:01] A MEETING HELD IN AUGUST OF 2021, ABOUT FOUR MONTHS BEFORE THIS APPLICATION WAS BROUGHT FORWARD IN THE BACKYARD OF ONE OF THE APPLICANTS FOR THE DISTRICT. HE SERVED SOME WATER. UH, ABOUT 10 TO 15 PEOPLE SHOWED UP FROM THE, UH, SUPER NEIGHBORHOOD GROUP FROM RIVERSIDE TERRACE, FROM WASHINGTON TERRACE, INCLUDING THE INDIVIDUAL WHO'S SAYING THEY DIDN'T KNOW. AND THAT THIS DISTRICT JUST CAME AS A SHOCK. UH, BUT AT THAT MEETING, UH, THAT'S WHEN THE DISCUSSION OCCURRED TO THAT FROM THE PEOPLE THAT, THAT WERE TALKING ABOUT FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT WE MAYBE GONNA CREATE A HISTORIC DISTRICT HERE. SO I JUST WANNA SAY THAT, THAT THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INCLUDED. AND THEN THE OTHER THING, IT GOT IN THE NEWS, AND IT'S JUST A CLICHE, WE HAD ONE PERSON CALLING UP HERE LOT. IT'S THE PERSON THAT OWNS THE VACANT LOT, WHO'S VERY MUCH, AGAIN, VERY VOCAL AND VERY MUCH AGAINST THIS DISTRICT. AND THEY HAD A PHRASE, THEY SAID, WELL, RIVER OAKS DOESN'T HAVE DEED RESTRICTIONS, SO MAYBE RIVERSIDE DOESN'T NEED THEM EITHER AS A NATIVE HOUSTONIAN. I JUST WANNA SAY THAT MOST OF US WHO KNOW HOUSTON KNOW THAT THERE ARE AT LEAST FOUR KNOWN PROMINENT NEIGHBORHOODS, ARGUABLY MORE PROMINENT THAN RIVER OAKS. THEY'RE SHADOW LAWN, BROAD ACRES, BOULEVARD OAKS, AND WEST 11TH PLACE. ACTUALLY THERE'S PROBABLY A FIFTH. IT'S CALLED COURTLAND PLACE. ALL FOUR OF THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE HISTORIC DISTRICTS. SO THE, THE, THE IDEA THAT IT DOESN'T WORK IN RIVERSIDE IS NOT, THAT DOESN'T HOLD A LOT OF WATER. SO I'LL, I'LL STOP THERE. UM, OH, APOLOGIZE. I DID SPEAK TO THE CHAIR OF THE HHC AND HE WANTED ME TO JUST COMMENT, HE'S BEEN ON THAT CHAIR IN THE HAC SINCE 2009. AND HE SAID, YOU KNOW, HE WAS THERE WHEN OUR, WHEN OUR PRESERVATION ORDINANCE HAD LESS TEETH, BUT HE WAS ALSO THERE WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL APPROVED VERY STRICT REQUIREMENTS FOR CREATING A HISTORIC DISTRICT UPPING THE BUY-IN NEEDED FROM 51% TO 67%. AND THAT'S THE PROCESS THAT WAS FOLLOWED HERE. UH, SO HE JUST WANTED PEOPLE TO KNOW THAT THEY FOLLOWED THAT PROCEDURE AND THAT IT IS A STRINGENT PROCESS. AND I'LL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS. AND I BELIEVE THERE ARE ALSO MAYBE TWO PEOPLE TO SPEAK FROM THE PUBLIC. TH THANK YOU, ROMAN, FOR THE PRESENTATION. UH, COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, THANK YOU CHAIR AND THANK YOU ROMAN FOR THE PRESENTATION. YET WE HAVE HEARD, UM, SOME SPEAKERS AND SOME ARTICLES ABOUT THIS AND JUST WANNA CLARIFY A COUPLE THINGS. IT STARTED OFF AT, AT THE APPLICATION STARTED OFF AS A LARGER, UM, SEGMENT OF RIVERSIDE, CORRECT? CORRECT. AND THEN, AS I KNOW, IS ALLOWABLE BY ORDINANCE AFTER THE, IT DID NOT MEET THE, AFTER THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION DID NOT MEET THE 67%, UH, UM, THRESHOLD THAT THE LINES WERE REDRAWN TO THE CURRENT 18 OR 19 HOMES. THAT THAT IS COR CORRECT. AND, AND, AND THAT IS THE PROCESS. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE 23 OTHER HISTORIC DISTRICTS. THEY ALL RIGHT, RIGHT. YEAH. NOT TO MAKE IT, THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT RIGHT, BUT THAT'S THE NORMAL PROCESS FOLLOWED BY. SURE. NO, I, I'M FAMILIAR WITH THAT AND, AND KNOW THAT'S ALLOWABLE BY ORDINANCE. JUST TRYING TO CLARIFY HOW, HOW MANY WERE IN THE ORIGINAL APPLICATION. I HAVE THAT MAP IN FRONT OF ME. I DON'T HAVE IT. I'M GONNA HAVE TO SHOOT AT IT AND SAY IT'S ABOUT TWICE AS LARGE. OKAY. IT, THE, THE DISTRICT, IF WE COULD GO BACK TO IF, IF NEED A LITTLE MORE DETAIL. IT WAS, IT WENT EAST OF, I'M SORRY, IT WENT WEST OF EMANCIPATION DOWN ROSEDALE AND WICHITA. SO ESSENTIALLY, OH. AND IT WAS ALL OF WICHITA BETWEEN LIVE OAK AND EMANCIPATION AS WELL. SO IT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY, UM, NOT SIGNIFICANT IN THE RIVERSIDE FULL PICTURE SENSE, BUT IT WAS BIGGER. OKAY. AND OF THE, THE REMAINING, THE ONE THAT WAS REDRAWN TO MEET THE THRESHOLD, WHAT WAS THE THRESHOLD? AND I'M, I'M SORRY IF IT'S ALREADY, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT DID IT MEET AS FAR AS UM, UH, YES, YES. WHAT PERCENTAGE? THE, SO THE REDRAWN DISTRICT, WHICH IS BEFORE YOU NOW HERE WITH THIS MAP, IT, IT, THIS HAS 68.4% BUY-IN 67% IS WHAT THE ORDINANCE REQUIRES. OKAY. BUT THE ENTIRETY, IF THIS IS PASSED, WILL, WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE RULES OF THE HISTORIC DISTRICT REGARDLESS OF, OF, YOU KNOW, HOW SOMEBODY FELT ABOUT IT. THAT THAT IS CORRECT. YES. AND THEN IF YOU FALL OUTSIDE OF THIS HISTORIC DISTRICT, YOU ARE NOT GOVERNED BY ANY OF THE RULES THAT AFFECT, UH, THE DISTRICT ITSELF. THAT'S CORRECT. JUST THE BENEFIT, THE BENEFIT. YOU'LL KNOW YOU HAVE A BEAUTIFUL NEIGHBORS, BUT YES. BEAUTIFUL PROPERTIES NEXT DOOR. YES, NO, NO REQUIREMENTS. NO, NOTHING AT ALL HAPPENS IF YOU'RE OUTSIDE THAT BOUNDARY. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. [00:30:01] I, UH, ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE COUNCIL MEMBER ROBINSON, WHO'S JOINING, JOINING US, UH, VIRTUALLY. UH, WE NOW HAVE A QUESTION FROM VICE CHAIR CAYMAN. THANK YOU CHAIR. UM, IT WASN'T SO MUCH A QUESTION, BUT ROMAN, THANK YOU FOR GOING THROUGH SOME OF THE HISTORY. OF COURSE, AS DISTRICT MEMBERS, WE'VE BEEN FOLLOWING THIS BASED ON, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE, WHETHER THE, UH, PROCESS WAS FOLLOWED CORRECTLY, THE TYPE OF COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT THAT'S BEEN DONE, AND OF COURSE HEARING FROM, FROM THE PUBLIC ON THIS. BUT I ONE WANTED TO THANK YOU AND YOUR TEAM FOR, UM, THIS, THE ENTIRETY OF THIS EFFORT, BUT ALSO TAKING US THROUGH SOME OF THAT HISTORY. UM, TO BE HONEST, UH, I DID NOT KNOW SOME OF THE HISTORY OF THIS NEIGHBORHOOD INCLUDING, UM, THE, THE HOUSTON JEWISH COMMUNITY HISTORY AROUND THIS. UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALK ABOUT, UH, DISCRIMINATION, UH, AND, YOU KNOW, BLACK COMMUNITY, LA LATINX COMMUNITY AND HISPANIC COMMUNITY. UH, BUT IT'S AN IMPORTANT REMINDER. MANY GROUPS WERE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST WHEN IT CAME TO DEED RESTRICTIONS, BEING ALLOWED TO LIVE IN CERTAIN PARTS OF TOWN AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO THANK YOU JUST FOR SHARING SOME OF THAT HISTORY WITH US. I THINK IT BRINGS, UM, A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, CONTEXT TO THIS AREA, INCLUDING, UH, ALL THE FOLKS THAT HAVE LIVED AROUND THERE. UH, IT, YOU KNOW, HOUSTON HAS A LOT OF PEOPLE TO BE PROUD OF. THAT IS DEFINITELY FOR SURE. SO THANK YOU. YOU'RE WELCOME. WE HAVE STAFF. I'M SORRY, GO AHEAD, ROMAN. I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT CHAIR. I JUST WANNA SAY THAT AGAIN. THE INDIVIDUALS WHO MADE THE APPLICATION, THE COMMENTS IN THE PUBLIC HAVE BEEN, WELL, THEY DIDN'T REACH OUT TO ME AND, AND FRANKLY, UH, A LITTLE ON MY PART THAT I DIDN'T REALIZE TILL JUST A FEW DAYS AGO THAT I HAD THAT MEMORY. AND I DUG AROUND AND FOUND IN, FOUND THE SIGN IN SHEET AND REVIEWED THE SIGN IN SHEET WITH THE DIRECTOR. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A LOT AND ALL THAT WHOLE MEETING, WHICH WAS IN THE BACKYARD WAS AN HOUR, HOUR AND A HALF, TWO HOURS. AND ALL WE TALKED ABOUT WAS THE HISTORIC DISTRICTS AND THE ORDINANCE. AND, AND I ALSO LEARNED A LOT, I LEARNED THAT THE, HOW HARD THE NEIGHBORHOOD THERE HAS WORKED TO PASS MINIMUM LOT SIZE REQUIREMENTS. AND I EXPLAINED THAT, THAT THAT'S A VERY STRONG TOOL THAT THE SIT THAT HOUSTONIANS HAVE. AND, AND I LEARNED THAT THERE. SO, UM, I JUST WANNA SAY THAT I FEEL LIKE THE, UH, THE, THE APPLICANTS HAVE BEEN SORT OF, UM, UH, SPOKEN NEGATIVELY AGAINST AS THAT, THAT THEY, THEY DIDN'T MAKE A, THEY MADE A REALLY SINCERE EFFORT TO REACH OUT. THANK YOU. THA THANK YOU ROMAN. WE NOW HAVE QUE A QUESTION OR COMMENT FROM, UH, STAFF FROM COUNCIL MEMBER KNOX'S OFFICE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. GOOD AFTERNOON. MR. MCALLEN. UM, LOOKING AT YOUR MAP THAT'S CURRENTLY ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW, 24 18 IS VACANT. CORRECT. NOW THE TWO OTHER PROPERTIES NORTH OF THERE, 24 19 AND 24 17, ARE THERE STRUCTURES OR IS THAT ALSO VACANT ON THOSE PROPERTIES? YES, SIR. THERE, THERE ARE STRUCTURES THERE, THERE ARE TWO, UH, SMALL APARTMENT TYPE STRUCTURES THERE. I DON'T RECALL IF THEY'RE, UH, THREE PLEXES OR FOUR PLEXES. THEY'RE ON THOSE TWO INDIVIDUAL LOTS THERE. I HAVE HEARD THAT THE HISTORY OF THE, WHO CONSTRUCTED THOSE, UH, STRUCTURES, WHICH THEY'RE BUILT JUST A LITTLE LATER, UH, ON THOSE LOTS. UH, THAT, UH, I APOLOGIZE, I'LL NEED TO HELP MY BRAINS THAT, THAT'S FINE. SO OUT OF THIS PROPOSED DISTRICT, THERE ARE 20 PROPERTIES, IF I COR COUNT THAT CORRECTLY, IS THAT I BELIEVE WE'RE AT 1919 MOD. OKAY. AND THEN QUESTION FOR YOU. SO THE PROPERTY THAT'S VACANT AT 24 18, IF THAT PROPERTY WAS REMOVED FROM THE PROPOSED DISTRICT, WOULDN'T THE DISTRICT STILL BE CONTIGUOUS? IT'D BE A HORSESHOE, YES. OKAY. SO IT COULD BE REMOVED. THERE'S NOTHING AGAINST THE ORDINANCE THAT IF THE PROPERTY OWNER DOES NOT WISH TO BE A PART OF THE DISTRICT, IT COULD BE REMOVED AND IT WOULD STILL FOLLOW THE, UM, CONTIGUOUS DE DESIGNATION, CORRECT? YES. BUT YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO CREATE THE DISTRICT 'CAUSE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE THIS, THE BUY-IN 67%. WELL, COULDN'T Y'ALL JUST GERRYMANDER IT SOME MORE AND LOP OFF ONE OR TWO OTHERS THAT WOULD NOT WANT TO BE IN THE DISTRICT? WELL, SIR, WE, WE GOT, WITH ALL DUE RESPECT, ONLY, ONLY WE, WE GERRYMANDERED, WE JUST FOLLOWED THE ORDINANCE AND CREATED A DISTRICT THAT IS AN APPROPRIATE DISTRICT. SO WE WOULD HAVE TO THEN DECIDE, YOU KNOW, WE'D HAVE TO LOCK PROBABLY SOME STRUCTURES OUTTA THE DISTRICT ON ONE OF THE ENDS. AND WE, IT WOULD TAKE, WE, WE LOOKED, WE ACTUALLY MADE A, OH, I THINK, AND HE'S NOT ON THE CALL, HE [00:35:01] HAD TO LEAVE TOWN. THAT'S WHY I DIDN'T HAVE THE ANSWER TO THAT OTHER QUESTION OF HOW MANY, BUT THE OTHER STAFF MEMBER WHO WORKED ON THIS, JASON LILIENTHAL, UM, HE PROBABLY PRODUCED SEVEN TO 10 VARIOUS MAPS. OKAY. AND THIS MAP WAS CHOSEN BECAUSE IN TERMS OF A PRESERVATION DISTRICT, IT PROVIDES THE MOST WHOLE, UH, AREA. SO TWO COMPLETE FULL BLOCK FACES, THEN IT'S CAUGHT ON THE EASTERN SIDE, AND THEN GETTING THE PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICT WHO WANT TO BE IN THE DISTRICT ON WICHITA. SO THE THREE ON WICHITA ENDED UP, ENDED UP BEING LIKE INDIVIDUAL PROTECTED LANDMARKS. 'CAUSE THAT'S BEEN ASKED, WELL, WHY DON'T THEY JUST INDIVIDUALLY LANDMARK THEM? THERE IS VIRTUALLY NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THOSE BEING INDIVIDUALLY LANDMARKED AND THOSE JUST BEING AN HISTORIC DISTRICT IF THIS DISTRICT WERE CREATED. OKAY. WELL IN YOUR, IN YOUR, SO I'M JUST SAYING THAT IF WE TAKE OUT THE LAW, IT WOULD, IT'S NOT AS, IT'S NOT THAT CLEAR. YOU HAVE TO DO SOME MORE MANIPULATION OF THE, OF THE DISTRICT. OKAY. I JUST, I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE OF FORCING A PROPERTY OWNER TO BE IN A DISTRICT THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO BE INTO IT. THANK YOU. SURE. I UNDERSTAND. I UNDERSTAND. AND AFTER THE DEBATE, I BELIEVE THAT, THAT THE CHAIR TALKED ABOUT THAT CITY COUNCIL WENT THROUGH, UH, BACK IN THE NINETIES, UH, ROMAN, IN REGARDS TO HOW LONG DID IT TAKE IN REGARDS FROM THE BEGINNING OF, UH, GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO NOW BRINGING IT TO CITY COUNCIL? WELL, IF I GO BACK TO THE EARLIEST MEETING IN AUGUST OF 2021, SO AUGUST, 2022, UM, AND THEN NOW, SO THAT'S FOUR, ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF. AND FROM, FROM THE TIME THAT THAT BACKYARD GROUP FIRST MET AND TALKED ABOUT IT, UH, IT WAS JANUARY 12TH, 2022, UH, THAT WE HAD A PUBLIC MEETING ABOUT IT, UH, WHEN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS WELL ATTENDED BY THAT LARGER MAP AREA. AND, AND I'M SORRY, ONE, ONCE AGAIN, HOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE ACTUALLY BOUGHT IN, HOW YOU SAY YOU GOT 67% OR MORE? YES, THERE ARE 10 INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE VOTED YES FOR THIS DISTRICT. THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION BECAUSE A LOT HAS BEEN RAISED ABOUT THE FACT THAT ONE INDIVIDUAL DOES OWN FOUR LOTS AND, UH, BUT IF WE JUST CONSIDER HIM AS ONE PERSON, UH, THEN WE HAVE 10 INDIVIDUALS WHO VOTED YES. WE HAVE FOUR INDIVIDUALS WHO VOTED NO. AND WE HAVE TWO ESSENTIALLY THAT DIDN'T VOTE ANOTHER. BUT THE WAY YOU CALCULATE THE, THE 68.4 IS 13 YES. VOTES AND, UH, 19 LOTS. OKAY, GREAT. THANK YOU. WE, WE, WE HAVE NO MORE QUESTIONS, SO THANK YOU ROMAN FOR THE, UH, PRESENTATION. THANK YOU ALL. AL. OH, I'M SORRY. COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN. I'M SORRY, AND I MIGHT JUST BE A LITTLE SLOW ON THE MATH, BUT YOU, YOU SAID 10 YESES, FOUR NOS TWO DIDN'T VOTE. SO THAT'S 16. THERE'S 19 LOTS. WHERE'S THE THREE? WHERE ARE THE THREE, SIR? COUNCIL MEMBER ALCORN, I SHOULDN'T HAVE STARTED BREAKING IT. SO THERE'S, THERE'S 19 LOTS AND THERE WERE, UM, 13 YESES. SO 13 DIVIDED BY 19 IS THE 68.4. RIGHT? I THREW YOU OFF WITH MY 10 WHO VOTED YES, BECAUSE ONE INDIVIDUAL OWNS FOUR LOTS, SO HIS VOTE DOES COUNT FOUR TIMES. SO YOU KNOW, THAT'S IN, THAT'S WHY I THREW YOU OFF WITH THE, THE 10 THROWS YOU OFF, BUT FOUR ACTUALLY CAST A BALLOT, SAID I DO NOT WANT TO BE IN THE DISTRICT THREE, WELL, I'M SORRY, TWO, IT'S THOSE TWO APARTMENTS WHICH ARE OWNED BY THE SAME PERSON. THE THE TWO APARTMENTS DIDN'T, UH, DID NOT VOTE. AND YEAH, LET SEE VOTE BEFORE THE DISTRICT, YOU GOT IT. AND ALSO THE LOT OWNER DID NOT VOTE, BUT IN THIS, BUT THE GIST OF IT IS, I'M HAPPY TO SHARE. WE HAVE A MAP OF THE YESES AND NOS RIGHT HERE ON MY DESK, BUT IT'S, UH, IT'S THE NINE, IT'S, IT'S 13 DIVIDED BY 19. THANK YOU. YOU ARE WELCOME. THANK YOU ROMAN. THAT CONCLUDES THE PRESENTATIONS AND QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL. WE'LL NOW MOVE TO THE PUBLIC COMMON PORTION OF THE MEETING. PUBLIC SPEAKERS WERE REQUIRED TO SIGN UP THROUGH AND PROVIDE FOR, FORMED BY 5:00 PM TUESDAY, APRIL 26TH. TWO SPEAKERS HAVE SIGNED UP. WHEN I CALL YOUR NAME, PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND LET US KNOW IF YOU'RE REPRESENTING AN ORGANIZATION. ALL PUBLIC SPEAKERS WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES. THE FIRST SPEAKER IS ASIF MAHMUD. PLEASE UNMUTE YOUR MICROPHONE AND YOU MAY BEGIN. PLEASE, UH, HIT STAR SIX. [00:40:05] THIS IS ASIF MAHMUD. YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. ALRIGHT, MAY I BEGIN? YES, PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, GOOD AFTERNOON. UH, EVERYONE, THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO, UH, SPEAK TO YOU TODAY. SINCE I HAVE ONLY TWO MINUTES, I'M GONNA SPEAK A, A LITTLE FAST AND, UH, I, I'M GONNA SET ASIDE SOME OF MY PREPARED NOTES TO ADDRESS SOMETHING THAT I THINK IS VERY CRITICAL HERE. UM, SO IF EVERYONE WHO DOESN'T WANNA BE PART OF, UM, UH, THE HISTORIC DISTRICT CAN OPT OUT, YOU THINK ABOUT, UH, PARDON MY, UH, FRENCH, UH, THE ABSURDITY OF THAT LOGIC, BECAUSE THOSE THAT ARE VOTING YES, ARE ALREADY PREDISPOSED TO MAINTAINING THE CHARACTER OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL HOMES. BUT ONE HAS TO TAKE A HOLISTIC VIEW OF A HISTORIC DISTRICT. OTHERWISE, YOU NO LONGER HAVE A HISTORIC DISTRICT IF IT IS POCK POCKMARKED WITH THOSE PEOPLE THAT DON'T WANT TO BE PART OF IT. THIS IS A DEMOCRATIC PROCESS. WHEN THE SUPER MAJORITY HAS BEEN ACHIEVED, WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS TO PRESERVE THE HISTORIC CHARACTER OF THE ENTIRE BLOCK. IT'S A BLOCK THAT WE ARE PROUD OF. WE THINK IT SERVES AS A SHOWPIECE FOR RIVERSIDE TERRACE AND HOPEFULLY WILL INSPIRE OTHERS TO ALSO CREATE MORE HISTORIC DISTRICTS IN RIVERSIDE TERRACE. SO THE IDEA OF, OF, UH, EXEMPTING PEOPLE IS, IS THE IDEA THAT ALLOWS THE UNFETTERED, UH, DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE THAT IS COMING THROUGH GENTRIFICATION AND OTHER WAYS. THE, THE, THE LOT, UH, UH, THE MINIMUM LOT SIZE WORKS THE SAME WAY. NOBODY GOT TO OPT OUT OF THE LOT SIZE AND, AND BUILD, UH, TOWN HOMES, UH, IF THEY WANTED TO BECAUSE THAT DESTROYS THE CHARACTER OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO THIS, THIS ONE LOT THAT IS GETTING A LOT OF ATTENTION AND A LOT OF BACK OFFICE KIND OF MOVEMENTS. I DON'T THINK THAT ANYBODY SHOULD BE EXEMPT BECAUSE THE IDEA IS TO PRESERVE A JEWEL THAT WE HAVE INHERITED. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE BEAUTIFUL LOTS THAT STANDS IN, IN TESTIMONY TO THE WONDERFUL STORIES THAT EXISTED THERE AND THE WONDERFUL ARCHITECTURE THAT EXISTS THERE. SO I AM ONE OF THE APPLICANTS, THE, THE MEETING, THE ORIGINAL MEETING TOOK PLACE, UH, IN MY BACKYARD. I'M VERY PROUD OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I LIVE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND I INTEND TO PASS ON THE PROPERTIES THAT WE OWN IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD TO OUR CHILDREN. THAT IS OUR VIEW. WE, WE WANT TO BE GOOD CUSTODIANS FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS AND PRESERVE THE HISTORY OF RIVERSIDE TERRACE. THANK, THANK, THANK YOU MAHMUD. AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR PROTECTING THE CHARACTER OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. WE, THE SECOND SPEAKER IS JACK MAY. JACK MAY, UH, PLEASE, UH, HEAD STAR SIX. THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. YEAH, WE CAN, WE CAN HEAR YOU. GO AHEAD. I'M JACK MAY. I LIVE AT 24 20 ROSEDALE. THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TO THIS COMMITTEE. I'M HERE TO EXPRESS MY SUPPORT FOR THE DISTRICT. THE, THE BLOCK OF ROSEDALE BETWEEN EMANCIPATION AND LIVE OAK IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY NEIGHBORHOOD. MY WIFE AND I BOUGHT THE HOUSE OF 24 20 AND 1998, AND WE'VE LIVED HERE HAPPILY FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS. TO DATE, WE'VE BEEN LUCKY THAT THE LOOK AND FEEL OF OUR BLOCK HAS BEEN SPARED. THE EXTREME CHANGES VISIBLE IN SO MANY BLOCKS NEARBY. OVER THE YEARS, WE AND OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE USED THE TOOLS MADE AVAILABLE BY THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO STABILIZE THE BLOCK. WE'VE BEEN GRANTED MINIMUM LOT SIZE AND MINIMUM BUILDING LINE PROTECTION. WE ARE NOW ATTEMPTING TO FURTHER PROTECT THE CHARACT OF OUR BLOCK BY PURSUING A HISTORIC DISTRICT DESIGNATION AS PROVIDED BY CITY ORDINANCE. SOME PEOPLE WHOSE PROPERTIES ARE IN NO WAY AFFECTED BY THE PROPOSED DISTRICT HAVE OBJECTED FOR REASONS, WHICH IN MY VIEW HAVE ONLY TO DO WITH HURT CEILING. THEIR OBJECTIONS ARE TO PROCESS AUTHORIZED BY CITY ORDINANCE. THEY FEEL A PROCESS ABUSED THEM. I DISAGREE. THOSE WHO WANT TO OBJECT TO THE EXISTING HISTORIC DISTRICT ORDINANCE SHOULD PUSH FOR CHANGES IN THE ORDINANCE, BUT THEY SHOULD NOT PURSUE A RETROACTIVE CHANGE THAT WOULD PUNISH ME AND MY NEIGHBORS WHO HOPE TO MAINTAIN THE CHARACTER OF THIS BLOCK. THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE ORDINANCE HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED AT EVERY STEP, INCLUDING APPROVAL BY A SUPER MAJORITY OF THE AFFECTED PROPERTY. THE PETITION HAS ALSO BEEN APPROVED BY THE HOUSTON ARCHEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL COMMITTEE IN A SEVEN TO ONE VOTE AFTER A PUBLIC MEETING, IT WOULD BE A SHAME IF WE ARE DENIED THE NEIGHBORHOOD PROTECTION, WHICH THE ORDINANCE ALLOWS BECAUSE OTHERS FEEL INSULTED BY THE RULES OF THE ORDINANCE. IF THE STUCCO HOUSE WITH THE GARAGE DOOR IN FRONT AND DOWNTOWN VIEW IS BUILT NEXT TO MY HOUSE, IT WILL BE A SAD DAY FOR ME. THANK YOU. THANK, THANK [00:45:01] YOU MR. MAY FOR, UH, COMING TO PUBLIC SESSION AND TAKING TIME TO SPEAK TODAY. AND, AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR ADV ADVOCACY AND PROTECTING THE CHARACTER OF YOUR, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD. NO ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE ARE NO QUESTIONS. UH, DISTRICT QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER. SO THEREFORE, THAT CONCLUDES THE PUBLIC COMMENT PORTION OF TODAY'S MEETING. FOR ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WATCHING, YOU MAY SEND QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BY EMAILING MY OFFICE AT DISTRICT I@HOUSTONTX.GOV. THAT'S DISTRICT I@HOUSTONTX.GOV. SEEING NO ADDITIONAL COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE'LL MOVE TO ADJOURN. THANK YOU AGAIN TO EVERYONE FOR PARTICIPATING IN THIS TODAY. THIS MEETING IS NOW ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.