Local
Historic Districts: Frequently Asked Questions
I’ve heard or
read something about city historic districts for Austin
neighborhoods. What’s going on?
In December 2004,
the Austin
city council passed an ordinance allowing groups of homes to come
together to form “local historic districts” (LHDs). The stated purpose of
these LHDs is to preserve the areas. The neighbors in a LHD will
devise a “preservation plan” and the city will grant some tax abatements
for preservation efforts.
I thought the Old
West Austin Historic District already provided historic district
protection.
The Old West
Austin Historic District is listed on the federal government’s National
Register of Historic Places, but
this district does not cover the WANG neighborhoods.
This is
confusing. What kinds of historic preservation are there, what does
WANG have now, and what do they really mean anyway?
Currently, WANG
has no historic preservation protections in place and is not part
of the Old West Austin Historic District.
◊ At
the federal level, the Old West Austin Historic District is listed
on the National Register of Historic places. In addition to being
prestigious, federal dollars cannot be used on a project (such as
expanding MoPac) that will impact the neighborhood without a lengthy
consideration process.
◊ At
the state level, some individual homes in the neighborhood have
been designated Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks. Owners of
designated homes must consult with the Texas Historical Commission before
making exterior architectural changes. Some cities offer tax
abatements for Texas historic landmark
homes, but Austin
does not.
◊ At
the city level, some individual homes in the neighborhood have
been designated Austin
historic landmarks, also known as “H” zoning. Only individual
structures can hold this status, which comes with some city tax
abatement. It is more difficult to demolish a structure that is a
designated city landmark.
Is the “local
historic district” some radical idea dreamed up by City Council?
Actually, Austin is the last major Texas city to adopt such a
program. River Oaks in Houston, the King William
District in San
Antonio, and the Tenth Street District in Dallas, for example, are all city
historic districts. Smaller cities such as Wichita
Falls, Fredericksburg,
and Castroville also have historic district programs.
What is the
City’s timeline for starting up local historic districts?
The City hopes to
have the application process worked out by the end of the year. The
City estimates the first district will take about 18 months to create.
If all or part of
WANG became a local historic district, would the neighborhood “freeze”?
Not unless we
want it to. One of the interesting things about the historic
district ordinance is that the district itself creates a “preservation
plan” that is reviewed and approved by the City. The preservation
plan provides guidelines for new construction in the neighborhood.
These guidelines can be very relaxed to very stringent, depending on what
the neighborhood chooses.
I have an old/new
home. How would I be affected?
Under the LHD
ordinance, each home must be designated as either “contributing” or
“non-contributing” to the local historic district. Any house that is
at least 50 years old, was built during the period of significance for
the district, and essentially looks like it did originally may qualify as
a “contributing” home. We are allowed to make the criteria for a
contributing home more narrow if we wish in our district. We
believe the City intends to encourage preservation of contributing homes
with the new LHD ordinance. Right now, it is not clear how much
control the LHDs will have over the preservation process.
What is the WANG
board doing about the local historic district issue?
The board has
formed a committee dedicated to this issue. These board members
have been attending meetings of city officials, talking with board
members from other, nearby neighborhood associations, reviewing
information disseminated by the City, and generally trying to stay
abreast of developments. The City is currently refining the
application process and discussing questions and concerns arising as
groups consider the ordinance. There are still unanswered questions
about historic districts and the application process.
I have an
opinion/question about local historic districts as applied to West Austin that I would like to share with the
board. What are my options?
The board would
like to hear from you! One of our primary goals is to help the
neighborhood get what it wants. You can email us at wang@DeepEddy.Com or send a letter
to WANG, P.O. Box 5722,
Austin, TX
78763-5722.
Of course, you are also welcome to contact any board member—we are listed
in every newsletter.
So, is WANG going
to become an Austin
historic district?
That depends on
what you, our neighbors, decide is best for the
neighborhood. We on the board are trying to learn as much as we can
about this new option so that we can share the information with
you. Then together we can make an informed decision regarding our
home!
What would the
process be if the neighborhood decides to pursue a LHD designation?
It appears that
we would first fill out a detailed application and submit it to the City
Historic Preservation Office. An important part of the application
is a list of all the property owners who support the application. Sixty
percent of the neighborhood must support the application for it to
proceed. Once the application is complete the City Historic
Preservation Office would send it to the Historic Landmark Commission and
then to Zoning & Platting for consideration at a public meeting of
each body. Each body would recommend to grant or deny the
application. Then, these recommendations would go to City Council
for a final public meeting. City Council must vote to grant the LHD
designation for it to take effect.
[end of FAQ]
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