HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Landmark Commission - 02/27/2020MINUTES
LANDMARK COMMISSION MEETING
CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI - City Hall Council Chambers
1201 Leopard Street
February 27, 2020
4:30 P.M.
COMMISSIONERS:
Jillian Becquet, Chair
Craig Thompson, Vice -Chair
Dr. Ira J Freeman
Dr Bryan Stone
Kathleen de la Garza
Myron Grossman
COMMISSIONERS:
Ernest Bert Rucker
Dr. Christine Reiser -Robbins
Randy J Dees, Sr.
Monica Rawlings
Madeleine Fontenot
STAFF:
Craig Garrison, Planning Technician
Andrew Dimas, Senior City Planner
Sandra Velazquez -Mendoza, Recording Secretary
Nina Nixon -Mendez, FAICP, Assistant Director of Development Services, Historic Preservation Officer
I. Call to Order/Roll Call
A quorum was established at 4 36 pm
Members present: Chair Jillian Becquet Vice -Chair Thompson, Dr Ira J. Freeman, Dr.
Bryan Stone, Ernest Bert Rucker, Dr. Christine Reiser -Robbins, Kathleen de la Garza,
Madeleine Fontenot, and Myron Grossman
Members absent Randy J. Dees, Sr.
II Approval of Minutes.
• January 23, 2020 Meeting
o Motion to approve by Commissioner Grossman, seconded by Commissioner
Reiser -Robbins. Motion passed unanimously.
III Discussion and Possible Action'.
• January 23, 2020 Meeting- Consideration of Absences of Commissioner Kathleen de la
Garza
o Motion to approve Commissioner de la Garza's absence by Commissioner Reiser -
Robbins, seconded by Commissioner Grossman. Motion passed unanimously.
IV. Public Comment. Comment from the audience on matters not scheduled
• None
Workshop — Presentation by City Staff on UDC Text concerning Landmark Commission
Craig Garrison presented a series of PowerPoint slides explaining the various duties,
responsibilities of the Landmark Commission as specified in the Unified Development Cade (UDC)
Specific topics of presentation and discussion included. Designation of Landmarks, Certificates of
Appropriateness, and Certificates of Appropriateness for Demolition. Additionally, Arlene Medrano.
Business Liaison for the City of Corpus Christi addressed questions on the history and process of
the Vacant Building Ordinance and its enforcement in Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone (TIRZ)
#3 (i.e. Downtown). Questions asked by the Commission were in regards to the role of the UDC
Specifically, the abilities of the Commission to recommend the placement of Historic Designations
Additional, questions and discussion involved Section 7.12 'Adaptive Reuse" of the UDC. The
Commission decided that additional achages to this section would be a second phase project of
future amendments to the UDC.
Unified Development Code Update Sub -Committee Commissioners, tra Freeman, Jillian Becquet,
Craig Thompson and Dr. Christine Reiser -Robbins lead the conversion on the purpose of the
Adaptive Reuse Section Andrew Dimas retells the transition from removing the previous six types
of (H -Overlay) and substituting with the singular generic (H) Overlay. There is not a current method
of differentiating types of Local Designation and protections as well as expectations for Adaptive
Reuse It's discussed that an H -lite Overlay could be adopted to incentivize Adaptive Reuse with a
Certificate of Appropriateness for the Adaptive Reuse from Landmark Commission. Planning
Technician reads from the minutes from the Subcommittee meeting that discussed the need for an
H -Overlay Lite as the H -Overlay does not grant Adaptive Reuse by right Senior City Planner
Andrew Dimas discusses the need for a "carrot and stick " That the (H -Lite) Overlay would need a
condition that property will undergo a full Local Historic Designation within a certain time period (3
years was proposed). The purpose being that the city sees an Increase in the number of Local
Landmark Designations through incentivizing the adaptive reuse section and the H Overlay.
The Commission recommended the following amendments to the UDC
• Adding a provision to section 3.16 3.13 amending the stay of demolition to a minimum of up
to one year from date of the Landmark Commission decision.
• Adding a provision to section 3.16.3 B and section 3 4.2.E to add a one year waiting period
for the site to become a parking use from the date of approval by the Landmark
Commission or City Council respectively.
• Amending section 7 12 1 to change the word "areas" to "district" Additionally, the deletion
of the language, 'consisting of residential or tourist uses mixed with Commercial,
Professional Office, Civic uses, including apartments, Live -Work units, multiple -family
residences, and tourist -based facilities. This will help to reduce vacant space as well as
encourage the development of a residential community downtown and other blighted areas
of the City, thus creating a more balanced ratio between housing and jobs in the region's
primary employment centers." Zoning Staff, Andrew Dimas and Craig Garrison, will work
to draft of an Adaptive Reuse Section and (H) Overlay Lite to email to Landmark
Commission.
• Amendment to Chapter 14 of the Corpus Christi Municipal Code to establish an application
fee of $1,000 for a Certificate of Appropriateness for Demolition.
VI Historic Preservation Officer's (HPO) Report
Nina Nixon -Mendez, FAICP, Assistant Director of Development Services, Historic Preservation
Officer presented the following as part of the HPO report
• Grant award from the Texas Historical Commission (THC) of $25,000 for the purpose of
creating the City's Historic Preservation Plan.
• The one remaining vacancy on the Landmark Commission forthe position of"Title Search."
• An update on the website efforts:
o Assistance of the City's Public Information office in obtaining photos of all
designated sites.
o The website will include all Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks (RTHL) and all
places designated on the National Register of Historic Places.
o The goal is a March/April launch period.
o A high school intern with Development Services Department (DSD) has been
working to include the properties listed in the 90s City Historic Sites Survey (Green
Binders) into a website called DowntownTX.org which is a THC project.
VII. Items to be scheduled on the next agenda
• Discussion of the San Antonio process of demolition
• Tax Abatement Strategy: Presentation of success stories and before versus after values
• Heritage Park
o Presentation on what is designated and what needs to be designated as a historic
site. Specifically, the potential designation of the "Mary Carroll' House.
Landmark Commission Awards
o Three nominations have been submitted as of the date of the meeting.
Commissioner Reiser -Robbins presented a discussion with Bill Churchwell of Kill -TV News
concerning the filming of a news series on various historical sites around Corpus Chnsti.
The series would air in May.
VIII Adjournment at 6,45 p m.
• Motion to adjourn by Vice -Chair Thompson, seconded by Commission Rucker.
Jil�li n Becquet, Chairperson
Landmark Commission