HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes Landmark Commission - 04/08/2021 - SpecialMINUTES
LANDMARK COMMISSION - SPECIAL MEETING
CITY OF CORPUS CHRISTI
Via WebEx Video Conference - 6:30 pm
April 8, 2021
STAFF:
Nina Nixon-Mendez, Assistant Director & Historic Preservation Officer
Catherine Garza, Agenda Coordinator
Craig Garrison, City Planner
I. Call to Order/Roll Call
Vice Chairman Dees called the meeting to order and a quorum was established with Chair-person Robbins absent
but joining the meeting towards the end.
II. Approval of Minutes: February 25, 2021
A motion was made by Commissioner Freeman to approve the minutes listed above. The motion was seconded by
Commissioner Mendez and the motion passed.
III. PUBLIC COMMENT – None.
IV. Community Meeting: Historic Preservation Plan (HPP)
Nina Nixon-Mendez, Assistant Director, introduced Steph McDougal with McDoux Preservation. Ms. McDougal did
the initial presentation back in November of 2019. She also presented this item and went over what has happened
since November, the community survey results, key takeaways and the next steps in the project. She informed the
Commission about the survey methodology and how paper and online versions of the survey were created in English
and Spanish. Participants could get assistance/take survey over the phone, online or on paper at the library. The
survey was promoted through the City website, Facebook, Corpus Christi public libraries, City offices, billboard, and
the TV news segment on Telemundo.
The survey questions included information about respondents and asked to identify valued places/spaces; general
opinions/attitudes about historic preservation. The survey had more than 750 responses with over 12,000 additional
comments. Ms. McDougal gave the percentages of participation by race/ethnicity. Additionally, most of the
respondents live on the South side of town and are already involved or interested in historic preservation. The general
data trends observed in the survey showed that about 60% of respondents agreed the City should undertake more
programs that can encourage/facilitate historic preservation, about 35% of respondents had no opinion and about 5%
responded negatively across the board.
Ms. McDougal stated that the survey could be summarized by the following four main ideas:
• Downtown revitalization is important, for many reasons.
• People want better communication from the City and more information about historic preservation and how it
works.
• Improving existing neighborhoods is just as important as building new ones (street conditions are a problem).
• The City should make it possible for property owners to designate some historic landmarks and districts in a
way that prevents demolition if the Landmark Commission says “no”.
Ms. McDougal went over the places and spaces that were mentioned throughout the survey as a priority for
preservation: Old County Courthouse, Heritage Park, Ritz Theater, Downtown buildings generally, Art Museum of
South Texas, Corpus Christi Cathedral, Parks (including Cole Park/Amphitheater) and the Water Gardens. She also
went over the top 10 neighborhoods mentioned throughout the survey to prioritize for preservation: Downtown, Del
Mar, Uptown, Ocean Drive, Morningside, Hillcrest/Washington Coles, Saxet Heights/Oak Park, Lamar Park, Bessar
Park and Six Points.
Ms. McDougal continued with the survey results and informed the Commission that 61% of respondents were in favor
of the City offering financial incentives for historic preservation but under certain circumstances. Projects and owners
need to qualify by meeting fair and consistent eligibility criteria like financial need. Also, to consider reimbursing for
work completed rather than providing funds upfront; owners should be willing to follow rules about what they can and
cannot do if funds will be provided to them.
COMMISSIONERS:
Dr. Christine Riser-Robbins- Chair
Randy J. Dees, Sr.–Vice-Chair
Dr. Ira Freeman
Madeleine Fontenot
Kathleen de la Garza
COMMISSIONERS:
Rosyln Wanzer
Dr. Jen Brown
Armando Mendez
Veronica Wilson
Next, Ms. McDougal went over the key takeaways from the survey. Citizens need to see success stories. Previous
experiences with Memorial Coliseum and the Old County Courthouse are likely to hinder future City efforts. Education
and awareness building can help set and manage realistic expectations, dispel rumors, and correct misconceptions.
The City should provide a stronger framework to enable community initiated and community driven historic
preservation activities. Nonprofit partners and citizen participation will be needed to effect real change, revitalize
downtown, and preserve older neighborhoods.
At this point in the presentation, Ms. Nixon-Mendez gave information about street conditions/improvement activities.
She mentioned the City’s 2020 Bond Program and stated a summary of projects can be found at
www.cctexas.com/bond2020.
Another tool is the 5-year Street Maintenance Plan via the Public Works Department webpage which has an
interactive map and a link to submit service requests. The plan includes a list which is updated with streets that have
either been completed, are in progress of improvement and future improvement plans. Code Enforcement concerns
can also be submitted online at www.cctexas.com/departments/code-enforcement. She added that the My City App
can be downloaded to mobile phones and used for paying utility bills, etc.
Lastly, Ms. McDougal went over the next steps for the plan. A draft of the HPP will be provided in May with a third
community meeting to follow. From July to September, the plan will be revised based on community feedback to
take the plan through the adoption process. She added that inquiries for more information can be sent to the local
project lead, Priscilla Ramirez, Development Services and a comment form is available online at
www.cctexas.com/hpp.
After the presentation, a question and answer session took place from the community through comments posted on
Facebook Live and from dsoutreach@cctexas.com.
V. Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 p.m.
___________________________________
Craig Garrison, City Planner
Development Services Department