PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 22ND TO DISCUSS HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE IN BRENHAM
A public meeting will be held next week to discuss and provide updates on the work being done to establish a Historic Preservation Ordinance for the City of Brenham.
The meeting will be held Thursday, April 22nd at 5:30 p.m. in the Hasskarl Auditorium at The Barnhill Center in downtown Brenham.
A Historic Preservation Ordinance Committee has met monthly since November 2020 to work on the creation of the ordinance and discuss its proposed contents section by section. The final ordinance will allow for the designation of local landmarks.
City of Brenham Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Eckermann said that during the city’s creation of Comprehensive Plan 2040, preserving the city’s historic, small-town feel was “a desire voiced – and heard – often throughout the public meeting process.”
Eckermann said the meeting will consist of staff reviewing the importance of the ordinance, how it is designed to be user-friendly, and what the timeline is for the project. After the presentation, there will be time for questions and answers. She added that now is the time to share thoughts and voice questions on the ordinance, while it is still in the drafting stage.
Development Services Director Stephanie Doland said updates to the Planning and Zoning Commission, Main Street Board and Brenham City Council are planned in the coming weeks.
An email newsletter has been developed to keep the public informed on the ordinance’s progress and to request feedback for consideration by the committee. Postcards were also mailed to downtown property owners to encourage them to subscribe to the newsletter and to inform them of the public meeting.
Anyone interested in subscribing to the newsletter can visit www.cityofbrenham.org/mainstreet.
How closely safe you working with the Texas Historic Commission in developing such am ordinance?
If I recall correctly, at the first meeting that was held at the library to introduce the general public to and inform them about the proposed preservation ordinance, there was a THC representative. While it is more effective to have the THC on board for such things, they are only an ‘advisory’ organization, and they have no way to enforce anything that is decided upon.