HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE RECOMMENDED FOR ADOPTION

  

An ordinance that seeks to protect historic buildings and landmarks in downtown Brenham is closer to formal adoption.

In a near unanimous vote, the Brenham Planning and Zoning Commission and Main Street Board recommended approval of a Historic Preservation Ordinance at a joint meeting Monday.  The ordinance will be presented to the Brenham City Council for adoption at a future meeting.

City of Brenham Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Eckermann said a goal during the creation of this ordinance was keeping the public involved and making sure it was not too strict.

 

Eckermann said the Historic Preservation Office would consist of Main Street staff, currently herself and Main Street Coordinator Kathrine Briscoe, as appointed by the city manager.  The office would be responsible for issuing Certificates of Appropriateness (COA) for certain alterations and enforcing the guidelines of the ordinance.  She noted that the ordinance is only meant to maintain building exteriors, not interiors.

Eckermann explained the differences between what the ordinance would consider to be ordinary repairs and maintenance, as well as insignificant and significant alterations.  Ordinary work would consist of replacing mechanical equipment, repainting a surface using the same color and repairing architectural features using the same materials.  Insignificant alterations include changes to paint colors, replacing non-historic features with ones keeping with the era of the building, and modifications to an existing COA.  Significant alterations would encompass work that requires a building permit, new construction added to existing building features, changes that alter the design or character of a building, and moving or demolishing a building or landmark visible from the public right-of-way.

No approval is needed for ordinary repairs, while a COA would be needed for insignificant alterations.  Any changes considered significant would need to come before a Historic Preservation Board, which would consist of seven members, four of which would need to be downtown property owners within the historic district or an owner of a historic landmark.  Board members may serve two terms before needing to take off a year.

According to Eckermann, the city has issued an estimated 55 building permits for downtown since 2017.  Twenty-nine were for interior remodels, 11 were for insignificant alterations, five were for signage, and five were for ordinary repairs and maintenance.  Only five of the 55 permits would be considered significant alterations with this ordinance, thus only those five would need to go before the board for approval.  However, property owners can choose to take their request to the board for non-significant alterations, if they wish.  COA applications and building permits can be considered concurrently.

Some residents in attendance, like Brad Tegeler, were overall in support of the ordinance but offered suggestions like letting property owners vote themselves into the historic district.  Others, like Tommie Traylor, felt that passing the ordinance would be “stifling creativity.”

When it came time for a vote, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously in favor of the ordinance.  On the Main Street Board, all members voted in approval except for Connie Wilder, who abstained.