BRENHAM CITY COUNCIL TEMPORARILY BARS METAL HOUSING
The Brenham City Council has moved to ban metal housing, for now.
The council voted Thursday to pass an ordinance amendment temporarily prohibiting metal exteriors to be placed on residential structures.
City Manager James Fisher said this would allow for staff to study the issue and come back with further recommendation. He said staff would bring the item back to council by December.
Fisher said the topic of metal housing is “very complex” and has multiple parts. He said the council is only focusing on metal buildings within residential districts, and he doesn’t anticipate the conversation going beyond that because of the “greater impact throughout the community”. He also said the issues of metal housing and affordable housing are “completely separate”, and each need review on their own.
PlanNorth Architectural Company Principal Architect Katie Burch presented her concerns with how the ordinance amendment was written. She said the definition of “residential” as written applies to apartments, duplexes, and assisted living facilities in the districts affected. She stated the city’s intent seemed to only affect homes, but the written ordinance said otherwise. In this case, these types of commercial buildings would not be allowed to use metal.
Burch also said the ordinance mentions reasons for prohibiting metal which include “public health, safety, character and general welfare”, and to “reduce or eliminate fire hazards”. She said none of these apply to this ordinance except “character”, as metal panels on a building façade do not cause a fire hazard.
Burch recommended the council wait to pass something of this scale that has “obvious confusion and language errors”, and to think carefully about creating an ordinance with more longevity for the future. She said builders need to have enough “creative freedom”, and outlawing any one material is a “big mistake”.
Fisher responded that many of Burch’s concerns were things the city was grappling with, but due to the concerns brought forward by citizens, the city wanted to stop any more metal homes being built in the meantime. Burch asked if the council had checked social media to gauge the public’s response, saying its response was overwhelmingly against the ordinance.
Samantha Medve, the builder of many of the metal homes recently built in Brenham, said per the research done by the comprehensive planning team, the median home in Brenham is valued at $163,000, and 84 percent of the houses in Brenham were built before the year 2000. Per her research, she stated the median income for a family in Brenham is $41,486.
Medve said this led her to seek what the council’s perspective was, so she researched each of the councilmember’s homes and their values, since they are the ones “making the decision for the entire town”.
Citing info from the Washington County Appraisal District, Medve said the council’s home values averaged out at $312,000. She said, since their homes are twice the cost of an average median home in Brenham, they likely have a different point of view from the average citizen in Brenham.
Medve said the city has several metal building in the B-1 district, and asked why it would be different for metal buildings in the R-1 district. She rhetorically asked if the city was being hypocritical by allowing taxpayer money to pay for city metal buildings, but not private funds for citizens to build metal homes.
Medve also brought up how many citizens have placed importance on keeping Brenham a historic community, but those people weren’t put off by the “tiger with diamond eyes staring at us”, referencing the mural paintings in downtown. She said many in the community like the new look of downtown and the new “modern approach”, and asked why it couldn’t be the same in this situation.
Medve also questioned the comments brought forth March 21st by Councilwoman Susan Cantey regarding metal housing, saying the “camel’s nose” is, in her opinion, the government getting involved in private citizens’ property.
Councilman Albert Wright said, while he was very appreciative of Medve’s “well-organized” comments, he still felt it was wise for the council to let this ordinance amendment go through. Medve quickly responded that, if this were to go through, the likelihood of her ever wanting to build in Brenham again would be “really low”. She said the council would be “running away somebody who would continue to build affordable houses here”. Wright said, ultimately, the council’s goal is to do what it feels is best for the City of Brenham.
I recall Mayor Tate a little while ago, saying “the city needs to figure out how to provide low-cost housing for those with low incomes.” Perhaps the Council can re-review just that, preferably based on the facts/circumstances of the situation and not on how they “feel” about it. I have a feeling Ms. Medve’s consideration will just go through one ear and out the other, but I do hope to be proven wrong.
This seems like an extremely short-sighted decision on the part of the council, and the issues with metal structures are neither complex nor are they “completely separate” from the issue of affordable housing. Metal offers a more affordable material at a lower cost, and there seems to be no evidence to support the theories that a metal-sided residence will somehow decrease in value when compared to other options. The argument to “eliminate fire hazards” almost seems laughable, I am not a scientist but I believe the combustion temperature for metal is around 2500 degrees (Fahrenheit), while wood lands between 450-500F, and gypsum board at less than 200F…It is disappointing that there is no published date for the follow-up meeting, the overwhelming response so far is decidedly negative and I hope that the council will take these facts into account.
Not everyone can afford a $300,000.00 home.
As an owner of a “metal home” I am in support of Ms. Medve’s views. I don’t think people in the “upper class” should be making desisions on what type of home the median and lower income families should build. We have the right to provide the best home possible for our families. The metal homes are extremely sturdy and safe. I love my home.
Once again, the rich get richer and the poor gets poorer. Some only look out for their own good and their own kind. Brenham is well known for keeping specific people out of certain places, they basically pick and choose where certain groups of people live and where they can not.
Brenham Citizen
You are right. That is why city has these meetings in the middle of a work day. So that working people are at work and the working people do not have a vote. Council agrees with the upper wage earners since this council and management are all in cahoots with each other.
Why is this still an issue. I am glad to hear that Mrs Burch is trying to help with this. Go to Houston there are multi million dollar homes that have metal outsides. They are considered modern works of architecture. The way the writing is now does not clarify what type of metal. If you want to band steel framed houses covered in tin then say that in the wording. I think they can make great houses. How many people outside the city have barndominiums that are made of these structures. If you want them to dress them up a little state that. Install stone or something on the front.
Thanks to our city council and mayor for making the right decision for our community. These metal units do not address our housing shortages in any acceptable way. Again, what is not emphasized by all the parties in this issue is that these houses are rentals designed for low maintenance, and thus higher profits. These are not homes for sale. Apartment complexes provide a better option, but the maintenance and overhead expenses are much higher and would yield far less profit. The oldest of theses units appears to have different individuals in residence, not a single family. An average of 4 vehicles most times. Very undesirable for a residential neighborhood.
The builder stressed that people’s opinions will vary as to the exterior design being pleasant in appearance or seem to be out of place in the traditional neighborhood. She personally thinks they have a pleasing exterior. If that is the case, why doesn’t she live in one?
There is nothing complex about a nice building or house with a metal exterior. If you are ignorant about construction and material; a feeble mind can construe simple metal buildings to be complex. I am glad that we have choices when we go to vote this year.
This is obviously the so-called upper class booting out affordable housing in an area that was ironically developed by the city of Brenham without deed restrictions. City council is wanting to appease their so-called upper class constituents. The city engineer and planner originally presented and supported a much less aggressive design approach. Now they too want to appease elected officials. As a tax payer in my hometown I am disgusted with all of the elected politicians and city planner and city engineer and city manager who are involved with this hypocrisy in local government policy. It stinks.