BRENHAM RESIDENTS HEAR DETAILS ON HISTORIC PRESERVATION EFFORTS

  

Brenham citizens learned Wednesday night about some of the steps the city could take to create a historic preservation ordinance to protect historic properties and districts.

A standing-room-only crowd met in the conference room of the Nancy Carol Roberts Memorial Library, where Lorelei Willett, state coordinator of the Texas Historical Commission’s Certified Local Government Program, spoke on the inner workings of what an ordinance would look like.

Citizens also watched a video produced and edited by resident Mary Thornhill, showcasing her conversations with officials and landowners in cities that have preservation methods in place, such as La Grange, Bryan, Houston, Granbury, and Seguin.

Willett defined a historic preservation ordinance as a local statute enacted to protect buildings and districts from any destructive or insensitive alterations. She said the ordinance also outlines a city’s preservation program.  She added that the ordinance authorizes municipalities to protect and preserve places and areas of historical importance and significance, and allows them to regulate activities on designated places of significance.  She said these powers come from the municipal zoning authority.

Willett cited House Bills 2439 and 2496, which were passed in the 2019 Texas legislative session, as two bills that affected local governments when it comes to historic preservation. HB 2439 prevents municipalities from regulating building materials, but the law does not pertain to properties included in a historic preservation ordinance.  HB 2496 deals with historic designation procedures of cities, stating a property cannot be designated unless its owner agrees or the governing municipality passes 75 percent of a vote on the designation.

Willett said most ordinances include, among other things: a statement of purpose, the definition of terms, setting up a historic preservation commission, and the naming of a historic preservation officer, whose role is to administer the ordinance and know how it intersects with city government code.

Willett said the officer also needs to know the history of the ordinance, which would be helpful as Brenham has “tried to do this before and it didn’t really go anywhere”.

Willett also went over the details of the Texas Historical Commission’s Certified Local Government Program, which is a local, state, and federal government partnership to “empower local communities to better protect their historic resources”. She said this is done by meeting recognized historic preservation standards and providing access to financial assistance and technical services to further the identification, evaluation, designation, and protection of buildings, sites, districts, and objects.

Thornhill said her idea for an ordinance would focus on keeping the historic look and feel of Brenham and making that viable. She noted that an ordinance would not just look at downtown Brenham, but also at historic landmarks.  She stated an ordinance should embrace change, and would put an emphasis on preservation, not restoration.

Some residents vocalized concerns about the effort, with one saying it could negatively affect property values and that more restrictions are a problem. Another citizen expressed worries about people potentially being priced out of their homes if they are unable to keep up with preservation costs.  Another said, before going any further in the process, the city needs to show citizens a map of what areas it is considering in this effort, and what areas cannot be touched.  Tourism and Marketing Director Jennifer Eckermann said, while nothing is set in stone at this point, the city was approached on this endeavor in regards to preserving downtown and local landmarks.

Project Planner Shauna Laauwe said the next step from here is to create a committee, which would discuss how an ordinance would take shape in Brenham. She said this is not something that happens in a few months, and that this process will take time.  Previously, Eckermann told KWHI the goal would be to have a plan to present for public input sometime this summer.