On March 19th, we spoke to the Zoning Commission in favor of rezoning the 1920s ice house at 419 S. Hackberry.   The commission approved this change, which will allow the vacant building to be reused as a neighborhood bar and tavern.  We had mistakenly identified the small Spanish Eclectic style structure as an early gas station, but have since confirmed that it was originally built and operated solely as an ice station/ice house.

419 S. Hackberry will be going to the Historic Design and Review Commission soon to start the landmark designation process.  Kudos to the owners for recognizing the potential of this little gem-in-the-rough.

We also spoke against the requested Infill Development Zoning (IDZ) that would allow commercial use at 617 E. Euclid.

The planned mixed-use building with eight parking spaces is not appropriate for this narrow vacant lot.  IDZ  continues a pattern of commercial encroachment into what was originally a residential block, just south of the Tobin Hill Historic District.

Unfortunately, the commission approved this zoning change, further eroding the district’s buffer.

At the March 20th Historic and Design Review Commission meeting, we recommended that 517 Lavaca be renovated and not demolished.  Plans to replace the existing house with a pre-fab “tiny home” didn’t make sense when the historic house had such a small footprint.  The commission agreed and denied the demolition request.

The design of the two-story house proposed for 434 Sherman needs more work to better reflect the architectural scale and forms of the neighborhood.  This case, located in the Dignowity Hill Historic District, was referred to the Design Review Committee for assistance.