OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission Meeting - January 15, 2026

Committees and Commissions — Thursday, January 15, 2026
BodyHouston, Texas
SessionCommittees and Commissions
DateThursday, January 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:11:17

Transcript — Verbatim
0:14

Is now 234.

0:18

Thursday.

0:19

One second.

0:26

Thursday, January 15, 2025.

0:29

Today's meeting of the 2026, yes, I forgot to change it on my sheet.

0:36

Thank you.

0:37

Today's meeting of the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission, HAHC is called to order.

0:43

I am Chaired David Buchek.

0:45

To verify we have a quorum, I will call the roll.

0:48

The Chair is present.

0:49

Commissioner Jones.

0:50

Present.

0:51

Commissioner Smith.

0:52

Present.

0:53

Carl Smith, that is.

0:55

Commissioner Blakely.

0:56

Present.

0:57

Commissioner Escobar.

0:59

Present.

1:00

Commissioner Hill.

1:01

Present.

1:02

Commissioner Cosgrove is absent today.

1:05

Commissioner Seidel.

1:07

I'm here.

1:08

Commissioner Mark Smith.

1:10

Present.

1:11

Commissioner Browning.

1:13

Present.

1:15

Christian Broadbeck is not currently here.

1:18

Commissioner Garcia.

1:20

Present.

1:21

Commissioner Davis.

1:22

Present.

1:23

And Deputy Director Williamson.

1:26

Present.

1:27

Thank you.

1:27

We have a quorum.

1:28

We will now move on.

1:34

We'll move on to the Chair's report.

1:37

I just want to call out the speaker rules for the meeting.

1:48

This meeting can be viewed on HTV, although virtual participation options are not available.

1:54

Meetings start a few minutes after the schedule time to allow the HTV broadcast to go live.

2:00

Speakers, if you wish to address the Commission on an item, please fill out the speaker forms.

2:05

The item is called before the item is called and turn it in to staff near the front door.

2:10

The speaker rules are found on the top portion of the speaker sign in form attached to the agenda.

2:16

Council member members speaking on an item are not timed.

2:20

Applicants have their allotted two minutes of time as well as rebuttals.

2:24

Non-applicants, general speakers, are allowed two minutes of time.

2:28

There is not an option for a rebuttal, even if you did not use your full two minutes.

2:41

So we're going to really need to compress your arguments within your two winded uh two-minute window, and we can make this meeting not last until the night.

2:56

With that, I will pass this on to Robert for the Director's Report.

3:03

Thank you, Chair Buchek.

3:04

Commissioners and members of the public, welcome.

3:06

I'm Robert Williamson, Acting Secretary of this Commission and Deputy Director of the Planning Development Department.

3:12

For my report today, I've got several announcements.

3:14

First, I want to welcome everyone to the new year.

3:17

2025 was a very active year, and staff member Samantha DeLeon will provide a brief report highlighting our collective activity.

3:24

Second, after some delay, we finally presented last year's proposed landmarks and reclassifications for public comment at City Council yesterday.

3:32

There was no opposition to any of the eight properties up for consideration.

3:36

So shity council should formally vote on each of those applications next week.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Historic Preservation████████████████████████████████████████████44%
Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████41%
Procedural██████6%
Public Engagement████4%
Disability Rights██2%
Urban Planning█1%
Traffic Safety█1%
Engineering And Infrastructure█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission Meeting - January 15, 2026

The Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission (HAHC) met on January 15, 2026, to review certificates of appropriateness (COAs), receive annual reports, and discuss preservation policies. The meeting included the approval of consent items, deliberation on several individual projects, and updates on design guidelines and staff changes.

Consent Calendar

  • Items B5 (1334 Alston Street), B11 (1016 Algreg Street), B13 (2611 Hopkins Street), and B14 (1024 Arlington Street) were approved by consent as recommended by staff, with no public opposition or commissioner requests for individual review.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Virginia Kelsey (Norhill Neighborhood Association) spoke on several items, advocating for adherence to neighborhood design guidelines, particularly regarding rear setbacks, garage heights, and second-floor addition widths. She also offered to host a site visit for commissioners to understand the Norhill character.
  • Emily Argon (Preservation Houston) announced the 2026 awards, highlighting 16 winning projects including adaptive reuse of St. Elizabeth Hospital, River Oaks Theater restoration, and the President’s Award to former Commissioner Steve Curry.
  • Adrian Rubian (Woodland Heights resident) expressed concerns about safety, parking congestion, and density from subdivision on Watson Street (item B3).
  • Sam Gianukas (architect) and homeowners spoke in support of their projects, emphasizing compliance with guidelines and staff recommendations.

Discussion Items

  • Director’s Report: Robert Williamson noted successful public hearing for eight landmark designations at City Council (to be voted Jan. 21), announced a new internal policy on context areas around historic district perimeters, and reported that the Norhill Design Guidelines final draft is being prepared with a public meeting to be scheduled. Staff reviewed seven design applications and administratively approved eight COAs so far in 2026. He also acknowledged the resignation of staff member Kara Quigley.
  • 2025 End-of-Year COA Report: Staff reviewed 355 applications in 2025: 154 (39%) approved COAs by HAHC, 132 (32%) approved administrative approvals (AAs), 39 (12%) withdrawn, 17 (5%) certificates of use and reoccupancy (CURs), and 6 (3%) denied. 54 design reviews were completed. Most applications came from Houston Heights (including East, West, South), Norhill, and Woodland Heights historic districts.
  • Item B1 (919 Henderson Street, Old Sixth Ward): New commercial/residential construction. Staff recommended approval with conditions on eave height and setbacks. Commissioner Davis raised concerns about ADA compliance, marketability, and ambiguity of use (commercial vs. residential). Staff clarified that use is not regulated and that ADA will be addressed at permitting. After discussion, motion to approve with conditions passed 10–1 (Commissioner Blakely opposed).
  • Item B2 (1225 Ashland Street, Houston Heights West): Two-story addition and alterations. Staff recommended approval with conditions on window materials (wood/wood-clad, one-over-one) and door approval. Motion to approve with additional condition specifying one-over-one windows passed unanimously.
  • Item B3 (2924 Watson Street, Woodland Heights): New single-family residence on subdivided lot. This was deferred from December 2025. Staff recommended approval after extensive revisions. Public comment raised concerns about density, parking, and compliance with deed restrictions. Commissioner Hill noted violations of guidelines (setback, height, slab-on-grade). Staff argued compliance with district standards and context. Motion to approve passed 10–2 (Commissioners Hill and Broadbeck opposed).
  • Item B4 (4620 Oak Ridge Street, Norhill): Two-story addition and window replacement. Staff recommended approval. Virginia Kelsey requested 8-inch height reduction for compliance with Norhill guidelines. Architect Sam Gianukas cited practical constraints (HVAC, insulation). Motion to approve passed 10–1 (Commissioner Broadbeck opposed).
  • Item B6 (519 Bayland Avenue, Woodland Heights): Two-story addition and garage. Deferred from December 2025; revised design. Staff recommended approval. Public comment from Woodland Heights Civic Association expressed support. Motion to approve passed unanimously.
  • Item B7 (417 Highland Street, Woodland Heights): Two-story addition with attached garage. Staff recommended approval despite a letter of opposition from Woodland Heights Civic Association regarding attached garage and massing. Architect Bob Rabinowitz presented context and cited 32 nearby attached garages. Motion to approve passed 10–1 (Commissioner Broadbeck opposed).
  • Item B8 (727 Key Street, Norhill): Two-story addition. Staff recommended approval. Virginia Kelsey opposed the second floor extending beyond the original house width, citing neighborhood guidelines. Architect clarified that five-foot side setback was met. Motion to approve passed 10–1 (Commissioner Broadbeck opposed).
  • Items B9 & B10 (825 West Melwood Street, Norhill): One-story addition (B9) and new detached garage (B10). Staff recommended approval. Virginia Kelsey noted minor deviations from Norhill guidelines (rear setback and garage height). Architect explained garage height needed for storage. Motion to approve both items passed unanimously.
  • Item B12 (700 Euclid Street, Woodland Heights): Garage addition (workshop space). Staff recommended approval. No public opposition. Motion to approve passed unanimously.
  • Historic Preservation Officer’s Report: Yasmin Arslan announced that eight landmark designations will go to City Council on Jan. 21. Staff is finalizing Norhill Design Guidelines with a public hearing planned for March 2026. Enhancements to the Preservation Tracker website are ongoing. She honored outgoing staff member Kara Quigley.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved consent items: B5, B11, B13, B14 as recommended.
  • Approved individual items (with conditions where noted): B1 (10–1), B2 (unanimous with added condition), B3 (10–2), B4 (10–1), B6 (unanimous), B7 (10–1), B8 (10–1), B9 & B10 (unanimous), B12 (unanimous).
  • Policy updates: New context area policy to be released by next meeting; Norhill Design Guidelines public hearing scheduled for March 2026.
  • Staff transition: Kara Quigley’s resignation acknowledged; staff continuing to improve Preservation Tracker.
  • Next steps: City Council vote on landmark designations on January 21, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Is now 234. Thursday. One second. Thursday, January 15, 2025. Today's meeting of the 2026, yes, I forgot to change it on my sheet. Thank you. Today's meeting of the Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission, HAHC is called to order. I am Chaired David Buchek. To verify we have a quorum, I will call the roll. The Chair is present. Commissioner Jones. Present. Commissioner Smith. Present. Carl Smith, that is. Commissioner Blakely. Present. Commissioner Escobar. Present. Commissioner Hill. Present. Commissioner Cosgrove is absent today. Commissioner Seidel. I'm here. Commissioner Mark Smith. Present. Commissioner Browning. Present. Christian Broadbeck is not currently here. Commissioner Garcia. Present. Commissioner Davis. Present. And Deputy Director Williamson. Present. Thank you. We have a quorum. We will now move on. We'll move on to the Chair's report. I just want to call out the speaker rules for the meeting. This meeting can be viewed on HTV, although virtual participation options are not available. Meetings start a few minutes after the schedule time to allow the HTV broadcast to go live. Speakers, if you wish to address the Commission on an item, please fill out the speaker forms. The item is called before the item is called and turn it in to staff near the front door. The speaker rules are found on the top portion of the speaker sign in form attached to the agenda. Council member members speaking on an item are not timed. Applicants have their allotted two minutes of time as well as rebuttals. Non-applicants, general speakers, are allowed two minutes of time. There is not an option for a rebuttal, even if you did not use your full two minutes. So we're going to really need to compress your arguments within your two winded uh two-minute window, and we can make this meeting not last until the night.

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