I'd like to call the meeting of the Historic and Design Review Commission compliance and technical advisory board for Friday, October 17, 2025.

Can I have a roll call, please?

Davis Flores.

Here.

Garcia Bergard.

Bergard here.

Spiller.

Here.

Here.

Setzer Fullerton.

Polleg?

Here.

Vasquez?

Here.

And Supulveda.

Here.

We have a quorum.

Thank you.

Translation Service.

Good morning, everyone.

When you see us at all.

Thank you.

Thank you.

The compliance and technical advisory board is an advisory board appointed by the city council.

I am Jason Vosque is vice chair and Juanita Sipulveda is the chair.

It is a function of the board to advise the city manager and all relevant city departments concerning certain applications for permits for properties in historic districts and landmarks.

In considering whether to recommend approval or disapproval of an application for a certificate of appropriateness, the board shall be guided by the city's Unified Development Code and design guidelines and standards that have been adopted by City Council.

An appeal of a decision by an administrative official can be filed in accordance with the city's Unified Development Code.

If anyone present wishes to speak in favor or in opposition to any item on today's agenda, please sign up on the public comment sheet.

It is not necessary to sign up if you are the owner of representative for a project on the agenda.

You will be called on as the case is called.

Case representatives will be given no more than 15 minutes to present their case with an additional two minutes to respond to public comments.

Speakers for or opposed to a case will be limited to two minutes each.

Speakers may also sign up to yield their two minutes to another speaker who has signed up.

Anyone who is yielding their time must be present at the time the speaker is called upon.

Speakers will be called upon in the order in which they are signed up.

Following public testimony, any commissioner may call upon any speaker to respond to further questions.

Approval by the board does not take the place of any type of permit.

Permits must be obtained for all work.

Certificates of appropriateness for work approved by the board will be emailed to you within 10 days.

No work of any type is to be started without obtaining the appropriate city permits after a certificate of appropriateness has been issued by the Office of Historic Preservations.

At this time, please silence your cell phones.

And good morning, everyone.

First item is just approval of meeting minutes from last month's meeting, uh September 19th.

Thank you.

Can I have a motion for approval of the meeting minutes from September 19, 2025?

I make a motion to approve the minutes.

Sir second.

Second.

Thank you.

Can I have a roll call?

Flores?

Aye.

Garcia?

Aye.

Bergard?

Aye.

Spiller?

Aye.

Pollock?

Aye.

Vasquez?

Aye.

And Supulveda.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Okay, at this time uh we normally take care of our consent agenda.

We have just one item at 814 Mason, as you can see on the screen.

We do not have any public comments for that item.

Thank you.

Is there any commissioners wishing to pull the consent agenda item that is on the agenda?

If not, can I have a motion for approval?

So moved.

Second.

I second.

Thank you.

Can I have a roll call?

Flores?

Aye.

Garcia?

Aye.

Brigard.

Aye.

Spiller.

Aye.

Pollack?

Aye.

Vasquez?

Aye.

And Sepulveda.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

If you're on the consent agenda and your address is 814 Mason Street, your case has been approved and you do not need to stay for the remainder of this hearing.

If you have any questions, please contact a member of staff.

Your certificate of appropriateness for commission action letter will be prepared and emailed to you within 10 days.

Thanks, Adrian.

First case on Mason Street.

Or sorry, Florida.

This is CTAP case 2025-255 for uh 332 Florida Street.

The applicant is requesting a certificate of appropriateness for approval to remove an existing four-foot-tall chain link fence at the front of the property and install a five-foot-tall wrought iron fence in its place and on the western side of the property line extending from the street to the front plane of the primary structure.

Staff does not recommend approval of the request.

Staff recommends the wrought iron fence be limited to a maximum height of four feet where it was previously four feet in height.

And I I have not heard back from the applicant as far as attendance goes.

Is the applicant for 332 Florida here?

So we don't have the applicant to represent the item, but you're able to take up the case.

It's on the agenda.

And staff obviously can answer questions if you have any.

Sure, is there any questions from commissioners or would you like to proceed with this case or delay it?

I don't have a question, but I do think we can we we might be able to proceed with the case looking at what the staff recommended and knowing our previous decisions in terms of the heights of various fences and boundaries.

So I I would be okay moving forward with discussion and a vote.

Great.

Then let's go.

I do have a question.

Uh-huh.

Oh, for staff.

And I I know that our diligent about this.

Would how many times did we attempt to reach out to them and will we it receive any proper response from them?

Yes, so I did have several conversations with the applicant prior to the agenda posting, both by phone and by email, because they had amended the request.

Um originally the request was different from it what it is now.

So we had been in conversation but uh about you know in the past week since the agenda has been posted since we sent out that notice that there um that the request was on this agenda.

I had not I have not heard back.

Okay, but it's been less than it's been less than a week.

Why or within the weekend?

So the um my last communication would have probably been a little bit um beyond that since um you know this request would have come to us um probably a few weeks ago with um you know with our commission meeting once a month.

Um but you know our our agenda is posted um you know a week ago, so that's when we email out the notice, the official notice with our recommendation and the hearing date.

But they were aware of the hearing date.

Okay.

Thank you very much.

I'm confident as well.

Okay I'm confident they've made every attempt.

Thank you.

Thanks, Juanita.

Um just a additional just another idea.

We can push this to the end of the agenda, and in the event the applicant shows up in the meantime, or if they don't, we can take it up as the last case if you'd like.

It's another option.

I think that's a good idea.

I mean, this applicant we know, um, and so it is surprising that they haven't been responsive, and so maybe we can reach out to somebody else in the firm, like Billy.

Okay, then um let's go with the next case on Mesquite.

Okay, so this is CTAP case 2025-270 for 1008 North Mesquite.

The applicant is requesting a certificate of appropriateness for approval of cement fiber board sighting featuring a textured finish on the primary structure.

Staff does not recommend approval of the request based on findings A through E.

Staff recommends the applicant install wood siding with a historic profile.

A sighting sample must be provided to staff for field verification prior to installation.

Should the commission approve cement fiber board siding?

Staff recommends the new sighting be turned over to feature a smooth finish with a five-inch reveal.

And the applicants, Mr.

and Mrs.

Gaitan, are here in person.

Would you please like to come up to the podium and introduce yourselves?

You'll have 15 minutes to uh make your presentation.

Thank you.

Good morning, everybody.

My name is Frank Aiton.

Um myself and my wife here.

Well, this will probably have no bearing, but I'm going to say it anyway since um a decision has been made.

You just introduced me.

Margaret Gayton.

The house at 1008 belonged to my grandparents and uncle.

It was built in 1930, and they bought it in 1943 or 1945.

It's uh when it was about 13, 15 years old.

Uh it consisted only of the current left side with three bedrooms.

Um, and the two additional rooms on the right side, which is the side that was basically rotted out.

Um, and we put the uh hardy plank onto were built by three brothers, one of which was my dad, and none of them were builders by any means.

Um one of the two rooms that were built by them started out as a porch.

It was one bedroom on the right side and a porch behind it, and that is the side that got enclosed.

That's not the original build.

That was something that they put in.

And um anyway, it was enclosed and became another bedroom.

The wood on the that the family.

Oh, it was on the right side due to the um, it was on the right side and rotten due to a leaking roof and AC unit.

It was pretty bad.

We brought a sample of the rotten wood if anybody would like to see it.

Um the aluminum siding was added in the 70s, we think about 75 to cover the 45-year-old wood.

And again, the house was in total disrepair, and the right side had very poor support on floor and ceiling.

We looked for material to cover the left side of the house that had to have uh all the rotten wood removed.

It was basically a an open wall with the wood being so rotten.

And we looked for something that would uh mimic the aluminum which was there.

It's all it was all aluminum siding uh that they put in uh around 1975, something like that.

We looked at what would mimic the aluminum siding, and the party plank had grooves just like the faux wood of the aluminum siding, and we thought it was a pretty good match, and um and all of the destroyed and bent siding was replaced and was a huge improvement.

We were quoted about $10,000 just for the wood to be milled to match what was underneath, and we could no way afford this.

It would it's it would be a huge hardship and is a huge hardship.

We've um obtained a loan, and we've gone through that loan of 50,000 plus took money out of our retirement to try to finish.

And we have about half of it done.

The hardy plank overlap like the wood and siding, like I said, it even had the faux wood pattern.

We tried to mimic it, like I said, and it's very close.

If we're made to remove all the hardy plank and replace it with milled wood, it would be beyond an economic hardship.

We just don't have that kind of money.

Since we are already acquired the loan I mentioned for repairs and had to dip into other funds, we would have to stop the renovation of our family's home.

The family um just is just an aside.

The family bought five homes on the Mesquite Street, three brothers and an aunt of theirs, and we currently the family still owns three of them.

And um is now a very modern two-story house that was approved to be demolished.

Um that is our request that that be considered because we cannot afford to remove removing the hardy plank will destroy it.

It does not the cement does it breaks and we would lose all that money.

It won't, it will not maintain.

And it would be another $10,000 just for milling of the wood.

So yes, yes, by all means.

Okay.

Um what we did if if you hold it right there, Adrian, for a second, we try to do because there was nothing existing there on the right side of the house, as you're facing the house.

What we try to do because there was nothing existing there on the right side of the house, as you're facing the house.

If you uh look at that slide right there, um you see that we were going by replacing things as it appeared to us, and not knowing that the wood was totally rotted on the inside of it.

So what we did is we bought the hardy plant to match that aluminum siding, and it does have those grooves in it.

So it matched it perfectly.

As a matter of fact, we used the skirting all the way around the house just to make sure, just to make sure that we mimic the whole thing.

But again, we had the entire thing had to be demolished.

The entire right side, walls had to be completely demolished because it was totally rotten.

It was not built.

It was what we used to call in the fire department, we used to call these uh build it as you see it as opposed to any kind of regulations.

Foundation was on the ground.

There was no foundation.

They just put foot two by sixes and then started building the floor from there.

That's the way they did things back in the 40s and 50s when these these additions were added.

Um our whole intent, this is a legacy home.

We're not flippers.

This house is going to stay in the family, and it's we're not going to rent it out to anybody, but other than our relatives, at least to pay for the taxes and the insurance that that has to cover the house.

So ever since we've uh acquired the house, we already inquired.

And we have other relatives that are interested in moving into the house once we do finish it.

So again, there's no intention for us to flip.

We are not first time we've done this, and it's been a nightmare, as you all have sure.

I've heard over and over again, because we're unfamiliar with the entire process of this, and it's a learning experience.

But now that we learned uh uh we tried to improve the house better by, for example, instead of using shingle roofing, we put in metal roofing.

We thought it would mimic the house next door, which happened to be where she would raise and board in uh the house at 1012.

So it kind of looks the same.

Well, it is the same, actually, the same roofing and stuff.

So we try to improve the house, and again the windows are all replicated exactly the way they were.

Again, we're just trying to mimic the way it was.

We knew that there was the idea had to be to exactly duplicate what was there before, and we tried our hardest to do it in an affordable manner without realizing that the wood was rotted on the inside.

Well, there's pictures of it as to the the amount of rotten it it was not maintained basically.

So I I just want to mention that this is going to be a legacy home.

We're not going to sell it.

You know, our kids are going to inherit it, and we're going to have probably our grandkids live there for because uh they kind of like the the area.

So I just wanted to say that.

Thank you.

Any questions?

Great, thank you.

Um I'll start with colleagues on my right.

Hi.

Hi.

I do have a few questions.

Yes.

Um the portion of the house that is intact that you're not rebuilding, um, that is wood siding or is that hardy board?

It is wood siding, right?

Underneath the aluminum?

Yes.

Yes, ma'am.

Okay.

No.

We're just talking about the left side of the house that is that was not.

So that wood is intact.

Have you had a chance looked at it?

Yes, ma'am.

Well, we have a copy, we have a sample of what it looks like.

Because it wasn't up kept, it was uh, I think they call it pine at the time.

And we brought a sample of it so y'all could see the amount of uh deterioration that has occurred.

And is that from the side that you are currently trying to rebuild, or is it from the continue sometimes?

We're going to continue uh finishing uh with the hardy plank, but we ran out of money.

So we left it as is, and if you look at the house from the side, if you look at the house from the side, it runs it looks like it's all one piece.

Like the this slide will show you there.

Uh see the siding, and uh, if you look below that, that's where the hardy plank on all the skirting all the way around.

We went on the inside of the house, Ms.

Garcia, to shoot from the inside of the house, and we could show you that slide that has the wood has been deteriorated.

Of course, you can't see it from the outside because it has the aluminum siding on it, but we shot it from the inside, and that's what this represents.

As you can see, these water stains on there, and it shows it's pretty rotten throughout the entire house.

Okay, again, so just for clarification, this is a shot of what wall, one of the existing walls.

Existing wall on the left side on the inside of the house.

Yes, I think.

Because we accessed that.

We did not access the outside of the house.

Okay, so I guess this would be a question for staff then.

Um if we were to ask them to use wood siding uh with a profile that matches the existing, um, are they going to be asked to remove the aluminum siding then to expose that original wood siding or I guess I'm not clear on what we're trying to match and why.

So as you know, the guidelines follow the standards for rehabilitation, which means there's no requirement to restore, um, but we do look at the existing conditions and then go off of there.

So what is proposed is to remove the existing siding in some sections and replace with hardy.

And so that's where we've made the recommendation.

Once you've removed something, we have to look at what's there and make that recommendation based on the condition and the existing materials, whether we think they're original, all of those things.

And so that recommendation is based on the idea of replacing uh with hardy.

Um if there are existing areas where siding is to remain untouched, they can remain untouched.

And when you say siding, you mean the aluminum?

The aluminum, yeah.

All right.

So you're saying to leave the aluminum siding on that side on the left side where it's to leave I understand.

Is that what you're asking?

We're saying that we can't require you to take it off and put in a different siding if you aren't touching it already.

So if you're not proposing to remove the aluminum siding, it can stay.

If you are proposing to remove the aluminum siding, then we would look at what the most appropriate replacement for that is.

So in other words, you you're recommending that can I talk directly to him?

Uh we're not making a recommendation yet.

I'm just trying to get the question.

Well, is he trying to tell us that if we do go with the hardy plank, that uh we're to put it on top of the aluminum siding?

Is that what he's saying?

No, that is not what he's saying.

He's saying that if um my question really was what you would be replacing the part that you've already taken off with.

They're recommending wood siding, you would like to use hardy board or hardy plank.

Um the original house underneath the aluminum siding is currently wood.

So my question was would that be what we would need to match?

Would that aluminum siding come off?

And the answer is as long as you haven't touched it, we don't we don't need you don't need to take it off so we can do that side of the house too.

Okay, that side side.

What you're working on is then what I'm thinking about, just that part in terms of whether it should be wood or hardy board.

And so if right now I'm done with questions, I might come back, but thank you.

Okay.

And commissioners, if I can interject, I'm so sorry.

I do apologize, but I did want to point out um after the applicant's uh applic uh presentation, there is one letter in your packet, and there is one voicemail that I'll play right now before we proceed with questions.

That's my apologies.

Go ahead.

Are we do we sit?

Is that it?

Hello, calling on behalf of Vivian Windsor, Garden Laborhood Review Committee regarding C have case number 2025-270 located at 1008 north of key.

We agree with OHP recommendation that the applicant should replace the original wood siding with the exact wood siding that matches it and should not be able to keep the full siding they installed.

Wood siding is generally available to buy at any of the traditional box home improvement stores or those that sell more number material like McCoy.

Thank you.

Commissioners, can I add an additional point of clarification to that comment about the siding being commonly available?

Um there is a pine drop siding that is readily available at many stores.

Um it would not be an exact match for this historic profile, and so that's why the applicant has brought in the the anecdote about the custom milling.

So just know.

Um you could um as an option or a compromise, approve a more commonly available wood siding.

Um but staff's recommendation is consistent with the guidelines to match existing siding and profile.

Great, thank you.

That's all the voicemails.

Okay.

Uh any quick any questions on my left?

No.

Umline?

Madam Chair.

Actually, I do.

Go ahead.

So there was a couple of references about the siding, and we're actually for a point of clarification.

We're only addressing the siding that has been touched already.

Is that correct?

Before I move forward.

Correct.

Just here if we're looking at the front of the house.

Um was that door closed or or are those openings still there?

Because I see two windows and two doors.

Is that correct?

Yes.

The doors open.

Okay, and the doors are still there.

Is that correct?

Yes.

Okay.

Who's talking?

Um, is that that's also correct?

Confirmation?

Would you repeat that?

What were they made aware and were they aware that they were in the historical district here?

Of course, yes.

So would you like to get to the right?

And did they was there conversation with the historical district to ensure that they were able to get some of the stuff down?

Not about the siding.

We just saw that it was a match to the aluminum siding, that the um hardy plank was a match to the aluminum siding, and that's what we were replacing.

The conversation that we had with the OHP was strictly about replacing the roof.

The roof was shingled, and we upgraded it to metal.

So you ask if we had a conversation with OHP, that's the only one, and that was approved, obviously.

So you were windows.

When you made modifications to your home of the roof, and then when I didn't excuse me.

The question, yes.

You were aware of certificate of appropriateness when you were to make modifications to your home and historical digit.

Is that correct?

What's certificate of appropriateness?

Which one are you talking about?

The same approval you got for your roof.

Yeah, we didn't know that we had to get approval for replacing siding since it was mimicking what we had.

But it's for anything on the exterior.

I'm sorry, like the roof.

Yeah, I thought I thought since we were mimicking, I thought because we were mim mimicking, or we thought the aluminum siding and the the full look on it that we would it was okay to do.

Didn't think that that would be an issue.

But it but you did originally go in to have that conversation about the roof and addressing the roof, correct?

Yes.

Probably I don't know when the request is.

So therefore you were informed that you were in historical district trying to make sure that the house was going to be a legacy house and not a rental.

You were aware of any kind of changes to the exterior?

No, did not know about the aluminum that uh we thought because we were it was very close to what was up there that that would work.

We looked for okay.

So my other question then would be so you never got a certificate of appropriateness when you did the roofing either?

We did.

We did.

That was your introduction to OHP.

I I said that earlier, I believe.

Okay.

Was that on the same time that you were doing the sliding?

No, we did the siding first, and then the roof.

No, we did the roof first.

No, Frank.

No, I'm sorry, you're right.

You're right.

I'm sorry.

You're right.

All right.

Um, I don't think I have any other clarifications.

I I'm ready.

Uh Vice Chair.

I thank you, Madam Chair.

Go ahead.

I just have a follow-up question to what Ms.

Supple Veda's had was asking.

Did you talk to um the Dingwiddy Hill uh Historic Society before you began these?

You didn't have a conversation with them.

No, okay.

I I think she had asked that question, but I just I didn't hear the question.

Well, I I I'm not sure, but I I I didn't hear your answer, so I wanted to make sure.

No, ma'am.

Okay.

Um that's all the questions uh discussion.

In case they have other questions, thank you.

Commissioner Summer.

Um if we are in discussion, then I would just like to say that um I think that there was a misunderstanding on the part of the applicant as to what was uh the material you were trying to match.

Um the aluminum siding is not historic, right?

So in trying to match something with the wood grain to the aluminum siding, um that was probably going to be something in a historic district that wouldn't work.

Uh so that is why now we're at this point, right?

Where um the aluminum siding is not really the issue, at least on the part of the building that you're working on.

Um given the fact that the applicant is not uh removing the aluminum siding of the original part of the house that they're not working on.

Um I am uh actually leaning towards allowing you to uh use Hardy board, but I would do it um with the recommendations or conditions that staff has given in their recommendation, and is that and that is that Hardy Board uh not have the faux grain side showing um it is more acceptable in this situation not to try and match something that is looks fake, is fake and looks fake to something that is original.

So I would recommend that it does get flipped over to the plain side and that's what you would use.

So I don't know if if that if any of my colleagues need to discuss that with me but that is what what my take on the situation is.

I would support that thank you.

I I would uh go ahead madam chair okay thank you vice chair I I I appreciate I would have to I would have to um mimic the same as my colleague I think the concern I would have had is that once the siding was removed I'm gonna have to you know support exactly with this pass it has the siding not been removed then we wouldn't be at this one hundred to address the siding that was already done that was out of compliance and I would have to you know in support of what my colleague just stated is support the staff recommendation and in be able to make that adjustment with the siding so therefore they wouldn't have to draw in the additional expense of having it mailed because at this point we don't have any of the original wood that was removed that was done without a certificate of appropriateness so therefore we can't even do that we also can't look at the slide the the wood sliding underneath the aluminum siding because we can't request to have it removed because then that would prefer an additional expense line so at this point um but there's another discussion I would have to say I have to concede with the staff this recommendations thank you madam chair the staff recommendation is uh not to recommend approval of the request uh staff recommend oh sorry no I would say that you know because the um party I think it's the party board it's already there um not to mimic the the the look of the vinyl siding but to you take the smooth side of the um party board so that way we can meet somewhere in between where the the house is gonna have the the look of the historical but yet it's gonna have new walls like the um like the tenants need question can we ask the question go ahead does anyone know we were told to the microphone is anyone know we were told that removing the hardy plank will destroy it because it's cement i it is a brittle material um so I don't know exactly what would happen but it could break um if if you're pulling one end and not kind of doing it all at the same time but depending on what happens try and then we will work with you on um alternative solutions if that's on we were told and it all that money would be destroyed that we put in okay okay ma'am uh we're still in discussion in anything over here no okay can I ask for a motion please I'd like to make a motion go ahead uh before I make that motion I would also like to say that in the future should you choose to work on the part of the house that um has the original wood siding covered by aluminum that you do meet before you do anything that you do meet with the Dignity Hill Historic District people and that you come to uh this office for advice and guidance on what you should be doing next um which I'm probably pretty sure you already will do but I just had to make that statement um so I would like to make a motion that let's see how do I want to say this I would like to make a motion to approve the use of cement fiber board siding following staff's recommendation that the new siding be turned over to feature a smooth finish with a five inch reveal is there a second I second that motion thank you can ever roll club please Flores I Garcia aye Brigard aye Spiller aye Pollock I Vasquez aye and Sophov aye motion carries thank you please work with the Office of Historic Preservation on next steps next case is 455 Donaldson yes we'd like to do that and then commissioners just wanted to point out that the applicant for 332 Florida is here so we can we'll do them last thank you

Please work with the Office of Historic Preservation on next steps.

Next case is 455 Donaldson.

And then commissioners just wanted to point out that the applicant for 332 Florida is here.

So we can we'll do them last.

Thank you.

Hello.

I'm Angie Ritz.

Oh, I'm just one moment.

Actually, she can't get in.

I'm gonna bring up your files now.

Oh, okay.

Just a minute.

Okay.

Agenda item number four, HD or C tab case number 2025-266 455 Donaldson Avenue.

The applicant's requesting a certificate of appropriateness for approval to one, paint the previously unpainted historic masonry on site, and two, install window shutters.

Item or item one, staff does not recommend approval of the request based on the uh findings, A through C.

Staff recommends that the applicant work with staff to remove the paint on site using appropriate paint removal methods.

And item two, staff does not recommend approval of the request to install window shutters based on findings A and D.

The applicant is here in person, and there's two in-person speakers.

And if you want to come up and uh present your case, you'll have 15 minutes to do so.

Okay.

Brian, are we doing uh or their voicemails or um there's no voicemails uh submitted for this case, but there are two in-person speakers, so they'll speak after the applicants made their presentation.

Thank you.

Go ahead, ma'am.

Okay.

I'm Angie Ritz, and this is my sister Alma Gomez.

We're uh here on behalf of the homeowners.

Uh my parents, they're elderly and they're not in good health, so um we should try to help them out.

So the plans for the house were for the masonry to be painted white, and the trim on the windows, shutters and metal columns to be painted black.

Shutters were also to be added to the large window on the right side, and shutters on the two windows on the left side facing Donaldson.

The shutters would be of a pre-made construction, and for a decorative purposes only.

I'm not sure of the exact measurements, but they would be uh alongside of the windows.

The paint being used is bare, BEHR premium, elastomeric masonry, stucco, and brick paint.

It is a hundred percent acrylic, a waterproof finish, uh bridges hairline cracks, uh bridges hairline cracks, withstands 98 mile per hour, wind-driven rain, low sheen, and is a mildew resistant finish.

We sincerely hope that you take this into consideration.

The fact that the home on 455 Donaldson is not as old as some of the other historical homes in the neighborhood.

Um the fact that it was uh built in 1958, possibly the brick masonry of the home can withstand the application of the paint and not cause the damage that the Office of Preservation believes it will.

Uh sincerely, the intention was to make the home just look more appealing by the homeowner and not to damage the architectural structure or break any laws of the preservation office.

It was an honest mistake by the homeowners who they resided on Donaldson for over 35 years, and they haven't had any issues to this degree that I can recall.

Um we just asked that you please reconsider the recommendations and approve the certificate of appropriateness.

Do you want to say anything?

She's just here for support.

Okay.

Great.

Thank you.

Speakers.

Yeah, so uh just ma'am.

It's just Pam Carpenter.

Um, Pam, if you want to come up, you'll have four minutes.

Bianca Maldonado is also here and has yielded her speaking time.

Good morning, Commissioners.

My name is Pam Carpenter, offering comments on behalf of Bianca Maldonado, president of the Monticello Park Neighborhood Association, and the 10 member MPA Board of Directors, Post Office Box 100315 78201.

This two-story residence was issued a stop work order recently for painting the brick masonry exterior.

The exterior paint compromises the primary distinguishing visual and physical features of this property.

It's unique brick color and contrasting material with the base to the siding above is a character defining feature.

Natural masonry materials are a character defining feature of Monticello Park in general.

Our housing stock is typified by authentic earthen clay tones and stone materials that don't have coatings or finishes to obscure the authentic material.

They have taken an inherently low maintenance material and made it high maintenance.

Caring for painted brick is very laborious and it's a precarious process.

Painting brick is a very destructive practice, and it should be removed through the most gentle treatments possible.

It can lead to mold and moisture in the walls and causes deterioration from within over time.

Paint does not allow masonry to behave as it should.

Painting masonry is not only a material conservation issue, paint conceals repairs that masons should address instead over time.

The Brick Masonry, the Brick Industry Association and National Park Service have tech memos on this issue.

It is possible to remove the paint.

2001 King's Highway was reversed.

And mechanical methods do damage the masonry finish, but it has not been that long, and the paint should be reversible using chemical treatments that are uh specialty chemical coatings by manufacturers such as Prosico that provide customer field support for removal treatments of most high strength paints as well as offer free samples for their products to test out, such as safe strip, safe strip 8, or heavy-duty paint remover.

Allowing the owner not to remove this paint sets a bad precedent for others who do so without approval from the office of OHP.

It's not fair to the other properties along Donaldson, especially that have had to do so in the past.

We acknowledge there are some painted masonry structures in the neighborhood, but this type of activity was the reason for the creation of our historic district to preserve what has not been lost.

The integrity of the exterior material as well as the consistency of the fabric of the neighborhood needs to be ref restored and not further compromised.

The natural palette of the historic district needs to prevail.

The paint needs to be stripped off 445 455 Donaldson because it's a contributing part of a collective resource that is a well-preserved historic district.

Owners of these homes buy into entire neighborhoods that adhere to guidelines to preserve character and integrity.

There is a notification card on every front door each year in May that OHP reminds the owner that the home is historic.

And additionally, there's the quarterly newsletter that's also delivered to every door that has a running reminder that city permission is required for exterior modifications.

This home received a OHP modification or certificate for their garage element and work in the past.

The exterior modifications such as this, the black and white painting in these historic districts is a contagion that isn't appropriate for this district.

It's a warm natural stone uh historic area.

The Monticello Park Neighborhood Association supports staff's recommendations.

Thank you for your time.

Great, thank you.

Was there anything else?

Anyone else?

Thank you.

Uh questions from colleagues on my right.

Um looking at one of the photographs that's in uh the application or yeah, in this presentation, it looks like the front and the side of the house have been fully painted, is that correct?

Yes.

Okay.

Um because there's another picture that well looks like it's only partially painted.

Is so has the whole ground floor.

Everything except that side right there that they're showing has been painted.

And is that in the back or on the side?

It's on the side.

Okay.

Um I don't really have any questions about paint, but I do have a question about these shutters.

Um if you're coming here for permission to use shutters, it would be helpful if we knew what those shutters look like and how big they are.

Um and I'm just saying that as a point uh because shutters don't really go with the style of this home.

Okay.

Um so that would be a problem.

Okay, but thank you.

Thank you.

I have a I have a question and a comment.

So the comment first thank you.

Thank you for killing.

The comment first is to the to the historic district.

I really want to appreciate what you said because that was what was rolling around in my mind.

Uh is all the people or are all the people in that historic district notified annually of where they live, what can be done, what cannot be done.

So I genuinely appreciate that because that's what was going around in my mind.

Is uh are they given that notification annually?

So thank you.

Um the question deals with the painting.

Um when did that when because uh because I agree the the photographs it looks like it's about half done, halfway, etc.

When was the white painting done?

I realize that it's it's you got a stop order, but when was the white painting done?

When did that happen?

Whenever that day was it, they gave us the yellow.

Yeah, that day, and that's the day they stopped.

Okay.

What month was that?

Go ahead, friend.

Um staff can add some uh clarity to that.

So staff uh OHP staff issued a stop worker based uh stop work order based on a 311 report that we received the weekend before October 1st.

So it's been on the house for less than a month.

Okay, thank you.

Great.

Go ahead.

And uh just maybe to staff.

Do we have any idea how much it would cost to remove the paint?

Um that that type of information we would not have available.

Anything else?

Uh Madam Chair.

Can I say something else?

Actually, I do.

Go ahead.

Seeing that the I guess my clarification with the notification, and thank you very much for the notification.

Are are those regulations sent down or made available to the the community, not just where they live or what they fall into, but what regulations apply to them?

Which I'm sure it is, the staff is very diligent about that.

But the other the other question that I would have is um in when we're doing the historical guidelines, and I know they we do presentations often.

We have these like um samples and things that need to write and did they actually did did these clients actually reach out to the Monticello organization to work with them?

Are they asking if we're asking?

No, they're asking the or she's asking the neighborhood.

I know they didn't.

No, they did they didn't know they're like in their late 80s.

She just wanted to paint her house.

She didn't know it was gonna cause all these problems.

Well no.

She's 86 years old.

You know, we're just here to represent them.

Sure.

I have I understand that, ma'am.

But my question was you're here representing them, meaning that you're actually taking the visible action, therefore you actually probably reached out to them.

Is that correct?

Did we reach out to the historical people?

Yes, ma'am.

No, no, we we no, no, when we got that notice, that's when my sister called to see what was going on or what what we had to do.

Yeah, you know.

But I didn't haven't talked to any of them.

No.

And and we don't get the notices.

We get that paper, but we don't get the and they've I don't know, we've never done anything to the uh garage either.

That I I mean I don't know, Raj is it done before I don't know.

Yeah, before I believe maybe before your statement is then that you were here representing your your your parents were here on behalf.

You actually were active and taking care of them.

So if you're active in taking care of them, um do you handle some of their correspondence?

No, we don't handle correspondence.

I mean, I we help pay their bills, but as far as take them to doctor appointments and we don't things like that, but we're not she's they haven't reached out to anybody in the committee, like you know, they didn't think painting their house was an issue.

So they actually took this action upon themselves, and you are not aware of that.

Is that correct?

I knew she was gonna paint it, but I didn't know that it was illegal.

And and we didn't know when she was gonna do it.

And I would like to say that there's about three or four houses down Donaldson that are painted.

Okay, but each of them have come before this commission has been stopped.

Yeah.

So you didn't take a learning lesson.

Yeah, no, I'm just I'm just saying that that's brick.

And I think that my mom herself saw that.

You know what I mean?

I never noticed it, but until this happened, you know, I just happened to know it's like why is the brick from those other houses.

I appreciate that.

Okay.

So therefore, I just want to for just to reiterate.

Um notifications were sent out according to the uh monitor organization.

Your your parents actually contracted to have it painted.

Did not request a certificate of appropriateness.

And therefore now that we're here.

And you're asking for us to make an allowance versus what's already stated in the ordinance on Bainer model historical guidelines.

Yeah, they didn't request a certificate because I don't think they were aware of I've never heard of certificate of appropriateness until we got it on the door or the mailbox.

Okay.

I've never changed that.

Thank you for the clerk attention.

I appreciate that.

And it would be a hardship because I don't know how much it would cost to take that off.

I don't know if you know that would be a hardship on them.

Anything else, I understand.

I understand that.

Um thank you for answering my question.

And again, that's something that the staff would not know about pricing because that would fall upon the the homeowners.

So thank you for answering my questions.

I'll turn it back over to the umkay.

Um in your front yard, right?

Yes.

Doesn't it have Monticello Park Historic District on it?

No.

I know we live in a historic neighborhood.

Okay.

I'm aware of that.

But then why did you think that it would be good to paint uh when you saw the other violations going on?

They came before this commission.

What other and they all got turned down.

What other violations?

You said you were aware of it.

What other violations are you talking about?

On the same street that you your parents are on.

Which is we didn't know there's a violation.

A house two doors down from you.

Yeah.

Oh, but that house is something that didn't make a difference.

It's a house.

Yeah.

And we didn't even we didn't even know.

I didn't I didn't know about any violations of the name.

We we only know like a couple of neighbors on this side and a couple across the street.

We don't know the whole neighborhood.

Like they keep to themselves, you know.

How did you get uh certificate of appropriateness for the garage?

But then what year was that?

We're not even aware was the garage.

What year was the garage?

Like 15 years ago it was modification for the driveway.

So there's too much talking across the room.

Okay, probably didn't even I I don't know about that.

I know that they okay.

Either your parents or you did it.

What vice chair?

Point of order, please.

Either your parents or you um applied for that certificate of appropriateness.

And I'm not sure where there's a disconnect was.

Yeah, well, if they did apply for it at that time, like right now they're mental, you know, they're sure they have some memory issues.

So my dad is he's not I can't even talk about it, but he's yeah, he probably he's not able to, yeah.

He's not able to handle a lot of his affairs, and so we don't want to use to do everything.

Yeah, all right, thank you.

Uh I think we have another question.

Oh Vice Chair uh Commissioner Zapalveda asked for a point of order, so I just wanted to recognize that.

Yeah, okay.

And I think I think we're throwing away too much towards other.

So let's go back and address what the staff have brought before us.

Okay.

Uh discussion.

Anything over here?

Discussion over here?

Online, Madam Chair.

Any I have no particular questions for discussion.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Can I have a motion, please?

Uh I'll make a motion.

Go ahead.

And I'll start with the caveat that um I think that it is very unfortunate that the applicant was not aware due to age or infirmity that um painting the house was something that they needed approval for, and I understand that it's gonna create a hardship.

And for that, you know, I'm sympathetic.

However, given that it is in a historic district, and um for all the reasons that were brought to your attention today by the um historic preservation architect.

I'm going to have to make a motion to recommend staff or to support staff's recommendation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

I'd like to second.

Thank you.

Can every call.

Flores?

Aye.

Garcia?

Aye.

Brigard.

Aye.

Spiller.

Aye.

Pollock?

I.

Vasquez?

Aye.

And Sipovoda.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Please work with staff on next steps.

Next case on Pyrene Street, please.

Um case number 2025-277, 1306 East Pirate Avenue.

The applicant is requesting a certificate of appropriateness for approval to install a five-foot-tall wooden frame and cattle panel fence along the northern property line and featuring a five-foot-tall manually operated vehicular gate.

Staff does not recommend approval to install a five-foot-tall wooden frame and cattle panel fence along the northern property line featuring a five-foot-tall manually operated vehicular gate.

A fence and gate limited to four feet in height should be installed.

We have two um folks here today.

We have the contractor, Kevin.

And then we also have homeowner Miss Janie Cortez.

She's joining us on the phone.

So uh Kevin can answer any sort of technical questions, though I would like uh Janie to um speak up so uh she can kind of explain to you why she's requesting this.

And again, Janie, on your phone, you'll have to hit star six to unmute.

Yes, we came in.

Yes.

Yes, we can hear you.

Okay.

Okay, my name is Jackie Cortez.

I am the owner of 13 homes farm that just acquired words.

Uh this is the proper thing than my parents back in last year in 24.

Very few people have thank you.

Um there things that I'm forward where I feel that I am requesting the whole thing.

I don't know.

What time?

I don't know if you're able to see that or not.

It was burned down.

Can I understand so uh you could hear say I don't hope that the whole remaining I'm trying to request them?

I understand the only thing with questions.

I'm trying to prepare the property when my father was a war on every way that problem.

Very proud of it.

I'll come from a very large family.

Eleven along or room on the corner.

Everybody in the road body we were uh the family of eleven perfect around there to go.

Is that my answer?

It was a beautiful home.

Nobody has five foot.

How the well, that the people water.

Well, one of the left one.

Father.

So that property.

That's a lot of wooden rammer plane.

I'll be a ninth child of a level.

Ma'am.

I'll have one mother left.

That's all I'm gonna think for.

That's the reason why I do want a five feet.

Okay.

Thank you.

It was a little hard to understand, so I'm gonna count on your contractor.

Kevin.

Uh contractor.

Oh, I have a contractor.

Yeah.

Uh your contractor to help expand on it a little bit because uh it was a little difficult to understand you from the phone.

Uh so unless there's anything else that we have a voicemail, but not really other right hand mountain phone copper pieces.

Okay.

Uh go ahead.

Okay.

Uh so she's requesting a five-foot fence in the front uh for protection.

Uh there her neighbors have advised her that uh the past couple of weeks and months uh that the house has been shot at.

And she also had um a plastic uh pond uh outside of her house, and that her neighbors told her that somebody jumped over and stowed it and took it uh from her property.

Uh she doesn't have a sliding gate to close for the driveway, uh so it's just uh uh kind of like a a guarding gate, pretty much, but it's already falling over.

Uh the next house next to her house is actually burned down, so that house is not there no more.

Um, and the fence on that side is actually falling down as well.

Uh okay.

So she's just pretty much is asking to get a five foot for security reasons.

Okay.

That's all you got now.

Yeah.

Okay.

I'll play the voicemail now.

Okay, thank you.

Yeah.

My name is Ceciliana Cabral.

My address is 1419 East Pyrene, San Antonio, Texas, 78214.

The case number I am calling about is 2025-27.

And I'm calling to oppose the fence being that high.

It is also my understanding we have an in-person speaker for this.

Is that correct, Corey?

Yeah, just like us.

Okay.

That's the attorney.

My name is Jesse.

Casios.

I resign on 1327 ace farm.

I've been living there around that area for 70, 84 years.

And she wants to put a five feet uh kettle fence, and it's not uh up uh everybody around there oppose.

She lives in the buffer, um, not more than about 50 feet from there.

And uh most of the people there have cyclones.

She even has a cyclone herself, and uh and we are opposing in the other all of the neighborhoods.

I have already talked to them.

I know I'm all of them.

And sir, he really quick.

When you mentioned cyclone, you're referring to the chain link fencing?

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah, she wants a kettle fence.

Okay.

Just wanted to clarify that.

Anything else you'd like to add?

No, that'll be all.

Thank you, sir.

Any other things?

No, that's it for public comments.

Okay.

Great.

Um, take questions from my colleagues on the right.

Just a couple of questions.

Uh does the applicant live on this property?

But she lives close.

Uh she lives, she lives on uh fair and close to fair and 37.

So is the uh the house vacant?

Uh at the moment, yes.

Uh I believe a couple of years her brother used to live there, but I think he passed and she took over.

I think took over in January 2025.

Okay.

So but currently it's vacant, yeah.

All right.

And then um, how tall is this existing fence?

Uh I believe four feet four feet.

I think four feet.

All right.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Questions from my left.

I just have uh didn't miss the answer to the last question.

That was the height.

Four feet.

Thank you.

Uh Madam Chair, any questions online?

None at this time.

Thank you.

Then we'll move into discussion.

Anything on this?

No.

Anything over here?

Online, madam chair.

Honestly, no, sir.

I think um the compliance with the record that the staff has provided them the information is sufficient.

Thank you.

Um can I ask for a motion?

I make a motion that we accept a staff recommendation.

A four-foot fence.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

I'll second the motion.

Thank you.

Can I ever roll cut, please?

Flores?

Aye.

Garcia.

Aye.

Brigard.

Aye.

Spiller.

Aye.

Pollock?

I.

Vasquez?

Aye.

And Sepulveda.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Please work with staff.

Um lady on line.

Or lady on the phone.

Please work with staff on next steps.

Thank you.

And our last case is Florida Street.

If go ahead.

Excuse me.

I'll read it into the record again just as a reminder of the case.

So this is CTAP case 2025-255 for 332 Florida Street.

The applicant is requesting certificate of appropriateness for approval to remove an existing four-foot-tall chain link fence at the front of the property and install a five-foot-tall wrought iron fence in its place.

And on the western side of the property line extending from the street to the front plane of the primary structure.

Staff does not recommend approval of the request.

Staff recommends the wrought iron fence be limited to a maximum height of four feet where it was previously four feet in height.

We do have a letter from the Lavaca Neighborhood Association that was submitted late last night.

So it it's probably not in your folder, but I'm happy to show it if you would like.

Sure, if you just project it for the record.

Yeah, yeah, I was gonna say read it into record either one, so we have the information.

Would you like me to read it to the record?

No, I don't think it's necessary.

Thank you.

And the applicant is here in person.

Nate, if you'd like to come up, um introduce yourself, and then you'll have 15 minutes to speak.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, everybody.

Uh my name is Nathan Manfred.

I am the representative for 332 Florida, and I'd like to first apologize to everyone for my tardiness.

I had some mechanical and technical issues, and I appreciate everybody pushing this case back so that I could attend.

Um the primary position of the owners is that they'd like to replace their existing four-foot chain link fence with a new five-foot wrought iron fence, obviously primarily open fence.

They have three dogs on their property that they care for that are pets.

And with the four-foot chain link fence, they have had issues where the dogs have jumped the fence onto Lavaca Street, which is a very you know pretty busy street, a primary feeder into the neighborhood.

And so the rationale for them to request this five-foot fence is to reduce the chances of their dogs jumping the fence and getting out into the street.

They had an incident just this last week in the evening.

They're able to recover their dog quickly.

But um that's primarily the main issue and request that we are presenting.

Excuse me, great, thank you.

And anything else you wanted to add?

No, I think the other portion of the request was for part of the side fence.

They do have an existing five-foot chain link fence on the side.

And I think we're requesting partially to replace that with the five-foot wrought iron as well.

Okay.

Thank you, sir.

Correct.

And if and if I can just add for that, that's within the administrative approval scopes of work.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

So then I'll we'll move to questions.

Uh questions from my colleagues on the right.

Yeah, just a quick question.

The um the small uh I don't even wouldn't consider that even a retaining wall.

But how tall is that?

It looks like a curb off the side.

Yeah, it varies from about 10 inches to probably 14 inches as you go along.

Okay.

Yeah.

The grade changes.

Yeah, sidewalk goes.

Okay.

Yeah, it's deeper towards uh Bernie as and then as it goes up Florida it gets a little lower, and I think that's just primarily the topography.

Okay, and just just to be clear, so the administrative approval part would be the side and backyard at five foot.

Is that right?

Correct.

So as you can see in this picture on the left side facing Bernie Street, um I can zoom in if you'd like, but there's a pre-existing five-foot uh tall fence there.

So since there's a five-foot tall pre-existing fence, then we can approve that administratively.

Once it crosses the front plane of the house, then at that point it's considered a rear fence.

So that's where um six feet in height is is acceptable.

Okay, thank you.

And you're saying that's again in this which one that side street?

That is where the the higher fences are.

Correct.

The far left there.

Yes.

And it's already that's AOK.

Correct, yes.

So the request for today is really only for the front as well as for the fence on the neighbor side.

Uh all the way from the from the street to the front plane of the house.

All right.

Just want to be clear on that.

Thank you.

Any questions from my colleagues on the left?

Yeah, quickly, just a clarification on top of the clarification.

So the pictures that are the last two pictures, they look almost wooden, I guess.

Those are acceptable or have been administratively approved.

Am I correct on that?

You're we're not requesting to remove those.

Am I correct on that?

Okay.

Correct.

That's what I need to do.

Those will be retained as they are.

Okay, thank you.

There may be repairs, but nothing's gonna there's no height modification, no material modification.

Okay.

Nothing there.

Thank you.

Anyone else on the left here?

Okay, Madam Chair online.

Yeah.

So if the chain if the fencing that's currently in place not it's it is acceptable, even with the five part, correct.

So the uh madam chair, the the chain link fence that's on the Bernie side, that right now currently is the only section of the fence uh that's five feet.

So that one, because it's already five feet on the side facing the street.

So what you see on the screen here, that's the the left side.

That portion can be at uh not not on the left side, sorry, on the right side um here on the top.

That part right there, we can administratively approve five feet tall wrought iron to replace the pre-existing five feet.

But the whole rest of the front right here, where we see the um the front of the the front of the street, so at the top of your screen, as well as uh the top left, that right now um only the front of the street has an existing chain link fence that's currently four feet in height.

Okay.

And then the fencing on the left side adjacent to the neighbors, that would have to stay four feet, and anything that costs past the back part of the house must can be six feet, correct?

That's correct.

Okay.

And since there's a chain link fence already on the right side that's five feet, we can approve the five-foot wrought iron fence since it's pre-existed.

That's correct, Madam Chair.

So the only part of the request for today is the front of um from the street as well as um the side facing the neighbors.

So that would be on your screen right now.

The front and the the top of the screen as well as the the top left.

Okay.

And those the regulations according to our guidelines are four feet.

That's correct.

So our guidelines would stipulate four feet in height.

Okay.

Thank you.

I appreciate the car creation.

That's all I have.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Any discussion from colleagues on my right.

No.

On my left.

Any discussion further discussion online, ma'am?

Madam Chair.

No, sir.

Thank you.

Okay.

Um, then I'll ask for a motion, please.

Yeah, just a quick comment, but before before I make a motion, I just wanted to um note that I was checking on Google Maps just up and down the street, and it doesn't appear that anyone has a five-foot wrought iron.

So mostly because I see it as inconsistent with uh the neighborhood, that's why I'm gonna make the motion.

So uh I'll move to uh approve staff's recommendation with stipulations.

Thank you.

Is there a second?

I'll second.

Thank you.

Can I have a roll call, please?

Flores?

Aye.

Garcia?

Aye.

Brigard.

Aye.

Spiller?

Aye.

Pollock?

Aye.

Vasquez?

Aye.

And Suvoda.

Aye.

Motion carries.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Please work with staff on next steps.

And we are adjourned.

Thank you.

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you.