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City of Houston Archaeological and Historical Commission met July 17.
Here are the minutes provided by the commission:
Call to Order and Roll Call by Chair Bucek at 2:31 PM
| Commissioners | Quorum – Present / Absent |
| David Bucek, Chair | Present |
| Beth Wiedower Jackson, Vice Chair | Present |
| Shantel Blakely | Present at 2:48 during Item 1 |
| John Cosgrove | Present |
| Steven Curry | Present |
| Ashley Jones | Present |
| Ben Koush | Present, left at 6:53 during Item D |
| Stephen McNiel | Present, left at 6:53 during Item D |
| Rhonda Sepulveda | Present at 3:49 during Item 1, left at 6:12 during Item 15 |
| Charles Stava | Present, left at 6:49 during Item D |
| Dominic Yap | Present |
| Robert Williamson, Secretary | Present |
Ex-Officio Members • Marta Crinejo, Mayor’s Liaison to HAHC
Ginger Berni, Architectural Archivist, HHRC
Chair’s Report, David Bucek, Chair, announced speaker rules and meeting procedures.
Director’s Report, Robert Williamson, Secretary and Deputy Director for the Planning and Development Department, Completions are under way with the Norhill Design Guideline, more details coming soon.
The Office of Preservation was awarded a matching grant to have a National Register of Historic District created of Lyons Avenue in the Fifth Ward. Part of this grant was to bring in a consulting firm (Stantec) to conduct fieldwork, survey the area, conduct research, etc. Part of this initial phase is having a public meeting to kick start community involvement. The public meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 31, 6:30pm-8:00pm at the Fifth Ward Multi-Service Center, 4014 Market Street, Houston, TX 77020. Office of Preservation is co-hosting the process for listing a 4-block portion of Lyons Avenue on the National Register of Historic Places. This stems from the Certified Local Government grant the office was awarded to prepare the listing.
Welcomed Benjamin Valdez, summer inter.
Mayor Liaison’s Report – None
HAHC 1 of 5
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Consideration of June 5, 2025, HAHC meeting minutes
Motion: Wiedower Jackson Vote: Unanimous
Second: Cosgrove Opposed: None
A. CONSIDERATION OF AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON CERTIFICATE OF APPROPRIATENESS FOR APPLICATIONS FOR CONSENT AGENDA:
| # | Address | Application Type | Historic District PLM/LM | Staff Recommendation |
| 1 | 10 Courtlandt Pl | New Construction – SFR | Courtlandt Place | Approval |
| 2 | 3376 Inwood Dr | Alteration – Addition | PLM: William L. Clayton Summer House | Approval |
| 3 | 3376 Inwood Dr | New Construction – Garage | PLM: William L. Clayton Summer House | Approval |
| 4 | 908 Key St | Alteration – Other | Norhill | Partial Approval |
| 5 | 701 Key St | Alteration – Other | Norhill | Approval w/ Conditions |
| 6 | 1108 E. 16th St | Alteration – Windows | Norhill | Denial |
| 7 | 1138 Fugate St | Demolition – Single Family Residence | Norhill | Denial, Issuance of COR |
| 8 | 2009 W Gray St | Alteration – Sign | LM: River Oaks Theatre & Shopping Center | Approval |
| 9 | 7618 Cayton Ave | Alteration – Addition | Glenbrook Valley | Defer, per Applicant |
| 10 | 1215 Ashland St | Alteration – Addition | Houston Heights West | Approval |
| 11 | 2111 Union St | Alteration – Addition & Roof | Old Sixth Ward | Approval |
| 12 417 Highland St | New Construction – Garage/GarApt | Woodland Heights | Approval | |
| 13 | 7735 Meadville St | Alteration – Windows, Siding | Glenbrook Valley | Withdrawn |
| 14 | 1534 Allston St | Alteration – Addition | Houston Heights West | Approval w/ Conditions |
| 15 | 625 Cortlandt St | Alteration – Addition | Houston Heights South | Denial |
| 16 7907 Glen Prairie St | Alteration – Windows, Siding | Glenbrook Valley | Denial, Issuance of COR | |
| 17 817 Columbia St | Alteration – Addition | Houston Heights South | Approval w/ Conditions |
Commission action: Accepted staff recommendations for Item(s) A. 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 13, 14, 16 and 17, Certificates of Appropriateness (COA) and Certificates of Remediation (COR). Speaker(s): None
Motion: Cosgrove Vote: Unanimous
Second: Koush Opposed: None
A.1. 10 COURTLANDT PLACE
Staff recommendation: Approval.
Commission action: Accepts staff recommendation for approval, with the condition, the roof on the right-side addition be flat or low pitch and all the balustrades in the front of the house are the same height and the entire house be set back in line with the front of No. 8 (believed to be somewhere between 5-10 feet). Adding the two windows between the pilers east side elevation, would have 2 windows installed on the east elevation, the windows to be installed on the east elevation that match the 3 windows or fixed doors on the front elevation, and finally staff it to review the final submission before issuing the COA.
Speaker(s): Todd Blitzer, Anna Peikert – applicant, Glenn Rennels, Natalie Roff, Ginger Napier, Robert Parke, August Lander
Motion: McNiel Second: Cosgrove Vote: Carried
Opposed: Blakely, Stava, Wiedower Jackson Abstained: Sepulveda
A.6. 1108 E. 16TH STREET
Staff recommendation: Denial.
Commission action: Denied.
Speaker(s): Virginia Kelsey
Motion: Yap Vote: Unanimous
Second: Stava Opposed: None
ITEMS WERE TAKEN OUT OF ORDER; ITEM 10 WAS TAKEN AT THIS TIME.
Motion: Cosgrove Vote: Unanimous
Second: Wiedower Jackson Opposed: None
A.10. 1215 ASHLAND STREET
Staff recommendation: Approval.
Commission action: Accepts staff’s recommendation with the condition to lower the first-floor plate height, in the addition, be reduced from 10 to 9 feet and the second-floor plate height be reduced from 9 to 8 feet, adding to remove the two brackets from the addition façade.
Speaker(s): Toufic Halabi – applicant
Motion: Wiedower Jackson Vote: Carried
Second: Cosgrove Opposed: Curry, Yap
A.7. 1138 FUGATE STREET
Staff recommendation: Denial of COA, and Issuance of COR for demolition. Commission action: Accepts staff recommendation, issuance of COR for the illegal demolition of the property, the revocation of the previously approved COA, any new construction will be brought back to this commission to meet all applicable codes.
Speaker(s): Virginia Kelsey, Pete Stockston
Motion: Koush Vote: Unanimous
Second: McNiel Opposed: None
A.11. 2111 UNION STREET
Staff recommendation: Approval with conditions: that the skirt board & cap be retained on new walls as well as the horizontal wide trim board at the top of the walls and the vertical trim board be retained as drawn differentiating original house from non-original addition. Commission action: Approved, to accept staff’s recommendation with the condition of an off set of 4” on both sides.
Speaker(s): None
Motion: Stava Vote: Carried
Second: McNiel Opposed: Wiedower Jackson
A.12. 417 HIGHLAND STREET
Staff recommendation: Approval with condition that the addition be pushed back to the original opening to the screen porch at the rear of the left elevation.
Commission action: Defer, to have applicant come back with a better plan that will not include moving the historic home.
Speaker(s): Nick Eronko, applicant
Motion: Koush Vote: Unanimous
Second: McNiel Opposed: None
A.15. 625 CORTLANDT STREET
Staff recommendation: Denial does not satisfy criteria.
Commission action: Approve, with the condition to move back 2 feet and lower it by 1 foot.
Speaker(s): Mark Schartz
Motion: Koush Vote: Carried
Second: Curry Opposed: Yap
B. COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC – Virginia Kelsey, asked where the new guidelines will be posted, invited commission to join their neighborhood meetings.
C. COMMENTS FROM THE HAHC –
Cosgrove, asked status on a property, staff member Cara Quigly, address property on 721 Columbia Street, is on hold. Looking for better ways to preserve this property Dominic Yap expressed his due diligence on the process of the commission meetings. Wiedower Jackson wanted to clarify who is in charge, it is to move forward with meetings for discussion with the two commissions, HAHC & HPAB. Discussion around the horseshoe was the consensus of what will be discussed.
D. HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER’S REPORT – Roman McAllen, addressed comments of the HAHC on Item C.
E. ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business brought before the Commission, Chair David Bucek adjourned the meeting at 6:56 PM.
https://www.houstontx.gov/planning/Commissions/hahc20250814/07.17.2025-HAHC-Minutes-DRAFT.pdf