11-14-2019 Special Meeting MinutesSCHERTZ HISTORICAL PRESERVATION COMMITTEE
MUNICIPAL COMPLEX CONFERENCE ROOM
1400 SCHERTZ PARKWAY, BUILDING #1
Schertz, Texas 78154
Special Meeting Minutes
Thursday, November 14, 2019, 6:30 p.m.
Call to Order — the meeting was called to order by Chairperson Elizabeth Strong at 6:30.
Members present included: Vice Chair Dean Weirtz, Pete Perez, Daniel "Frenchy"
Bourgeois, John Baker, Dean Midlick, Rosalyn Wise, Paul Ringenbach and Sabrina
Allen.
Brian James, Assistant City Manager, was also in attendance.
Also in attendance was Hunter Allen.
Hearin: of Residents
No residents were signed up to speak.
Discussion and /or Action Items
802 Main Street Historic Preservation Grant — Brian James provided an
overview of the proposed request. The property owner of 802 Main Street, which
is located next to the concrete drainage channel, is requesting approval of a
Historic Preservation Grant. Staff has been talking with this owner for some time
and finally the property owner is ready to move forward but needs to do so
quickly, thus the special meeting called on relatively short notice. It is a small
modest house.
The property is in the Main Street Grant area. The Appraisal District does not
show a date for the age of the structure. As such the Chief Building Official
inspected the house and based on construction type and techniques he estimates it
to be from the 1930's or 1940's. In addition, the City's GIS Manager found an old
aerial photo from the 1950's showing the main structure, minus the garage. As a
reminder, structures must be at least 50 years old to qualify for the grant. Brian
James showed photos of the structure from different sides. He explained that
initially the owners wanted to use the structure as an office building, but the
garage is in a GVEC easement, which creates some challenges. The owner is now
planning to use it for a rental home. The owner's estimate of work is around
$35,000 so the City's grant match would be about $17,000. Staff will require
itemized receipts. The owner is pretty much having to gut the structure.
Therefore, while it includes work such as counters and bathrooms the owner is not
planning to gold plate the interior. Commissioners asked about the size of the
structure, which is about 1,100 square feet. The colors proposed were discussed.
Chairperson Strong noted the grant uses Hotel Occupancy Tax (HOT) funds and
the intent is to help property owners improve their structures. Ultimately, City
Council must approve the grant after the SHPC makes a recommendation. A
question was asked about timing. Brian James indicated the owners wanted to
move forward immediately, to the point that the owner has paused to allow for
approval of the grant. The owner is likely going to do the work in phases to be
paid the grant match in phases to help fund the entire project. Brian James
indicated that he thought they are required to do the work within a year. A
question was asked if the owner was a Schertz resident. The structure is
technically owned by an LLC but it is understood one of the owners is a Schertz
resident. A question was asked if the property would be rented at market rate or
subsidized. The owner has not indicated either way. Discussion occurred about
rental housing and wear and tear on structures as well as code enforcement issues
on this property in past an in other areas of Main Street. Discussion occurred
regarding the Main Street Mixed Use District that allows residential and
commercial uses. Discussion occurred regarding how often a property owner can
apply for grants, generally once per year.
Discussion occurred on enforcement of building and nuisance codes. Discussion
included the need protect the investment of grants and the focus on code issues.
Brian James explained how the grants are structured. As a matching grant, it is
paid after the work is complete. So if they don't finish every phase, they will not
get the entire grant. As a grant program, the drawback is that there is not a
clawback provision. Other programs are structured as loans which often have a
clawback provision but the City would be at risk because they would be putting
up the money for a loan. Discussion occurred regarding past grants and risks
associated with the program. A question was asked about the GVEC easement
that encumbers the portion of the property where the garage is located. The
easement prohibits the owner from making improvements or alterations to the
garage.
Some discussion occurred about how the program seeks to improve the whole
area. Discussion occurred regarding some other grant programs.
Dean Weirtz made a motion to recommend approval of the proposed grant to City
Council and Rosalyn Wise seconded the motion which was approved
unanimously.
Requests and Announcements
2. Request by Committee Members that items be placed on a future agenda —
Vice Chair Weirtz asked for a presentation on railroad quiet zones.
3. Requests by Committee Members to City Manager and Staff for information —
none
4. Announcements by Committee Members — none
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:10 pm.
CERTIFICATION
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Eliz �eth Strong, Chairperso