Designation Is the Default Here, Not the Exception
Elsewhere in the city we tell owners to check whether their property is designated. In these districts the more useful assumption is that it is, and to be surprised if not.
That changes the first decision after a fire. Rather than asking what the repair costs, the question is what the preservation office will support, because a scope the commission will not approve is not a scope at all. The full position is on our page covering neglect, demolition and the county line.
What Does That Mean in Practice After a Fire?
Stabilise, Do Not Clear
Most of the housing here dates from the 1880s through the 1920s. UDC Section 35-455 requires materials to reach the historic preservation officer at least 15 days before the hearing, and Section 35-615 carries a 5 year bar on permit applications where a covered building is demolished as a public safety hazard after 2 or more notices of building neglect. Texas levies no transfer tax on the conveyance.
The distinction that matters most on this stock. Securing a building against weather and entry is what the code contemplates and what protects your position. Clearing damaged fabric is a different act with different consequences.
Under section 35-614 the commission may recommend approval of a demolition only where it finds the structure has lost the significance that qualified it for designation, and only where those changes were not caused directly or indirectly by the owner and did not result from a lack of maintenance rising to demolition by neglect. Clearing early can look exactly like the thing that disqualifies you.
Can I Remove Damaged Material to Stop Further Deterioration?
We publish no view on what the commission would approve for a particular building. Those are determinations on evidence about a specific property, and the Office of Historic Preservation is the only reliable source.
Which Makes Restoration the Usual Answer
Put the review together with the values here and the arithmetic points one way more often than in most parts of the county. Demolition is difficult to obtain, clearing risks the position, and finished values on restored property in these districts are high.
So a fire-damaged building here is most often worth restoring, and the practical question becomes who is equipped to do it. A rehabber who works within the review as a matter of routine can frequently pay more for the property than a general buyer, because the review costs them less.
Southtown and King William in Context
The other designated area, where the housing is older and values lower, is covered on our page about an east side district of older housing. Where city permitting applies without the preservation layer, see our page for the west side neighbourhoods.
Southtown and King William Questions
Can I Get Permission to Demolish?
Only on findings the commission must make, including that the loss of significance was not caused by the owner and not by neglect. On a recently burned building those findings are demanding, and planning around the permit is unwise.
My Building Is Not Individually Listed.
Contributing to a district is enough to bring the provisions into play. The preservation office will confirm the status for your address at no cost.
Will You Buy in These Districts?
Yes, and we will often tell you that a preservation-experienced rehabber can pay more than we can. On this stock that is frequently true.