City Commissioner At-Large “B” Rose Gowen asks Rick Vasquez, Brownsville Planning & Redevelopment director, about property seven on schedule C from the Historic Preservation Plan during the March 21 city commission meeting. Gowen noted that property seven had “no evidence of preservation activity.” VERILU INFANTE/THE RIDER PHOTOS
After more discussion during the last Brownsville City Commission meeting, commissioners approved schedule C from the Historic Preservation Plan on first reading, with the exception of two of the eight properties listed.
The Historic Preservation Plan outlines properties to be considered for participation in a tax abatement program, meaning properties would be exempt from taxes so that the owners can invest in preservation efforts.
Before discussion on the item began, District 1 City Commissioner Nurith Galonsky Pizaña abstained from voting and exited the room due to a conflict of interest.
Rick Vasquez, the city’s Planning and Redevelopment director, began the presentation by talking about each property, including property one, the Garza-Barreda House, which is a state-designated property and a Recorded Texas Historical Landmark.
Other locations included properties two through five, which are the Walker-Bennet and Dessel-Boettcher Building, the Alamo Iron Work Warehouse, the M. H. Cross Building, the Kress Building and the Sauder Building.
After Vasquez presented the first six properties, District 3 City Commissioner Roy De Los Santos reminded him of properties seven and eight, which had not been discussed yet.
Vasquez went on to present property seven, the Walker-Craig Building built in 1917.
“It’s contributing within the national historic district,” he said about property seven. “It’s part of the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railroad. It’s contributing to the fabric of the historic district. The problem with this property [is] it did receive the maximum five years of abatement. And so, as the commission reviews a rewrite of the [city] ordinance, we would, again, review the time limits on those caps. We think it needs to be more performance-based.”
City Commissioner at-Large “B” Rose Gowen asked about property seven’s participation in the tax abatement program despite it exceeding the city’s five-year limit.
“It was for five years but it’s now seven years, and there’s no evidence of preservation activity,” Gowen said. “So, why would we continue that?”
Vasquez said the Historic Preservation Commission recommended the building and that Planning and Redevelopment presents all its recommendations. He also suggested increasing the five-year limit based on preservation performance if the city directs staff to rewrite the ordinance that outlines criteria for the tax abatement program.
Gowen then asked if property owners, such as those for the Walker-Craig Building, can continue to participate in the program without providing any evidence of preservation efforts, to which Vasquez replied that they can under the current ordinance.
However, Brownsville Mayor Trey Mendez added that the Historic Preservation Commission should be regulating it.
“The way that it should be regulated is the preservation committee stripping it of any benefits, but they didn’t do that,” Mendez said. “We don’t know why. … It’s been more than five years. There’s no evidence of preservation. Why did they do it? I don’t think they have an answer.”
Vasquez went on to present property eight, the McNair Shirt Factory built in 1945, which contributes to the National Register historic district known as the Brownsville Freight Depot & Warehouse Historic District. It is also associated with the St. Louis, Brownsville & Mexico Railroad.
De Los Santos then thanked them for the “extra effort” in providing a “much better understanding” of each property. He then asked Will Treviño, interim city attorney, if the commission has the authority to continue to grant benefits to properties that have already exceeded the limit outlined in the city ordinance.
“I believe that we would be in violation,” Treviño replied. “I don’t think there is any other language … that allows … the ability to go beyond five years.”
De Los Santos also pointed out that property one, the Garza-Barreda House, also exceeds the limit at six years of participation. Vasquez replied that the property has undergone a state process allowing it to stay in the program indefinitely so long as it stays in compliance with the state plan.
If the property fails to comply, it will drop down to a 50% abatement program, meaning the owners would pay half the property taxes normally owed. The owners of the house are working to reconcile with the state over alterations made to the property without approval, such as the demolition and replacement of the original carport.
