12/22/2008 — Master site admin
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Ordinance to Expand Historic Area
Posted: 11/12/2008
Ordinance to expand historic area
By Tracy Dang
Times Managing Editor
Published:
Wednesday, November 12, 2008 10:56 AM CST
The City of Katy is taking a step forward in trying to preserve its past.
The council is proposing an ordinance that would create a historic district and extend the boundaries of the area known as Historic Katy.
“Right now, there’s a funny little square that is designated as Historic Katy,” councilwoman Carol Adams said. “But that little square does not include many of our oldest homes that could be redone for commercial or residential use.”
Homes in Historic Katy are exempted from certain codes and ordinances, but old homes outside that area do not have the same protection.
“Right now, the second floors can’t be used because you have to install an emergency exit but that’s basically impossible for old homes,” Adams said. “Cottage Key (Charm Key) Room can’t use their second floor. The Pink Magnolia had to do a whole lot of things, and they had to spend just a whole lot of money to do it.”
Adams said she hopes that protection would encourage people to buy the historic homes, fix them up and use them.
For those who feel demolition is the best solution, a historic preservation group would see if the home could be saved by moving it to the Heritage Park or by moving it to another area where it could be used for something else.
“Some of them are really significant to our history,” Adams said. “Some of them were lived by some of our earliest families, and some of them are charming to our history.
“I just don’t want to see them at a lost. If we don’t do anything, eventually, all of them can be torn down and we would just see metal sheds or something and we would lose that.”
Adams had submitted a proposed ordinance based on verbiage provided by the Texas Historical Commission.
“The ordinance submitted is almost an ordinance and pretty well speaks for itself,” city attorney Joe Hegar said.
Hegar advised the city to send the proposed ordinance to Olson and Olson for recommendation and review to the zoning ordinance before it goes to the City Planning and Zoning Commission.
In other business, council:
•Approved the final plat and construction plans for Phase 3 of Kingsland Boulevard;
•Approved the placement of a voter trailer at Fort Bend County Municipal Utility District No. 199;
•Authorized the mayor to execute a contract with Bass Construction for Phase 1 of the Katy Municipal Court Building; and
•Approved an ordinance appropriating $115,290.15 for the removal of debris left within the city limits after Hurricane Ike, most of which will probably be reimbursed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.