East Austin Residents Want Demolition Moratorium Until Historic Survey Concludes

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- East Austin residents are seeking a moratorium on further demolition of structures until city officials conclude a historic survey of the area.

Earlier this year, the city began a survey of East Austin to discern which structures should be preserved and protected from demolition. City officials have said in the past they expect to unveil the results of their survey by year's end.

Some residents are now calling for a moratorium on demolitions until that survey is finished, KUT radio station reported. East Austin has emerged as ground zero in the gentrification skirmishes with developers, an area that is continually appealing to developers for luxury housing, boutique hotels or high-end eateries.

Amy Thompson is among the residents calling for a moratorium. As she sat outside her century-old plus home on East Third Street, she said such structures are monuments to the area's history and their inhabitants a living extension of that past.

"The home’s history and architecture reflect the history of our neighborhood here in East Cesar Chavez,” she told KUT. “It’s the history of the average resident and their contributions to the building of our city.”

But Steve Sadowsky, a historic preservation officers for the city, says there are already measures in place to protect historic structures. He explained to KUT that applications to demolish a home more than a half-century old are automatically referred to the HIstoric Landmark Commission for review.

For this reason, District 3 City Council member Pio Renteria, whose district includes East Austin, isn't on board with an moratorium while the historic survey is continues. Once supportive of the idea and poised to present it to council, he now believes a moratorium is unnecessary given existing safeguards.

“I feel like once they go through the Historic Landmark Commission that they’re going to do a thorough overview,” he told KUT.

Read or listen to the full story at KUT >>