I'm not taking sides

However, I want to share this email. The videos that are intended to demonstrate, once and for all, what the Historic Ordinance does and does not do. This might not change your mind either way. Most people who are for are for, no matter what. Most people who are against are against, no matter what. BUT the discourse around the issue has been so confusing and so much misinformation has been put out there that maybe, just maybe, this presentation can set the record straight so when we talk about it, we're talking in facts....

Get the facts about Houston’s historic preservation ordinance

View the Planning & Development director’s online presentation

Preservation opponents continue to spread misinformation and disinformation about the recent changes to the historic preservation ordinance. Do not let scare tactics spur you to make an impulsive decision that could have long-lasting effects for you and your neighbors.

A factual presentation by Planning & Development Director Marlene Gafrick is available online explaining what the amended ordinance does and does not do. Use the links below to view the four-part program:

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRJrDd6cb7A

Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae5DyFiwuk4

Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp81p1Yq2HQ

Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8X3IpwWfcs

If any of these links do not work, please visit www.youtube.com and enter “Marlene Gafrick” in the search engine.

Please share this information with your neighbors and please do not sign any petitions regarding Houston’s historic districts. These petitions could result in the dissolution of Houston’s designated historic districts and the loss of preservation protections for you and your neighbors.

If you have any questions regarding the preservation ordinance, please get your answers from the people responsible for administering the ordinance by contacting Planning & Development Department staff at historicpreservation@houstontx.gov or 713-837-7701.

The City of Houston has posted a summary of the amendments and what they mean on the Planning & Development Department website. [Click here] to access that information.

Header photos: Courtlandt Place Historic District,

Audubon Place Historic District,

Westmoreland Historic District.

Photos by Jim Parsons and David Bush.