info@savethebungalows.org
From the March 06
Houston House and Home Magazine
Read Heartbreak in the Heights
The sad tale of
Ashland House...
Did you know that in Houston,
it is legally much easier
to tear down a home on the Historic Register
than it is to put up a sign?
Q.What can be done TODAY?
Go to Take Action
Write Mayor White and
tell him what you think.
Write the Council
Members too and the
newspapers, big and small,
and tell them as well.
Sign up on the contact
page to receive email.
Make sure the leaders of
your civic or neighborhood
assocaition know about us.
Send the link for this site
to your friends.
Talk to people - the more
folks understand
the nature of the problem
and the urgency,
the better chance we have
of bring about change.
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“The pace of teardowns has amounted to an orgy of irrational destruction. Teardowns spread through a community like a cancer. I believe they represent the biggest threat to America's older neighborhoods since the heyday of urban renewal and interstate highway construction. Communities must realize that they aren't helpless in the face of teardowns. They must develop a vision for the future of their community...and put in place mechanisms to ensure that their vision is not compromised.”
Richard Moe, President, National Trust for Historic Preservation June 28, 2006
Hundred of American cities, including Dallas, San Antonio and Austin, have taken legal steps to support neighborhood conservation. And while the Wall Street Journal recently noted that Houston has "weak preservation laws," it does not have to stay that way.
The Issue: Urban neighborhoods that lack strong and consistent deed restrictions are or soon may experiene significant demolition of early 20th Century housing and the subsequent building of lot-covering houses and townhomes. Many of the older homes are perfectly livable or restorable but they are demolished because they are not huge. The new construction has a dramatic effect on neighborhood property values, taxes, neighborhood stability, historic preservation, urban tree canopy, soil permeability (flooding), and a number of environmental issues. Affordability is clearly affected as well.
Example: The Houston Heights. In the three zip codes that take in great Houston Heights, demolition have been running at about one per day in 2007 and shows no sign of slowing.
More than half of the original housing stock in the Heights is already gone and other areas, such as Garden Oaks, Lindale and Eastwood, are following the same path.
Houston’s city government has not engaged in planning, thus most of the city’s physical future has been left for developers to decide or, as we see it, whoever has the most money and gets there first.
The Houston Planning Commission has traditionally been composed of people with financial interest in new development and has long been viewed as a “rubber stamp” organization. The result is that the people who created a neighborhood are shut out of planning for its future.
Another great loss is trees. At a time when Houston is focused on cleaner air, tens of thousands of mature trees have been lost to lot-covering development. In a related issue, how many acres of yardless homes does it take before flooding is impacted? How much green can we afford to loose?
Who benefits from this “orgy of irrational destruction”? The developers themselves, their bankers, lawyers, and all their vendors. The taxing entities benefit was well. By tearing down a house valued at $200,000 and building one for $800,000, the tax revenue quadruples without a tax hike. The City of Houston has a financial incentive to make city neighborhoods inhospitable to all but the rich.
A few FAQs
Q. How did Save the Bungalows get started?
In April of 2006, one person just decided she had
enough and quickly discovered that many others
were fed up, too.
Q. How will you proceed?
Advocacy and education are the tools. We hope to educate people as to the existing laws and explain how and why things must change. We also want people understand the truth about renovation by offering resources and busting myths, like the myth that renovation costs more than building new. We believe many people tear down lovely older homes out of ignorance. Furthermore, many knowledgeable people have great ideas for changes in procedures and laws that would give homeowners more leverage in planning for Houston's future. We believe that planning is a good thing and we think our elected officials need to be pressed on their views and impressed with the citizens demands for change.
Q. Why should people care? This isn't just bout historic preservation
A. This is about self-determination and the democratic process. Everyone who thinks citizens need more clout at City Hall should be supportive.
Q. But aren't there already organizations that do this?
Many people are trying to save significant structures but we know of no other group trying to change laws to save neighborhoods. We have good relationships with others whose goals are similar and we support each other.
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