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AFTER THREE YEARS OF WORK,

HOUSTON READIES A NEW

DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCE

BY MITCHELL J. SHIELDS

In late February or early M a r c h , almost three years t o the m o n t h after discus-sion of it began, a revision of ( hapter

42 o l I louston's ( ode o f Ord inances is expected to go before C i t y Counc i l . If the ord inance, k n o w n popu la r l y as the devel-opment o rd inance, is rejected, then the city w i l l re tu rn to square one in its a t tempt t o take con t ro l " I much ot the burgeon ing cons t ruc t ion w i t h i n L o o p i 111. but if, as almost everyone ant ic i -

pates, the ord inance is passed, then a new SO " t rules w i l l he established that w i l l help con t ro l the look o f the c i ty wel l in to the next century.

Despite the c r i t i ca l impor tance o f Chapter 4 2 , the debate over wha t it w i l l inc lude has garnered surpr is ing ly l i t t le a t ten t ion . Aside f rom members o f the deve lopment c o m m u n i t y and neighbor-hood act ivists, feu people have pa id it much not ice. St i l l , the invo lvement o f those groups has served to extend discus-sion o l the o rd inance wel l beyond the t ime it was or ig ina l ly thought it w o u l d be comple ted . T h o u g h C i t y P lanning Di rec tor Robert I. itke says there was never .u\ actual schedule l o r f in ish ing the new (. hapter 4 2 , when the in i t ia l plans lor revision were announced in M a y 1996, i t was also suggested that a new development o rd inance w o u l d be in place by thai year's end.

T h a t it wasn' t is evidence bo th o f just h o w much upda t ing there was to be done, and the intensity o l the feelings o l those invo lved . As Gai l Ramsey, w h o as chair-person o l the N e a r t o w n Associat ion's Chapter 4 2 Task Horce spearheaded much o f the ne ighborhood involvement m the revision process, has noted, h o w people felt about Chapter 4 2 was generally a direct ref lect ion o f h o w they felt about the ci ty in wh ich they l ived. D i d they w a n t Hous ton to retain much of its pre-

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sent character, or d id they w a n t i t to look b rand new ?

T h o u g h the revised Chapter 42 is f i l led w i t h a variet) o l regulat ions con-t ro l l i ng every th ing f r o m the submission o f plats to street layouts , perhaps the most impor tan t th ing it does is d iv ide the city in to t w o zones, one suburban — w h i c h includes most o l wha t is outs ide o l l o o p 6 10 — and one u rban , consist ing o f every th ing w i t h i n Loop d i d , as wel l as cer ta in pockets of deve lopment outside 6 1 0 . As basic as this w o u l d he in most ci t ies, in I louston a d m i t t i ng that one size doesn't necessarily l i t al l is close to revo-lu t ionary . The purpose of this change, p lann ing d i rec tor I. itke says, was to make development w i t h i n Loop M O easier by l i f t i ng certain restr ict ions that made sense in a suburban con tex t , but not an urban one. As a result, few fit the changes in Chapter 42 affect suburban deve lopment , wh i le the major i t y w o u l d have .\\t impact on [ lous ton 's u rban core,

Ano ther revelat ion to arise f rom the revision o f Chapter 4 2 was the g r o w i n g power ot Houston 's ne ighborhood groups. In its earliest f o r m , the revised development ord inance was seen by many ne ighborhood activists as too developer-f r iend ly — not surpr is ing, perhaps, m a ci t) thai has a long history o f being cor-dial to developers. But a coa l i t i on of ne ighborhood organizat ions managed to push th rough changes to make the o r d i -nance more amenable to ind iv idua l home-owners . For one o f the first tunes in the city's h is tory, ne ighborhoods went toe to toe w i t h developers a n d , if they d idn ' t exactly si ore .i complete v ic tory , neither d id the) suiter a complete defeat, l o r the most par t , they held their o w n .

The result is an ord inance that , wh i le st i l l hav ing prob lems, is one that many observers seem to feel is a step in the r ight

d i rec t ion . A m o n g the cruc ia l things the ord inance w o u l d d o are:

• Set resi l ientiaI setbacks in the urban area at the exist ing ten feet, w i t h a cave.n for a 17 foo t setback for garages and car pons in order to prevent s idewalks f r om being b locked by parked cars, I lowever, a f ive foot setback l ine w o u l d be a l l owed it a deve lopment , such as a series o l t o w n -houses, has rear vehicular access, ,i sepa-rate c o m m o n pa rk i ng area, or a shared dr iveway w i t h garage doors perpendicular to the street. Commerc ia l setbacks o n major thoroughfares less than .SO feet w ide have been altered to a l l ow fo r as l i t -tle as / e n i setback if pa rk ing is p rov ided behind or to the side o f a s t ructure. Th i s ,

I nke says, is an a t tempt to r id the city o f the sea o f pa r k i ng lots that face many major u rban streets and replace them w i t h s toref ronts tha i w o u l d a l l ow for w i n d o w shopp ing and enhance foot traf-fic. A process has also been established to a l l o w a block b j block setback that depends on prevai l ing established bu i ld -ing lines. Tor instance, where a preva i l ing 20 to 25 loot setback exists on a block face, the proper ty owners cou ld pet i t ion < I IV Counc i l to f ix that as the legal set back, thus a l l ow ing ne ighborhoods to ma in ta in the character o f their si reel ( routs. Th is has been one ot the more content ious parts ot the Chapter 42 revi-s ion, w i t h ne ighborhood groups ob jec t ing tha i the process required to protect their b lock laces is m o cumbersome.

• Reduce m i n i m u m lot size f rom the suburb. in standard ot 5,000 square feet to *i,!(Mt square leet m urban areas. T h r o u g h the use o f compensat ing open space, the m i n i m u m lot size cou ld be decreased to 1,400 square feet. W h a t con-stitutes a proper density l im i ta t ion on the number of units per acre has been ano th -er area o l con ten t ion . In an August I 997

draf t o f the Chapter 42 revisions, the number of uni ts to be permi t ted per acre was only 15. That number was bumped u p to 30 in the M a r c h 1998 d ra f t , on ly to be reduced in the latest version o l the proposed ord inance to 24 . Effectively, a 24 uni t per acre restr ict ion w o u l d l imi t development on a standard 50 In 1(10 loot lot to no more than t w o un i ts , rather than the current practice o f three or more uni ts . Compensat ing green space has also been an area of con ten t i on , w i t h ne ighborhood activists pushing for the op t i on o f ne ighborhood pocket parks.

• Make def in i t ions in the ordinance clearer, and th rough the use o f charts and d iagrams exp la in cr i ter ia in a way that average people can unders tand. Accord ing t o L i rke , one o l the mot iva t ions behind the revision o f Chapter 4 2 was that the ex is t ing development ord inance was incomprehensib le to anyone w h o wasn't par t ot the system. " W e w a n t e d , " 1 l ike says, " t o w r i t e it in a way that you d id not have t o h i re a consu l tant o r a law \ 11 l o tell you what it sa i d . " In general , this appears to b.ive been accompl ished. Wh i l e cer ta in sections o l the proposed new o r d i -nance can st i l l seem arcane to someone not in the bu i l d ing trades, for the most part it's easily comprehensib le . The advan tage o l th is , o f course, is that it helps reduce the number of loopholes th rough wh ich oh|cc t ionah lc development can s l ip.

Wh i le much o f the debate over the revisions to Chapter 4 2 has been sett led, there are st i l l points o l con ten t ion over issues such as p a r k i n g , " loo , the N e a r t o w n \ssoc ia t ion has raised the issue o f h o w the increased urban development permi t -ted by Chapter 42 w i l l impact the city's in f ras t ruc ture . M o r e residences inside L o o p M 0 w i l l increase sewage and water needs, wh i le more bu i l d ing on ex is t ing open space w i l l affect the abi l i ty ot the soi l to absorb rains and perhaps increase runo f f problems.

Lhough not every in f rast ructure issue can be addressed in a single o rd inance, the revision o l Chapter 42 raises concerns that might otherwise have la in d o r m a n t , bi l l w i l l now demand to be addressed. ( nv t ounc i l is p lann ing a public hear ing for February 17 to g ive people one more chance t o voice any l inger ing ob ject ions, and the Rice Design A l l iance has orga-nized a February 16 Fireside Cha t at the Univers i ty o f Saint Thomas to examine in even more depth what impact the revis ion of Chapter 4 2 w o n hi have on I l ous ton .

Af ter three years. Hob I.itke is read) to gei the ord inance on the books. "There was no way to satisfy everyone, and not everybody is happy w i t h the f inal resul t , " he admi ts . St i l l , I.itke adds, " I t h i nk that i f we get passed w h a t we have now, it w i l l be a major , ma jo r improvement for the c i t v . " •

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RETHINKING MAIN STREET

I ii .in effort tn prevent I louston's downtown boom from ignoring the

.importance of Main Street in tying the city together. Making Main Street I Lappen Inc., a five-year-old non-profit organization committed to the rcviraliza-iicin of the Main Street corridor, is spon-soring an invited design competition to create an overall urban vision for the street from its terminus at the Astrodome HI its beginning near Interstate 10 and Buffalo ha you.

The competition, w his ii w as announced in late December, is open to Houston AIA firms, planning firms, ^\u\ landscape architects; a request tor qualifi-cations has also been sent out to 2s national and iuternaiion.il architectural firms, among them Duany Plater /yhcrk v\ t ornpanj ol Miami; Vettuin Scon Brown and Associates nt Philadelphia; Robert A . M . Stern Architects ot New York; Cesar I'elli ex Associates ol New I lawn; TKN of Mexico City; Ren/o Piano of (ienoa, Italy; Leon Krier of Claviers, France; >\\K\ Nicholas dnmshaw ex Part-ners Limited ot London. (Qualification statements were due by early February, when the number ot entrants was to be whittled down to the four or five finalists who would go on to create complete design proposals.

According to Making Main Street 1 lappen's Executive Director Emil) Stadnicki, the genesis for the competition stretches back to Hob Lanier's final term as mayor. It was then that the board members ol MMSI I began to recognize that in the rush to rebuild downtown the character of Main Street could be lost, and that rather than being reborn as a major urban thoroughfare it was threatened with becoming just one more ciiy street

Mayoi I inier, how ever, proved less than enthusiastic about involving the city in any overall planning tor Mam Street, and it wasn't until lee Brown was elected thai government support was put behind the idea of creating a comprehensive vision tor the corridor. At first the notion was to keep things local and fairly small scale, Says Stadnicki. But then Jim Rover ol Turner, Collie & Braden Inc. suggested that the best way to generate interest and attract fresh ideas was to open the design competition to architects from across the world. Not only would that pull in more talent, it would also raise the stakes for anyone in I louston who wanted to get involved.

I he competition covers a distance ot 7.5 miles in a corridor that's up to tour

blocks wide, but given the mixed nature ot the development along Main Street the plans aren't expected to call tor major renovations in every area. Indeed, the request for qualifications suggests that, save tor the transit ways and pedestrian improvements, the segment of Main Street that ties together Hermann Park, Rice University, and the Medical Center remain largely untouched, with larger scale rede-velopment being aimed at Midtown and the Astrodome area.

The schedule for the competition calls for a fairly quick turnaround ol ideas. Following the early February selection of finalists will be an orientation to the Main Si reel corridor. Design proposals would then be due In late spring, and the design winners would be announced by the beginning ol summer. Phase one ol the Winning Concept plan would In-expected by mid-summer, and phase two ol the plan by early fall. Then if all goes w i l l , the competition winner would be commis-sioned tor a prototype concept to be com-pleted in the spring ol 200(1. MMSI I will divide S 100,1111(1 among the competition tin.ilists I I I cover their services and expenses, as well as reimburse the design teams up to $3,000 in travel expenses. M M S l I has also budgeted between $f>00,000 and $ I million fur planning and design fees for the competition winner to bring his or her plans to fruition.

That last is, of course, the rub. Plans are one thing; results are another. As the MMSI Ps request lor qualifications admits, any grand idea for Mam Street wil l only come about through "shared \ Mini , careful planning, a consensus based concept plan, and detailed urban design. I loiision has nor excelled in such efforts in the past...."

Still, there are examples in Houston's history of design Competitions that ended up as more than just academic exercises. Most notable, perhaps, was the Heart ot the Park competition in 1992 that led to a major effort to restore I lermann Park. 11 or more about this, see "The State ot the Park" on page 32.1 Whether the Main Street competition wil l have similarly satisfying resuhs remains, ol course, to be seen. bur according to MMSI i's Stad-nicki. hopes are high. Representatives ot the c m . Metro, and I larris < ounty have all expressed interest in examining the ideas developed in the competition process. And wherc's there's inrcrcsr, action may follow. Mitchell J. ShicUs

f g I T I U> I n t t t

A F F O R D A B L E I M A G I N A T I O N

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Glou House if? IWo Degrees, by Muhoel Bell Dorar/slii lopogiaphii Poriogr, by Keiln with Carol Tieodwell. HopueKh Trol, by David Blown with Bert Samplei

I Voiieblc Home, by S» Tsung leong and Judy Chung wilti Hoi San Chang Untitled, by Stanley Soilowlli with Federlco Devem

Ea r l \ lasl year, M a r d u < ) a k i s, « In i

works as project manager for rhe I j t th Ward Community Rcdevelop-

nu'iii c orporation, happened to run into an old friend from her days as a student ai the Rice University School of Architec-ture. That friend was Michael Hell, who had gone on to teach architecture at Rice, and as the two caught each other up on what had been happening in their lives. they found they shared a common con eern — how to bring architecture and good design to affordable housing.

The results of that chance meeting ended up on display last November and December at Diverse Works as l<\ Houses: Owning ti lltmsr in the City. Hell, with the backing of the Fifth Ward CRC, the Rice School of Architecture, and Hiverse-Works, commissioned Ifi architects to design single family dwellings that would fit into I louston's Fifth Ward. As a start-ing point, they were given the budget breakdown of a typical Fifth Ward, mid range house ot approximately 1,100 square feci and told to keep their costs to around $65,000 (the price of one o( the Fifth Ward CIRC s more popular housing types). The house would have to fit on a 50 by 100 foot lot and conform lo Fifth Ward setback regulations, lint beyond that, the architects were allowed to let their imaginations run free.

According to Oakes, when deciding who to ask to participate, an attempt was made to get a mix of young and old, established and upcoming, local and national architects. In some cases, the

)6 HMIJM: Owning a House in lie City, installation al DiveiseWofki, November 6 through Dewmber 19, 1998.

H O U S E S

architects collaborated with artists, whid i added to ''> Houses' visual appeal, il not always the practicality of the designs. Still, the show presented an intriguing selection ol sinicinres that ranged from variations on the conventional — such as William Williams and Archie IV/ im's lit/) Flop House, which added a prolusion ot

^ narrow windows to a hasicalh standard , floor plan — to something more unusual, | such as Mark Wamble and Dawn Finlcy's

Btnderkouse, in which modular sections are clipped together to create what looks like a futuristic trailer, and I ars I erup's The House Tlhlt Ro.ireJ, which uses the notion of a river running through the house to create a lluid flow ol space.

Ifi Houses proved to be a popular show, says DiverscWorks director Emily Todd, and not only with the gallery's reg ular crowd. Residents ol the Fifth Ward came by not just out ot artistic interest, but to see what might eventually pop up in their neighborhood. By the end of Jan-uary, the board of the Fifth Ward CIRC was to have chosen sis out of the l(i designs for construction. A proposal has been submitted to a lending institution for 575,000 to fund a site superintendent to oversee the work, though any actual building would have to wait on buyers for the houses. Mardie Oakes, though, is con fident that by year's end the houses wilt be. it not all completed, at least started.

Meanwhile, Id Houses is moving to Austin, where it wil l be on display at the University ol lexas School of Architecture through February. Mitchell J. Shields