District 4 - Jose “Chito” Vela
What is your favorite historic place in your district and why?
The Tabernacle Church in St Johns is an incredible building with a rich history. It is a major part of Austin’s black history, with roots dating back to the 1860s. I have been working closely with city staff and the St. John Regular Baptist Association to find ways we can restore the church and highlight it’s history.
The City of Austin will soon adopt a new Equity-Based Historic Preservation Plan to replace Austin’s 1981 historic preservation plan with an inclusive, community-oriented process and outcome. Its proposed policies, programs, and tools will help the City Council, Historic Landmark Commission, City departments, and partners address challenges and support thriving communities. The plan is set to be adopted by Council later this year, and its future success will rely on buy-in from Council to execute its recommendations.
If elected, would you support the plan’s recommended policy changes and budget allocations to ensure that the future of preservation in Austin is proactive, collaborative, and accessible to all? Please explain.
YES
I fully support refocusing our historic preservation efforts to represent all of Austin’s history and all communities in Austin, not just the history of West Austin. We spend a lot of money providing tax breaks to wealthy homeowners in West Austin who would likely preserve their homes anyway. These resources could be better spent helping restore and preserve historic properties that are at greater risk.
I have not had time to fully review the details of the plan, but I support the general direction and will vote for its adoption.
Research shows that older, smaller homes are more naturally affordable for renters and owners than new construction. Last year, Preservation Austin, Austin Infill Coalition, and AIA Austin partnered on a new Preservation Bonus that was adopted as a part of HOME Phase 1. The bonus exchanges increased development entitlements for preserving single-family homes built before 1961. Research conducted by Cedar shows that expanding entitlements for Preservation Bonus projects to include increased impervious cover and an additional developable unit can generate 10x as many housing units as the current bonus allows (see report HERE).
If elected, would you support increasing entitlements for Preservation Bonus projects to maximize the effectiveness of the bonus, preserve existing housing, and support sustainability and affordability goals? Why or why not?
YES
I strongly support the Preservation Bonus and will support efforts to strengthen the bonus. I was disappointed when staff undermined the FAR bonus in HOME 1 and I support Ryan Alter’s item to fix it.
Historic resource surveys inventory historic neighborhoods and make recommendations for buildings and districts that are eligible for historic designation. Accurate and up-to-date surveys enable City staff, elected officials, and citizens alike to make decisions about which properties and neighborhoods ought to be protected. For example, in 2020 the Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross neighborhood successfully became Austin's first local historic district dedicated exclusively to Black heritage. This effort relied on data gathered in the 2016 East Austin Historic Resource Survey to define the district's boundaries and identify contributing structures. Without the 2016 survey, this historic district may not have been possible.
If elected, will you support continued funding for surveys and the City’s preservation office? Will you honor the findings of these surveys by supporting historic zoning for individual landmarks and districts? Please explain your answer.
YES
I support historic resource surveys and believe it is important to create objective criteria to help us effectively prioritize our preservation efforts.
It is difficult when historic zonings come to council on an ad hoc basis without objective ways to evaluate how historic a building or area is compared to the rest of the area or the city. We are left to make a decision with incomplete information. Proactive surveying and objective criteria provide objectivity to the process, allowing us to balance historic preservation with new housing in ways that are good for both housing and preservation.
We know based on our research that between 2010 and the end of 2021, finalized residential demolitions per year rose from 271 to 622, an increase of 130%. These older buildings are often constructed with more sustainable materials than new buildings and provide more affordable housing than new construction. Rehabilitation rather than demolition of existing structures also reduces waste and is more sustainable. In 2020, construction and demolition debris accounted for approximately 25% of all waste produced in Travis County's three municipal solid waste landfills. Cities such as San Antonio and Portland have adopted deconstruction ordinances to slow demolitions and divert landfill waste.
If elected, would you support policy solutions that encourage sustainable building practices via preservation? How do you think our community can embrace this as part of our efforts to create a more sustainable and equitable Austin?
YES
One of the biggest challenges to preservation is that bringing older structures into line with building and zoning regulations when renovating or adding to the structure can be extremely costly. This often creates an incentive for an owner to tear down the older building and start from scratch. We need to thoroughly review these regulations and make sure we aren’t creating unnecessary burdens to preserving existing housing.
I have been a strong advocate for providing flexibility to homeowners such as the setback reductions in HOME, that make it easier to preserve existing structures while also adding additional units.
I also support making it easier to allow internal subdivisions that turn large historic homes into multiple apartments within the older building, creating more housing units while also preserving the form and historic character of the older home.
Many Texas cities establish historic districts to protect their heritage by preventing demolitions and ensuring new construction is compatible with surrounding historic buildings. Dallas has 21 districts, Houston has 19, and San Antonio has 27, while Austin has only 8. The creation of new historic districts was made more difficult following the adoption of HB1474 by the Texas State Legislature in 2021, which requires a supermajority of Council to vote in favor of a local historic district if even one owner in the district objects.
Do you support the establishment of more Local Historic Districts to protect Austin’s historic neighborhoods? Why or why not?
YES
When done in the right way, historic districts can help preserve our rich cultural history.
In 2023 City Council officially proclaimed October as Legacy Business Month in honor of Preservation Austin’s inaugural Legacy Business Month passport program, which encourages Austinites to support participating businesses and broadly promotes their heritage. The city’s explosive growth has made protections and financial support for legacy businesses more important than ever. City governments in San Francisco and San Antonio have adopted ground-breaking legacy business programs to protect and support their cities’ legacy businesses through designation, education, and directly supporting businesses with financial resources.
If elected, would you support creating a similar program for the City of Austin? Why or why not?
YES
Legacy businesses are a major part of Austin’s culture and appeal. I’m a strong proponent of finding creative solutions to preserve and strengthen our legacy businesses. Rally Austin has now successfully funded two efforts to preserve legacy businesses, one for the Hole in the Wall and another for Empire Control Room. I support continued efforts to do this, especially when combined with a historic/cultural district.
Underrepresented Heritage is one of Preservation Austin’s Advocacy Priorities. East Austin continues to experience increased rates of displacement and demolition of historic places significant to its Black and Brown neighborhoods. Recently, we’ve advocated for historic zoning for properties in East Austin such as the Sinnigson House and 1500 E. 12th Street. Often, the designation of these properties is supported by our Historic Preservation Office, the Historic Landmark Commission, and Planning Commission, but fail at City Council due to a lack of supermajority votes needed to designate over an owner’s objections.
If elected, would you support designating properties over an owner’s objections? What is your threshold for determining if a property merits designation? Please explain.
YES
I evaluate these cases on a case by case basis, although I believe I have voted for the preservation of a number of properties over the owner’s objection. A recent case on 2nd St involving a 100 year old home comes to mind. One of the positive benefits of HOME is that it creates opportunities for someone owning a historic structure to preserve a historic structure while also adding additional housing, and I have been more inclined to support historic zoning over owner objections since the passage of HOME.
“Demolition by neglect” is a problem we see all too often when historic zoning cases have come to council with owner opposition. On a broader level, we need to find practical ways to disincentivize demolition by neglect without running afoul of Texas’s strong property rights.
As a member of Austin City Council, what is one policy or initiative you would enact to ensure the preservation of our city’s historic and cultural heritage?
I have been a strong proponent for allowing small “single stair’ up to 5 or 6 stories on a small footprint. While generally a housing issue that could incentivize more family sized units as opposed to 1 bedroom apartments, this is also a preservation and neighborhood character issue.
Many of our historic districts, such as 6th St or East 11th, have multiple small buildings within a bloc, many of them historic. There’s a reason areas with this urban form are so popular in Austin and in cities around the world. Having a bloc with many different buildings encourages walkability, diversity, and small business. Many of the historic buildings we are trying to preserve are on this type of small footprint.
Current rules requiring two stairways between 4 and 6 stories require a large footprint, leading to large bulky monolithic buildings that take up most or all of the city bloc. Those large footprints are often out of character with the small footprints of existing buildings.
Allowing mid rise, 4-6 story buildings on a small footprint, we’re talking only 2-4 units per floor, creates a way to allow more density while preserving the character of a street having small building footprints. It allows some properties to redevelop and add density without having to develop a whole bloc. It creates more opportunities to incorporate the facades of older buildings into new buildings.