District 6 - Krista Laine
What is your favorite historic place in your district and why?
The woods, homesteads, and ruins of homesteads along Old Spicewood Springs Road between Spicewood Country School (where my younger son attended preschool) and Oak Grove Cemetery, continuing westward along Old Lampasas Trail until it dead ends into the preserve.
My younger son attended Old Spicewood Country School for preschool, and my family has spent hours at a time exploring these woods, Bull Creek and its tributaries, throughout the last 10+ years, usually by walking into the woods from the many access points from neighborhoods along ridges above the valley, as well as via St. Edwards Park.
This area is rich in Austin history and very scenic, but it’s also unsafe to bike much of the route I described, many of the historic structures/ruins are not accessible, and information about the history of the area is not incorporated into the existing parks. It’s a lovely area to explore, though, and I hope it continues to be a place of respite from city surroundings, for many more Austinites – hopefully with some targeted investment in increased and safer access for people on bike or foot.
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
Many of the recommendations are long overdue, particularly as it relates to the application, review, and approval process. Some of the recommendations would have far-reaching impacts, and I cannot commit to blanket approval of all 107 recommendations. As it relates to budget allocations, some are easier to advocate for than others. Using a portion of demolition fees to cover some of the recommended budget allocations such as archaeological resources and engineering expertise makes sense to me. I would need to study the notion of paying volunteer commission members more, as that would be a very big change for Austin and set a precedent for other boards and commissions.
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 am excited to see how successful the preservation bonus will be and I am committed to adjusting the program in order to ensure its success. The preservation bonus is a good, albeit small scale, example of how a Transfer of Develop Rights program could work in our city.
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
Historic Resource Surveys play an important role in historic preservation and I support their continued use. While I will not commit to a blanket approval of all historic zoning requests, I will absolutely approach each case with attention to detail and a critical eye. As a commercial and residential real estate appraiser for ten years, I am very interested in how we can make preservation and development work together.
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
I believe it is possible to meet our housing unit goals and affordable units goals while also preserving historic spaces and places. Adopting tools like TDRs and Preservation Bonuses can help us achieve that.
Because of our limited tools in the state of Texas, we need to be creative in how we achieve our shared goals. I do believe that responsibly planning for development and being clear-eyed about accommodating growth can result in less demolition in historic places.
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
I support them in conjunction with reasonable tools that allow for the absorption of more housing units. While preserving historic structures results in less landfill waste, pushing some or most growth to the edges of the city creates an untenable traffic and air pollution problem. We must find a balance that preserves what is important while also allowing reasonable and context-sensitive development.
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
Everyone who has been in Austin for more than five years has a story about their favorite place that closed down. While we can’t save every legacy business (some don’t want to be saved!), we should absolutely do our best to hold on to the places that make Austin special, and the places that make our city world-famous.
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 do not have a dogmatic opposition to voting against historic zoning over a property owner’s wishes. Single family residential cases and commercial caes such as those above present complicated and nuanced cases.
I will always strongly consider the wishes of the community, preservationists, and experts. At the same time, I will work to see how those wishing to demolish such properties could work to preserve them and still accomplish their development goals.
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?
As you are no doubt aware, District 6 is not a hotbed of historic preservation. However, I am sure the district would welcome the arrival of historic structures from other parts of the city. In cases where structures can be preserved and moved, I would like to accommodate that by creating a “historic” district in District 6, so that the part of the city that is often forgotten can be more connected to the history of the city overall.
I would also be interested in an inventory of potentially historic properties and/or archaeological sites in District 6.