Development
BY ANNA MANESS
A historic Georgetown property on South Austin Avenue will get a new look. In a nutshell During a June 10 meeting, Georgetown City Council members approved an appeal request from Chris Marble with architectural rm LRK to renovate and preserve an existing single story 1920s building at 817 S. Austin Ave., Georgetown. Georgetown’s Historic and Architectural Review Commission previously denied a certi cate of appropriateness for the project, citing its noncom- pliance with maintaining building uniformity in the downtown overlay district. The vote After sta , applicant and community feedback, council members approved the applicant’s appeal Council OKs new building facade
Proposed
Current
ANNA MANESS COMMUNITY IMPACT
RENDERING COURTESY LRK
“I do like what you did, it’s just in the wrong spot,” Butler said. Why it matters A redesign of the facade would expose the build- ing’s current wood trusses, or beams, and reveal the property’s original double-gable roof. “It really excites me because there’s a historic story to be told here,” District 2 council member Shawn Hood said.
in a 6-1 vote, with newly elected District 3 council member Ben Butler voting against the motion. Mayor Pro Tem Kevin Pitts said it’s “impossible” for applicants to fully comply with the city’s design guidelines, and said the project’s compli- ance with 34 out of 37 of them should be enough to move forward. Butler said the applicant’s design proposal to expose the gable roof would make the building stand out “like a sore thumb” on the square.
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