But in order to pass the new preservation ordinance, city council needed to create an opt-out provision whereby property owners in current historic districts could choose to reject the new ordinance by abolishing their districts. This so-called “reconsideration” provision consists of 5 steps: (i) at least 10% of the property owners in a historic district must file petitions for reconsideration of their district, then (ii) the city will have a meeting in that district to discuss the pros and cons of the district, after which (iii) the city will send out postcards to all property owners within the historic district asking them whether or not they support the continuation of their district, and based upon the pro- and anti-district responses mailed back to the city, (iv) the city’s director of planning & development will make a recommendation to city council as to whether the historic district should be preserved, dissolved, or modified, which (v) city council will consider before voting on the district’s fate.

Of course, obtaining petitions from a mere 10% of property owners in a historic district is not a difficult burden to carry, and as a result half of the historic districts in Houston have been the subject of reconsideration petitions, including our own historic district as well as our neighboring historic districts in Westmoreland and Avondale. Thus, opponents of our historic district have taken the first step in the reconsideration process, and we are now waiting for the city to set a meeting date for First Montrose Commons.

But who are the people that are attempting to destroy our historic district? The vast majority of them are not First Montrose Commons residents, but instead are investors who want their properties here to be free from all restrictions so that they can be marketed to the largest pool of potential purchasers. Our neighborhood association has obtained a copy of their reconsideration petition, which has now been posted on our website for review. An examination of that document reveals that 75% of the petitioners are not FMC residents. Indeed, the petition’s author is not a FMC resident. It is clear that reconsideration of our historic district is being driven by outsiders who do not view FMC as a living neighborhood, but rather as just another piece in their portfolios. Any restriction on development is anathema to these investors, who desire the freedom to use and/or sell their properties for any purpose with little regard for the people who actually live here.

By way of example, a number of the properties represented on the reconsideration petition have been leased by their owners to The Mental Health Co-op, a for-profit business that has been steadily expanding into First Montrose Commons. Those owners apparently do not mind that the Co-op continues to warehouse more and more mentally disturbed individuals in our neighborhood. But historic preservation and development restrictions, on the other hand, are things these landlords just won’t tolerate.

So with the reconsideration process now underway, we must apparently reconsider what kind of neighborhood we want. A primarily residential neighborhood protected by historic district status? Or an anything goes neighborhood, where anyone can build anything next to your house?

That question was put to our membership at our neighborhood association’s last meeting. Our association responded with a nearly unanimous vote in favor of retaining First Montrose Commons’ historic district designation. Accordingly, your board of directors is now working to prepare for the city’s meeting and the postcard poll which will follow. We are working very hard to preserve our neighborhood and our way of life, but we cannot succeed without your help.

There are several ways that you can contribute to the effort to preserve our historic district protections. You can show your support by picking up a pro-historic district yard sign from the Montrose Counseling Center’s 2^nd floor lobby. You can also speak with your neighbors to let them know how important our historic district is to us. And if you would like to take a more active role, please email President Jason Ginsburg so that we can include you on our volunteers list.

The good news is that city council will not overturn our historic district unless over 50% of property owners within our district vote the district down via the postcards. But given that historic district opponents have already shown a willingness to use scare tactics, half-truths, and misinformation to gain support, we cannot take anything for granted. Let’s come together to preserve our history and our future.