26.b - 1514 Newton St - public comment — original pdf

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PR-2022-064526 Proposed Demolition of 1514 Newton. To : Historic Preservation Office I am writing to voice my opposition to the proposed demolition of 1514 Newton St. I am asking the commission to please consider a postponement or deny the request for the following reasons. I have a very big concern about the developer rushing into this demolition. This house is 15 feet away from our house and my wife has a serious health condition and we are concerned about asbestos and lead paint dust (among other contaminants) coming over to our property next door. We already had dust this week from a house torn down 150 feet from where we live. If demolition is the only option, I would like time to discuss this with the developer and develop a plan of action to contain the potential hazards to our health. I believe that the developer should consider saving the existing house, which was constructed by the same person (Mr. Polvado) who built our house next door in 1920. He was the uncle of the woman (Dorothy Polvado) who we purchased our house from in 2003 and lived here her entire life. I would like more time to research the historical significance of Mr. Polvado’s life and the construction of these two historical housed. The house at 1514 was updated in period style circa 2006 by local architects Michelle and Eric Van Hyte who are current Austin residents. I would like the developer to consider preserving the current house and possibly adding an ADU in the back, as opposed to erasing the history of our neighborhood. When we remodeled our house next door in 2009, we retained the historic look and feel of the neighborhood. I recently visited another property the 1514 developer is developing and I am concerned about the height of the building he built on it. If that is the intention here, I hope he will consider what is next door when designing the new building. (Please see photos on page 2) I also have a concern about 110 year old pecan trees, which we share as neighbors. There are a couple that hang over my house that the base of the tree is on the border of 1514 Newton and my fence line. Our intersection (Newton & Monroe) is one of the last areas with multiple historic style bungalows, which have been preserved by their respective owners. I hope the commission will consider that the developer has no intentions of living on this property and the effect its destruction will have on the aesthetic of our neighbor hood. Thank you for taking time to consider this postponement request. Mark Shuman- 1512 Newton  1514 Newton Current House 2403 Oak Crest- Developers new development towering over neighbors house.