HB2439 is Detrimental to Texas Cities

Impacts city's ability to manage it's development standards and maintain a value and quality for the long term.

This would be detrimental for all the Downtown areas, special corridors, TIRZ districts and other special areas that enforce good building standards. In a nutshell, HB2439 will prohibit city governments from regulating aesthetic finishing materials, i.e. how residential or commercial buildings look, and it also will prohibit cities from requiring anything other than the bare minimum installation and construction requirements as set forth by the National Building Code. Economic development will be adversely affected. If cities no longer have the ability to regulate aesthetics and quality development, especially in commercial or mixed-use areas, it will adversely affect economic development, both in cities and in the State of Texas. Aesthetics in cities will be dramatically affected. Communities throughout the country have found that their residents not only support the involvement of their elected representatives in maintaining the physical character of their city, town, or county, but they insist on it. They are often irate when government fails to prevent an individual from charting his or her own course in a way that is perceived to have a negative effect on the aesthetics of the community. Imagine the most beautiful area in your community getting a five-story, neon green building with neon pink polka dots downtown, or the most scenic places and neighborhoods in Texas getting monstrosities right in the middle of them which meet just the minimums of the National Building Code. That's just the aesthetic side of the Bill, let alone the installation and construction side of development that would be left to bare minimums.

Governor Abbot, we respectively request that you do not sign HB 2439 into law, as it could have significant negative impact on the City of Coppell. Most of the City of Coppell growth and development occurred in the 1990’s under the regulations in as prescribed Zoning Ordinance Standards, which were augmented by a citizen-led initiative called the C.I.V.I.C. report which is an acronym for Committee to Improve the Visual Image of Coppell. This defined preferred building forms, materials, colors, signage, screening and landscaping, not the least of which was a minimum requirement for 80% earth tone brick and stone. The City of Coppell essentially built out under architectural/aesthetic development standards which provides residents, business owners and employers with an expectation what our community is and will be in the future. We, similar to other second-ring suburbs, are currently facing the challenges to ensure that needed renovations and redevelopments maintain the quality that was established over the past 30-year development cycle. This proposed legislation could change development standards would potentially alter the fabric of our community and the expectations of those who have made a long-term investment in their homes and businesses. Thank You Marcie Diamond, AICP

I was lead for the City of Lubbock on the half billion dollar Overton Redevelopment project next to Texas Tech University. Delbert McDougal's firm was the private partner that turned around the half square mile blighted area. In the zoning there are a number of exterior design and material standards that are critical to the economic future of his project and Texas Tech University. This bill will make them unenforceable. I am forwarding this to him also.

Dear Governor Abbott, HB 2439 is an example of a hastily and singularly focused piece of legislation that would have devastating consequences when applied across a very diverse and independently minded state. This bill would basically strip the representative rights of citizens to chart their own course in terms of quality of life issues related to development and building standards. Reasonable restrictions on how property may be developed including the use of certain building materials is a critical factor in maintaining property values as well as planning for and managing certain safety issues related to how towns and cities may address emergency response planning. Fire and police training depend in part on consistent application of standards in order to evaluate how to effectively respond to a situation. Structures may be designed and built to a Building Code but that does not mean that all responses are standardized by use of training or equipment. The purchase of life saving equipment and the training in how to use it within a given community revolves in part around the expectation of certain construction standards within that district or city. It would be nearly impossible to roll up to a scene and have the ability to address any possible situation when unusual or rare construction standards or materials are present even if they did pass a building code. Many of these First Respondors in the hundreds of smaller Texas towns and cities are volunteers. Budgets simply don't allow these communities to assume every possible situation or construction standard which can vary widely across the building codes. Please VETO this bill and let representative government work within these communities where the vast majority of citizens prefer to have some assurances that a rogue builder or neighbor will not negatively affect what so many have fought to uphold. Proudly Texan by birth and by choice! Bruce Pinckard Mayor Annetta, Texas

This bill should not be signed Governor It is detrimental to Texas Cities and special districts Thank you for your consideration Patti Knudson Joiner

Please reconsider this bill. Materials listed in the building code are minimum and included only for construction purposes. Signing this bill will negatively affect the aesthetics of our communities.

We are very opposed to this Bill. With our offices in Southlake Town Square, our amazing work home could be drastically affected by the City of Southlake losing its ability to control architecture in the Town Square. We are also very concerned that we will no longer be able to put implementation strategies in place in our plans that will implement a community's vision for beautiful and branded destinations, as well as special neighborhoods-- something that all residents of cities demand. Mr. Abbott, please take a look at the text of this petition and consider the worst case scenarios with your staff should this Bill be signed into law. Sincerely, Abra Nusser, AICP