Historic-design commission approves elevated dining deck at Crockett Street with neighborhood mitigation stipulation

The Historic and Design Review Commission on Aug. 6 approved a certificate of appropriateness for an elevated dining deck at 235 East Commerce (also addressed as 214 Crockett) on the River Walk, requiring the applicant to work with the adjacent Mokara Hotel & Spa to explore mitigation measures during the construction document/design development (CD/DD to CD) phase.

The decision follows public testimony from hotel operators and attorneys who said the proposed platform would obstruct historic views, increase noise and fire risk, and harm guests at nearby hotels. Rusty Wallace, managing director at Omni La Mansion del Rio and the Mokara Hotel & Spa, told commissioners the deck "would block views of both buildings from La Mansion, the street, and the Riverwalk itself" and warned a 60-person dining deck would "significantly degrade the views and violate the peaceful atmosphere our guests have come to expect." Mickey Steinberg, hotel manager at Mokara Hotel & Spa, said the hotel is "a symbol of authenticity" and that the platform would "interrupt" a historic view that patrons expect.

The applicant, architect Don McDonald, argued the structure would activate an underused stretch of Crockett Street and extend an established River Walk dining vocabulary found elsewhere downtown. "Our goal with this particular restaurant is to extend some of that vocabulary to this block of the river," McDonald said, and described plantings and vines proposed along the deck's balustrade to screen sightlines from the hotel.

Attorney Micah King, representing Mokara Hotel interests, told the commission the deck "is completely out of scale with the facade and the structure," cited a 2019 fire at the property as evidence of existing fire risks, and raised concerns about noise and future uses, including the possible issuance of late‑hours permits from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Commission discussion noted unresolved technical details the applicant must address before construction. Commissioners asked how rooftop stormwater would be handled; the applicant acknowledged the plans lacked defined downspouts and said rain would be directed to the street drainage and could not be discharged to the river. Staff reminded the commission that the project had received conceptual approval on Feb. 5, 2025, with stipulations including a sidewalk-level elevator door, material profile requirements for composite materials, and complementary materials for the elevator and deck.

A motion to disapprove the application failed on a 6–1 roll call. A subsequent motion to approve the certificate of appropriateness passed on a 6–1 vote with the added condition that the applicant "work with the adjacent neighbor, Mokara, during the CD phase to further explore mitigation for their concerns" and that all staff stipulations from conceptual approval be met. The final roll call showed Commissioners Mammon, Savino, Mazuka, Group, Fetzer and Chairman Jay Maurice Gibbs voting aye; Commissioner Cervantes voted no.

The commission's approval does not replace required permits. Staff said certificates of appropriateness would be issued after documentation and that staff-level review will handle changes during the construction-document phase; if changes are substantial and depart from the approved design the matter may be returned to the commission.

The decision leaves several technical issues to be resolved in the permit and CD process, including finalized stormwater/downspout plans, acoustical mitigation (an acoustician was suggested), and detailed material and planting specifications intended to screen views and reduce noise. The commission noted the applicant must follow the city's unified development code and design guidelines and obtain necessary permits from the Office of Historic Preservation before beginning work.

With the added stipulation to work with Mokara Hotel & Spa, the commission approved the project but signaled that staff review and neighbor coordination will be required to resolve outstanding design, drainage and noise questions before construction.