Historic-design panel denies new two-story house at 120 Callahan after debate over height, massing and driveway

The Historic Design Review Commission on April 16 declined to approve a proposed two‑story single‑family house at 120 Callahan in the Lavaca Historic District, voting to adopt staff recommendations after more than an hour of testimony and commissioner debate.

Staff recommended denial based on a long list of findings (a through w) and requested the applicant address setbacks, height, porch design, siding and fenestration, eliminate a front‑loading garage, retain the existing driveway location, and submit a detailed landscaping plan before returning for approval. The applicant, Daniel Cruz of Design Coop, presented revised plans and told commissioners he had moved the primary façade back and replaced a large stucco wall with a more traditional porch and vertical siding. Cruz said the project remains a contemporary interpretation of historic forms and that he had reduced some window sizes and would use a galvalume standing‑seam metal roof per the guidelines.

Commissioners focused on scale and siting. Several members said the house’s combination of a full 9‑foot plate on both floors, a front‑facing garage and a shallow lot made the…