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Commission backs $100 fee for Galveston Landmark designation and new aluminum plaques
Summary
The Landmark Commission recommended approval March 3 of a text amendment to add a $100 fee for Galveston Landmark designation and to charge $100 for upgraded aluminum replacement plaques; staff expects an order of 100 upgraded plaques to serve demand for more than a decade.
The Galveston Landmark Commission on March 3 voted to forward a text amendment to the Galveston Land Development Regulations that would establish fees for Galveston Landmark designation and for replacement landmark plaques.
Staff said the amendment stems from an inventory shortage of the current resin 8-inch plaques that bear the city seal and the words "Galveston Landmark." Staff identified a manufacturer able to produce an upgraded aluminum version to improve durability and proposed a $100 fee for initial designation and a $100 fee for replacement or upgraded plaques to offset production costs. "Since the new plaques will be made of a higher quality material we anticipate that some owners of previously designated landmarks may choose to replace their resin plaques with the new aluminum version," staff said, and added that staff plans to order 100 plaques because the city averages about nine new designations per year and that quantity should last more than a decade.
Staff told the commission that the Planning Commission will review the text amendment March 4 and City Council will have final decision authority on March 27. During the public hearing commission members asked for clarification about the fee schedule and purchase options; staff confirmed the designation application fees are in the zoning/application section of the schedule and that the replacement plaque is a separate purchasable item. When a commissioner asked whether owners ever refuse designation after paying an application fee, staff replied that designations are owner-initiated and "that's never happened," and that the council has not declined a designation in practice.
The commission voted to approve the text amendment per staff recommendations and will forward it for review by the Planning Commission and City Council.
