Commission approves Ella Austin building repairs, continues site design after safety and outreach concerns

The Historic and Design Review Commission voted to allow immediate interior and building-restoration work at Ella Austin (1023 North Pine) while continuing contested site elements — notably the proposed north-side drop-off loop — for more community consultation and revised designs.

Commissioners heard a series of public comments from neighborhood residents and stakeholders who said the proposed north-side drop-off would be unsafe for children and seniors and that the design no longer reflected compromises made with the school district and neighborhood groups. Anthony Verfeli told the commission the daycare will serve about 80 children and that the proposed Burleson drop-off loop holds only seven vehicles, a configuration he said “forces children into the street” and creates a real safety risk. Beverly Watts Davis, chair emeritus of the Ella Austin board, and Phyllis McNair of the Dignity Hill Neighborhood Association said neighbors were not shown updated drawings and urged the commission to disapprove or hold the site plan until the community’s concerns are addressed.

Designer Gonzalo Fraga of West East Design Group said the team added programmatic amenities requested by the community — including nine classrooms, a dining hall and a training kitchen — and that the site is tightly constrained. He said the design team requested a variance to provide any drop-off loop and that staff and the city would continue to examine options. Crystal Gonzales, assistant director of capital delivery, and Melody Woosley, director of the Department of Human Services, said the project is city-owned, capital delivery is managing construction, and the Department of Human Services will oversee the property once work is complete.

Facing a split among commissioners over whether to delay work and risk rising costs, one commissioner offered a substitute motion to approve work to make the buildings weather-tight and allow interior work to proceed while continuing site-design items for further stakeholder meetings. The commission approved that substitute motion and set a date-certain return for the continued site items on July 15, 2026. Staff and the applicant agreed to explore alternate drop-off and dumpster locations and to present refined site options when the item returns.

The commission’s action clears the way for contractors to proceed with interior repairs and restoration under the city-managed contract while buying more time to resolve circulation and landscape concerns raised by neighborhood groups. The item will return to HDRC on July 15 for additional site-specific proposals and a staff review of alternatives.