Houston Texas Mayor Bill White has proposed a temporary ban on demolition of historic buildings in the Old Sixth Ward while he develops a plan to permanently protect the neighborhood's unique, Victorian-era houses.

The City Council on Wednesday will consider an ordinance that would exempt buildings in the Old Sixth Ward Historic District from a provision that allows owners to alter or tear down historic structures 90 days after the city's Archaeological and Historical Commission denies them permission to do so.

City officials said the ordinance would prevent further loss of historic homes while White's administration develops a permanent plan — one that includes design guidelines, financial incentives and other measures to protect historic structures in the neighborhood just west of downtown. The temporary ban would expire Sept. 1.

Houston preservationists, who have long complained that Houston's historic preservation law was inadequate, said the measure is significant even though it is temporary.

"I think this is a sign of good judgment, of being proactive rather than reactive," said Lynn Edmundson, the founder and director of Historic Houston.

But City Councilman Michael Berry, while predicting the ordinance will pass, said he intends to oppose it.

"It appears that we are changing the rules on people in the middle of the game," Berry said, adding that even a temporary ban on demolitions could cause financial difficulty for a property owner who had arranged to borrow money to tear down an old house and build a new one.

The ordinance amounts to a "regulatory taking," Berry said, and is likely to prompt lawsuits from property owners demanding compensation.

Activists in the Old Sixth Ward have struggled for years to secure special protection for the neighborhood's stock of about 300 houses built between 1854 and 1935.

Several have been demolished in recent years to make way for new townhomes or other development, and neighborhood leaders list about a half-dozen more as being threatened.

On Jan. 31, White told the City Council that his administration would develop new design guidelines for construction and renovation of historic homes in the Old Sixth Ward, along with financial incentives to discourage demolition.

Larissa Lindsay, president of the Old Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association, said the interim measure was welcome.

"We've been concerned that when people heard the mayor was going to put some protections in place, they may rush to the bulldozers," Lindsay said.

"This means that this will not be happening."

White has agreed to give neighborhood leaders a role in developing the permanent plan to protect the Old Sixth Ward's historic homes, Lindsay said.
Janet Jamail-Jarvis, who heads a group in the Old Sixth Ward that opposes restrictions on demolition, could not be reached for comment Monday.