Historic brick streets, 20th Street near Boston Avenue
Mary Crites, an architect in Lubbock, found out Monday that Lubbock’s historic brick streets lost their legal protection last year.
She said the city overlooked the issue when adopting the Unified Development Code (UDC).
Proposed amendments to the UDC come up Thursday night in a public meeting. An amendment to restore legal protection for the bricks was not on the public list. Crites wants to fix that.
There’s an upcoming bond election for street projects. Regardless of whether the public favors addressing the historic brick streets, the issue should come to light, she said, before voters head to the polls.
“It’s not an example of open government,” Crites said as she spoke to LubbockLights.com Thursday afternoon ahead of the meeting.
Assistant City Manager Erik Rejino responded to her concern.
“It was certainly an oversight,” Rejino said – adding that city staff will mention the issue during the public hearing.
If the Council wants protection restored, Rejino recommends approving a new ordinance to do so.
What people want
Lubbock conducted surveys in 2023 to see what residents wanted. A clear majority, 73 percent, wanted something to be done on Broadway, which has gotten rough in spots over the years.
But reaction was mixed on what to do:
- Less than 40 percent thought the historic bricks are the most important aspect of refurbishing Broadway.
- Less than 40 percent thought the drive lanes should be asphalt or concrete.
- Less than 40 percent thought intersections should be historic brick.
- Less than half thought historic bricks should be replaced with new bricks.
‘Nobody talked’ about the change
“Back in 1982, Lubbock started protecting their brick streets,” Crites said.
That should not change unless it’s done properly and repealing protection without public input is wrong, she said.
She does not know if the oversight was accidental.
“I know what the optics are. Nobody talked about it being part of UDC, and that wasn’t mentioned to anybody – wasn’t given the typical due process,” Crites said.
Rejino said of the public meeting, “It is going to be part of the part of staff presentation.”
He thinks the last round of protection for brick streets was done at the same time as work on the UDC. That might be part of the reason for the oversight.
If the council wants protection restored for brick streets, Rejino thinks it would be better to write a street ordinance instead of a zoning ordinance.
“It’s related to streets. We feel that’s the more appropriate place versus the Unified Development Code,” Rejino said.
Related story: When Lubbock changes what you or your neighbors can do on a property, do you want to know by mail?
Slideshow: historic brick streets at 13th and Avenue J along with 20th Street near Boston Avenue
Election coming up in November
A preliminary list of November 2024 bond projects includes Broadway. The portion from University Avenue to Avenue E would cost an estimated $49.5 million.
Other portions of Broadway are on the list but those are already asphalt.
Crites said the historic protection for brick streets should be restored now before a bond committee makes final recommendations – and before the election.
Otherwise, it could erode support for a road bond in November, she believes.
“I believe it does muddy the water significantly, and I would hope that Council would not want any controversy about the brick,” she said.
“I believe they should further direct the Citizens Advisory Committee to make recommendations regarding Broadway as if that ordinance was still in effect,” Crites said.
Protection for brick streets
1982 ordinance: BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF LUBBOCK: THAT any portion of any brick street surface disturbed by any public or private agency for whatever reason be replaced in a manner consistent with original construction. Click here to see.
2020 ordinance: Any portion of Broadway Avenue (between University Avenue to Avenue E) disturbed by any public or private agency for any reason must be replaced in a manner consistent with a design adopted by the City Council retaining the historic brick … Click here to see.
Timeline of historic brick streets
In 1920, Lubbock began replacing dirt streets with brick. In the 1930s that gave way to asphalt or concrete.
In 1982, then-Mayor Alan Henry signed an ordinance to protect “any portion of any brick street.” In 1983, Lubbock purchased 345,000 bricks from Crosbyton and Plainview to refurbish Broadway.
In 2008, the Lubbock Downtown Revitalization Plan recommended brick paving on: Broadway, Avenue J, Buddy Holly Avenue and Crickets Avenue. In 2012, the city adopted design standards that reaffirmed the historical protection of brick streets.
In 2020, the 1982 ordinance was modified to a specific list of protected brick streets.
Also in 2020, the city’s Downtown Master Plan recommended using bricks for the center and parking but asphalt or concrete for the drive lanes.
A 2021 street bond included $42 million for portions of Broadway, a brick street, and failed to pass.
A news article from that time said, “The city is planning to either replace the bricks or pave over them with a concrete designed to mimic the iconic look.”
A 2022 bond set Broadway aside for another day; it passed.
In 2023 the city manager recommended rebuilding Broadway with asphalt lanes and brick intersections.
In October 2023 the UDC took effect – leaving out the protections put in place in 1982, 2006 and 2020.
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