Public Notice: To Comply, or to No-Comply ...
That is the question as skaters try to slow ACC’s roll
By Nick Barbaro, Fri., July 30, 2021
It was an emotional Monday night at the city's Historic Landmark Commission, with a 2½-hour hearing regarding the demolition of a small building on 12th Street, next to the Austin Community College parking garage, slated for a garage expansion in ACC's Districtwide Campus Master Plan. Hence ACC's request for a demo permit – one of six that clear the way for the "short-term" portion of the plan, which has been in place for almost a decade now. It involves developing the entire block west of the Rio Grande campus, all the way to the city's rec center and skate park. And therein, essentially, lies the rub.
ACC officials may have been expecting the proceedings to be a formality; in any case, they seemed amazed and confused at the outpouring of public testimony in favor of historic designation for this one building, which would prevent its demolition: 68 of 70 speakers were in favor of preservation, reported Elizabeth Pagano in the Austin Monitor. Turns out the building is home to No-Comply Skateshop, a local fixture for 14 years, something of a community center for the patrons of that nearby skate park, and a really good corporate citizen as well – supporting the sport, holding fundraisers, and partnering with the city parks department, the food bank, and many others. And the people they've helped over the years returned the favor Monday night, turning out in force, and with a passion and dedication that clearly rattled the commissioners.
All well and good, you're likely thinking, but what does it have to do with historical designation? Well, as it turns out, No-Comply had a somewhat surprising ally. City Historic Preservation Officer Steve Sadowsky – who despite his title is not always a lockstep supporter of historic preservation – turned out as well to defend the small 1946 storefront as architecturally important, the kind of shop that was and is typical across the nation, but is now surprisingly rare in Austin. He presented city staff's recommendation in favor of historic designation, and went so far as to suggest that the garage could be built over and around the existing building.
And that's more or less where it was left. Commissioners voted to postpone their consideration until next month's meeting (Mon., Aug. 23) in hopes that ACC can find a way to adjust their master plan to accommodate No-Comply and the community that's thriving there. After all, let's face it: Skateboarding is pretty on-brand for a community college. But on the other hand – it's a master plan, you know, with PowerPoints and everything. Is ACC brass going to want to change their PowerPoints so they can preserve a graffiti-covered skater hangout in the middle of their garage?
"I don't think ACC even had this on their radar until the meeting," said Commission Chair Terri Myers later via email, adding that the ACC rep at the meeting "seemed amenable to at least talk ... I hope ACC will take the skater community seriously and try to come to a compromise. It would be a shame to have all that young energy die on the vine without any positive outcome."
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