A weird historic zoning case

The Planning Commission voted unanimously last night to recommend historic zoning to block the demolition of a 110-year-old building on E. 12th St., over the objections of the property owner, Eureka Holdings, the Dallas-based company that started buying up dozens of parcels on the street over a decade ago but has still not developed any of them.

A unanimous vote in favor of historic zoning –- especially over the owner's objection –- is somewhat surprising for the YIMBY-dominated Planning Commission. Eureka's representatives did their best to appeal to YIMBY sentiment, arguing that forcing the owner to preserve the structure would prevent the construction of new housing.

And yet, the appeals fell flat. While other developers are criticized for what they build, Eureka's problem is what it has not been building.