What to do now
- Historic Landmark Commission hearing on the 1859 house: date not yet set (Jan 6, 2027 at the earliest). The applicant asked to move it off the Dec 2 agenda. Everyone within 500 ft will get a new mailed notice at least 11 days before the hearing, and we'll post the date and time here once it's set. Anyone can take part; you don't need to live within 500 ft. The City has confirmed no demolition permits will be issued until the commission reviews the house. Commission meetings are usually at 6 pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall, 301 W 2nd St.
- Email a comment: write to preservation@austintexas.gov. Put "Historic Landmark Commission," the hearing date, case number SP-2026-098080 and "4712 Bull Creek Rd" in the subject, say who you are and where you live, and keep it to a few sentences. Send it a few days early so it reaches the commissioners.
- Speak in person: register by 5:45 pm the day of the meeting (earlier is better). Speakers get up to 3 minutes.
- Speak by phone: register by noon the day before. The sign-up form opens when the agenda is posted.
Rules from the City's Historic Landmark Commission page; check there for the agenda and sign-up link.
- Photograph your property near the lot (fences, trees, driveway, foundation) before demolition starts. It's a normal precaution near any construction.
The Oct 25 deadline to register as an interested party on the demolition plan has passed. This demolition plan doesn't show what Westminster will build. That comes later as a rezoning case with its own notice, hearings and sign-up.
What's happening
Highland Village Church of Christ sold its property on the west side of Bull Creek Rd, between Perry Ln and W 49th St. The deed to Westminster Manor Inc, the retirement community at 4100 Jackson Ave a few blocks south, was recorded June 2, 2026. The church is meeting at Austin International School for now.
Westminster's engineers, Kimley-Horn, filed a site plan with the City to demolish both church buildings. A first application in May lapsed. The current one (SP-2026-0245D) is now in formal review: the City mailed notice to neighbors within 500 ft on October 12 and issued its review comments on October 16. The 1859 house must go before the Historic Landmark Commission before any demolition; that hearing isn't set yet (Jan 6, 2027 at the earliest). In late September a crew ran a drill rig and a ground-penetrating-radar cart across the lot, which is the soil and subsurface work an owner does before design starts.
No rezoning has been filed. We don't know how tall the building would be, how many units, or where the driveway would go. This page exists so that when that filing shows up, the block isn't starting from zero.
We'd welcome a conversation with Westminster before anything is filed. If you're reading this from Westminster or Kimley-Horn, the contact form reaches the organizers directly.
Why a rezoning is likely
The lot is zoned SF-2, which allows one house per lot and little else. Westminster's current campus is five-story buildings with underground parking. Anything close to that needs the City to rezone the lot, and rezoning is a vote of the full City Council. That vote is where neighbors get a formal say.
How this plays out
- Now: demolition site plan in City reviewThe plan covers both buildings, including the 1859 house, and the parking lots. Staff decide it without a hearing, and not until the applicant answers the City's Oct 16 review comments (drainage, tree protection, erosion control and more). Interested-party registration closed Oct 25. The City has confirmed no demolition permits will be issued until the Historic Landmark Commission finishes its review. This plan only covers demolition; it does not show what will be built.
- Historic Landmark Commission hearing on the 1859 house: date not yet set (Jan 6, 2027 at the earliest)Case SP-2026-098080. Public hearing; everyone within 500 ft gets a mailed notice, but anyone can take part. This is the first time neighbors get to speak on the record. How to send a comment or sign up to speak is under What to do now. (A notice for Nov 4 went out in error; that hearing is not happening.)
- Outreach before filingDevelopers usually talk to neighbors before they file, because changes are cheap before the drawings are done. If Westminster reaches out, this is when we can move the design the most.
- Rezoning application filed (not yet)It gets a case number like C14-2026-XXXX. Everyone who owns property within 500 ft gets a letter. From this point the petition described below is available to us.
- Staff reviewCity planners write up the case and check any petition math.
- Zoning and Platting Commission hearingPublic comment, then a recommendation to Council. The petition doesn't affect this vote, but what's said here goes in the record.
- City Council hearingsUsually two or three readings. The petition deadline is noon on the day of the hearing. Depending on the kind of rezoning, a valid petition can raise the bar for approval to 9 of 11 votes (see the petition).
- Site plan and permitsTechnical review. We can comment, but the big decisions are already made by then.
Being realistic: a senior-living project on this lot is probably going to happen in some form. Westminster is an established Austin nonprofit and a sympathetic applicant. What's still very much in play is the shape of it: how tall, how far from our fences, where the loading dock and generators sit, which street the traffic uses, construction hours, which trees stay. Most of those can be written into the zoning as binding conditions, and the rest into a signed agreement with Westminster, if we raise them early. See what we can ask for. A flat "no" campaign tends to lose and spends the goodwill we'd need to get any of that.
What we can ask for
Neighbors can't dictate the project, but there are specific things neighbors can ask for, and two ways to make them stick.
| Ask | How it gets locked in |
|---|---|
| Height | Written into the zoning. Council can cap it outright or step it down next to houses. |
| Distance from our fences | Written into the zoning as wider setbacks or a landscaped buffer, beyond what code already requires. |
| Traffic and driveways | Written into the zoning. Austin often limits daily trips and which streets a driveway can use. We'll ask for a traffic study that includes Placid and the side streets. |
| Drainage and stormwater | City code already requires runoff controls. We can ask for more than the minimum and a clear plan for where the water goes, which matters a lot in Allandale. |
| Trees | Large trees are already protected by City code during review. Saving others takes an agreement with Westminster. |
| Construction hours, trucks, dust | Not a zoning item. These go in a signed agreement with Westminster. |
| The 1859 house | Its own public hearing first (see the house). Keeping, moving or documenting it can also be part of an agreement. |
Two kinds of wins
Zoning conditions are part of the City ordinance. The City enforces them on every permit, and they stay with the land even if Westminster sells. Council approves these with the rezoning, so that's where our input counts most.
A signed agreement covers what zoning can't, like construction hours. The City doesn't enforce it, so it should be in writing and recorded against the property so it binds future owners too.
All of this applies to a rezoning. If a project ever fit the current single-family zoning, there would be no Council vote and much less to negotiate.
The petition
Our hope is that this is never needed: the goal is an agreement everyone can live with, and the petition is a backstop.
Nothing to sign yet. A petition can only be filed against a rezoning case, and Westminster hasn't filed one. What we're doing now is lining up the yeses: if you own a lot inside the 200-foot band, tell us you're in. When a case number appears, we'll bring the form to your door. This page will say so, in the status bar at the top.
State law lets owners near a rezoning file a written protest, which the City calls a valid petition. Texas changed the rules in 2025 (House Bill 24), so what a petition does now depends on what Westminster asks for:
| If the rezoning… | Signatures needed | Council vote needed |
|---|---|---|
| only allows more housing (no added commercial uses beyond a small ground-floor share) | Owners of 60% of the land within 200 ft | Simple majority (6 of 11) |
| does anything else | Owners of 20% of the land within 200 ft | 9 of 11 |
Which row applies depends on what Westminster files.
It's measured in land, not people
Your weight is the amount of your lot that sits inside the 200-foot band, as a share of all the land in that band. Under the 2025 rules, streets and alleys count in the total too, so each lot's share is a little smaller than our map shows. Lots that share a fence with the church still count for the most.
Why it's still worth lining up
Even when a petition doesn't change the vote count, it goes in the official record, and Council members notice when most of the people next door have signed. We're aiming for as many owners in the band as possible.
It only works against a rezoning
If Westminster can build what it wants under the current zoning, there's no Council vote and the petition doesn't apply. It also doesn't count at the Zoning and Platting Commission, only at Council.
How much does my lot count?
The map shows every lot in the band and its share, using the City of Austin's parcel data measured 200 feet from the lot line. City staff do the official calculation from recorded plats when a case is filed, so expect small differences.
How the petition gets filed, when the time comes
- The City has a one-page form. Download the Zoning Petition PDF from the Planning Department's zoning FAQ. It asks for the case number, the address, a protest statement, and a table of signatures with printed name, address, date, and phone.
- Only the owner on the deed can sign. Not a tenant, and not a spouse who isn't on title. If the house is held by an LLC or a trust, an officer or trustee signs, and it helps to attach a page showing they can.
- The form's protest statement has a blank for the current zoning. Look the lot up on the City's Property Profile tool and copy it exactly.
- File it with the case manager named on the City's mailed notice. Email a scan and drop off the original. Keep copies. The legal deadline is noon on the day of the Council hearing, but filing before the Zoning and Platting Commission hearing is better: staff runs the numbers early and everyone negotiates knowing it's valid.
- Ask the case manager for their calculation sheet and compare it to ours.
There's an 1859 house on the lot
The smaller stone building along Bull Creek Rd is the McGary-Thiele House, 4712 Bull Creek Rd. City staff described it in 1979 as built around 1859, with 18-inch rock walls, 18-foot ceilings, four fireplaces, and a 40-foot dogtrot hall, and called it the only structure in northwest Austin with that kind of architectural and historical significance. James McGary, a rancher, built it. The church later used it as a fellowship hall and classrooms. The listing that sold the property calls it the 3,600 sq ft annex.
In 1979 the City of Austin itself nominated the house for historic zoning (case C14h-79-003). The Historic Landmark Commission adopted findings of fact, and on May 1, 1979 the Planning Commission voted 5 to 1 to recommend historic zoning to City Council. The church's trustee spoke against it and asked that any designation wait until the building had been moved off the site. The Texas Historical Commission photographed the house for its statewide survey that same month.
City Council took up the case on May 24, 1979. Speakers for the Landmark Commission, the Rosedale Neighborhood Association and the W. H. Passon Historical Society supported historic zoning, and the Allandale Neighborhood Association asked for 60 to 90 days to work with the church. The church opposed it; one member suggested the house could be sold and moved, and a councilmember asked about moving it to the back of the lot. A councilmember then proposed keeping the regular zoning with a requirement that the church give the City 120 days' notice before selling or demolishing the house. The Landmark Commission withdrew its request rather than accept that compromise, and Council allowed the withdrawal 5 to 2. The house was never zoned historic.
The site plan Westminster's engineers filed in July proposes "demolition of two existing buildings." The house is one of the two.
Update, September 30. We asked the City's Historic Preservation Office about the house and heard back the same day. The property has been on their radar for some time, and the Historic Preservation Officer has been getting regular updates from the site plan reviewers. Once the site plan passes preliminary checks, staff will refer the house to the next available Historic Landmark Commission meeting. Every utility account holder within 500 feet, renters included, gets a mailed notice at least 11 days before that meeting. We'll post the date here as soon as there is one.
Update, October 16. The City has scheduled the house for the Historic Landmark Commission's November 4 meeting. The demolition plan describes it as a roughly 3,600 sq ft one-story stone building to be demolished to the foundation.
Update, October 27. The City says the Oct 23 mailed notice for a Nov 4 hearing (case SP-2026-098080) was sent in error, because the application wasn't complete yet. The house will not be heard Nov 4. The earliest new date is Dec 2; the City expects to know by Nov 12 and will mail a new notice. The house must still go to the commission before any demolition permits are issued.
Update, November 2. The City now says the house will be heard on Wednesday, December 2. A new mailed notice should arrive in the coming days.
Update, November 10. The City says the applicant can't make the Dec 2 hearing, so the house won't be heard before January 6, 2027. A new notice will be mailed at least 11 days before the new date. No demolition permits until the commission reviews the house.
The Historic Landmark Commission (HLC) is a citizen board that reviews demolition of older buildings. It can hold a demolition and can initiate historic zoning on its own. That would go to Planning Commission and Council. Our interest is the same as with the rest of the lot: a say in what happens to it, whether that's keeping the house as part of a new design, moving it, or documenting it properly.
Sources: Planning Commission minutes, May 1, 1979, pages 11 to 12 (City of Austin records system); City Council minutes, May 24, 1979 (City of Austin records system); Texas Historical Commission survey photograph, May 1979 (Portal to Texas History); Travis County Historical Commission on Bull Creek Rd.
Documents
Everything here is a public record. If you find something we've missed, send it through the contact form.
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 1979-05-01 | Planning Commission recommends historic zoning for the McGary-Thiele House (C14h-79-003), 5-1-1 | Minutes (EDIMS) |
| 1979-05 | Texas Historical Commission survey photograph of the house | Portal to Texas History |
| 1979-05-24 | City Council hearing on the historic zoning; request withdrawn | Council minutes |
| 2025 | Sales brochure for the property: 2.76 ac, "main building 8,624 sq ft and annex 3,600 sq ft." The annex is the 1859 house. | Listing PDF |
| 2026-05-06 | Demolition site plan SP-2026-0144D.CC, "demolition of two existing buildings" (expired) | Austin Build + Connect |
| 2026-06-02 | Special warranty deed, Highland Village Church of Christ to Westminster Manor Inc (instrument 2026065640) | Travis Central Appraisal District, parcel 850325 |
| 2026-07-29 | Demolition site plan SP-2026-0245D.CC, same scope. Now in formal review | Austin Build + Connect |
| 2026-10-12 | City mails notice to neighbors within 500 ft: SP-2026-0245D is up for staff approval, no decision before Oct 26, interested-party requests due before then | Mailed notice |
| 2026-10-16 | City review comments on SP-2026-0245D: plan not approved until the applicant answers them (drainage, trees, erosion control); house referred to the Historic Landmark Commission | Austin Build + Connect |
| 2026-10-23 | City mails notice of a Nov 4 Historic Landmark Commission hearing, case SP-2026-098080 (4712-4720 Bull Creek Rd) | Mailed notice |
| 2026-10-27 | City: the Oct 23 notice was sent in error; the case will not be heard Nov 4. Earliest new date Dec 2, to be known by Nov 12 | Email from the Historic Preservation Office |
| 2026-11-02 | City: case SP-2026-098080 will be heard by the Historic Landmark Commission on Dec 2, 2026; new notice to be mailed | Email from the Historic Preservation Office |
| 2026-11-10 | City: the applicant can't make the Dec 2 hearing; the case won't be heard before Jan 6, 2027 | Email from the Historic Preservation Office |
| Current | Zoning: SF-2, no overlays (search the address) | City Property Profile |
| Reference | Texas House Bill 24 (2025): new rules for zoning protest petitions, in effect Sept 1, 2025 | Bill text (Texas Legislature) |
| Reference | City of Austin zoning petition form (PDF, English and Spanish) | Planning Dept zoning FAQ |
| Reference | Historic Preservation Office: how demolition review works | austintexas.gov |
The map
Real lot lines from the City's mapping data, the 200-foot petition band, the 500-foot notice zone, and each lot's share. Click a lot to see its numbers and a link to the owner of record at the appraisal district.
Open the map on its own page. Nothing you click on the map is recorded anywhere; the signer list is kept privately by the organizers.
Help out
If you're within 200 feet
You're the ones who make the petition work. Only owners of lots inside this band can sign it. Check the map, confirm the name on your deed, and tell us you'll sign when the case is filed.
If you're within 500 feet
You can't sign the petition, but you count in other ways. Come to the Landmark Commission hearing once it's scheduled, or send a comment (here's how). You'll get the City's letters in the mail, including the notice for the Historic Landmark Commission hearing. Send us a photo the day one arrives so nobody misses a date, and plan to speak or write in at the hearings. Commissions and Council notice when the room is full.
Everyone else nearby
Same as above: no petition signature, but your voice at hearings and to Council matters, and so does help knocking on doors. Put your name on the list below and ask for the WhatsApp invite in the notes; it's a private group, so we add people by hand. Once there's a case number, write to the District 7 council office.
A few ground rules
Be friendly with the crews on the lot; they're doing their jobs. Don't post neighbors' names online. If you talk with anyone from Westminster, speak for yourself rather than for the group, and let us know what you heard.
Put me on the list
Goes to the organizers only. Not shared publicly.
Common questions
Will the buildings be demolished?
The main church building, almost certainly. Demolition is a site-plan matter reviewed by City staff, not a Council vote, and the petition doesn't apply to it. The 1859 house is a different question: it must go to the Historic Landmark Commission first (date not yet set; Jan 6, 2027 at the earliest), and the commission can hold up a demolition and can start historic zoning on its own. For the main building, the conversation that matters is the rezoning.
Is the goal to stop the project?
No. A nonprofit senior community is a sympathetic project and the City wants housing of every kind. What we can do is change what gets built. Height, setbacks, traffic and driveway access can be written into the zoning as binding conditions; things like construction hours go in a signed agreement with Westminster. Speaking up early, and together, makes both more likely. Details under what we can ask for.
What if they don't need a rezoning?
Almost certainly they do. The lot is zoned SF-2, which the City's own zoning map confirms. SF-2 allows single-family houses and not much else, so any senior-living building needs a rezoning and a Council vote. If a project ever did fit the current zoning, there'd be no petition and we'd be down to site-plan comments and code compliance.
Where do the percentages come from?
The City of Austin publishes the county's parcel outlines. We drew a 200-foot band around the church lot and measured how much of each neighboring lot falls inside it. Since the 2025 law change, streets and alleys count in the total too, so the real shares are a little smaller than the map shows. City staff will do the official version from recorded plats.
I rent. Does any of this apply to me?
You can't sign the petition, but you can speak at the hearings or send a comment (see What to do now), write to Council, and help organize. The Historic Landmark Commission notice goes to utility account holders, so if you're within 500 ft you'll get that letter directly. Let your landlord know about the petition; a lot of owners never hear about it.
Who decides?
City Council votes. On neighborhood zoning cases they mostly follow the district's council member. The Zoning and Platting Commission makes a recommendation first, and Planning Department staff review the case and check any petition. Westminster decides what to ask for in the first place, which is why talking to them early matters.
Is this the neighborhood association?
No. It's neighbors who live closest to the site. The registered neighborhood associations for this area, including the Allandale Neighborhood Association, get the City's official notices on cases like this, and we're reaching out to coordinate with them.
Contact
Corrections, tips (survey crew on the lot, a letter in the mail, a conversation with Westminster), or anything you'd rather say privately.
Who to contact, and when
Now
Comment on the 1859 house before the hearing (date not yet set)
Email preservation@austintexas.gov, or speak at the hearing. Anyone can do this. How to comment or sign up to speak.
Later, when Westminster files a rezoning
Sign up for notices on the rezoning
Email DSDZoningSitePlan@austintexas.gov. Signing up on the demolition plan doesn't carry over, so everyone signs up again. We'll post it here when it's time.
Tell our council member what you think
Use the District 7 contact page. A short note works best: who you are, where you live, and what you'd like to see.
Please leave these to the group
Westminster, its engineers (Kimley-Horn), and Preservation Austin
We're already talking with them, and one voice works better than many separate emails. Send your questions through the contact form and we'll pass them along.
Look things up yourself
City Property Profile (zoning for any address) · Austin Build + Connect (City cases by address) · Travis Central Appraisal District (who owns a lot)