We’re excited at the progress that our project in Taylor, Texas is making toward completion! The Old Taylor High project - the redevelopment of the historic Taylor High School campus - is rocking along, and we are looking forward to the installation of a permeable paver system in the apartment parking lot when the rain clears up and the ground dries out a bit.

We worked with the client to pass a Planned Development for their property, which is a zoning change that allows for a specific set of uses that would not normally be allowed under the city’s zoning regulations. We find that a Planned Development can be helpful for historic site redevelopment, since historic places were usually built prior to modern building and zoning codes, and they sometimes need special treatment. In our client’s case, they wanted to leave as much of the existing lawn intact as possible and not have to convert it to paved parking. They also wanted to be able to utilize the enclosed welding facility that had been part of the school’s education opportunities for students, and they wanted to convert the historic gymnasium to an event space that they can rent for a variety of community gatherings.

We later amended the Planned Development to allow for parking lot paving materials that would manage stormwater better than concrete or asphalt paving, and we are in the process of working with the Historic Tax Credit consultant, Ogee, and a team of window manufacturers, installers and glass cutters to install replacement windows in the Annex (former classrooms that are being converted to apartments) that meet the requirements of the Federal Historic Tax Credit.