Alpine City Council approves use of HOT money for historic survey 

ALPINE — On Tuesday, the Alpine City Council approved the expenditure of $39,250 for a historic district survey of Downtown Alpine. The initiative was brought to council by the Alpine Historical Society earlier this summer, which requested hotel occupancy tax (HOT) funds be allocated towards the survey. 

Alpine Historical Society Director Abbey Branch told The Sentinel establishing a nationally-recognized historic district for Downtown Alpine has long been considered, but is gaining traction in light of the recent Holland Avenue fire. If Downtown Alpine succeeds in obtaining the historic designation — which parts of Marfa and Marathon hold — building owners will be able to apply for valuable tax credits to offset restoration costs. 

Post Oak Preservation Solutions will conduct the survey and submit historic district nominations to the state on behalf of the historical society and the City of Alpine. The total cost of the project is $31,250 for Downtown Alpine and $8,000 for Kokernot Field, which is being included due to its historic status and significance to the town.

Branch told The Sentinel the surveying process is likely to begin this coming fall and efforts to obtain the historic district designation could take around two years. 

The survey’s boundaries will include Downtown Alpine as well as several blocks to the north and south, including approximately 150 to 200 structures, according to Post Oak. Branch said it is possible more structures, like the Centennial School and Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, may be included in the survey as well. 

At the City Council meeting Branch explained that the boundaries are negotiable, but historic districts are ideally somewhat centralized. “What we want to be cognizant of is you want this to be a district that is cohesive, you don’t want it to start and stop and start and stop, you want it to make sense, unless we want to do multiple districts,” Branch said. 

She said town halls to educate the public on the process are forthcoming. Council members voted unanimously to approve the use of HOT funds for the historic survey.