Historic board denies driveway expansion, fee waiver and matching grant for 303 William Street

The Rockwall Historic Preservation Advisory Board voted 6–0 to deny a homeowner’s request to expand an existing driveway at 303 William Street and separately denied a building-permit fee waiver and a small matching-grant request tied to the same project.

The property owners, Rebecca Barakat and her husband, told the board the concrete expansion (about 15 feet by 22 feet) would reduce muddy ground, match the existing driveway finish and allow parking for "two to about four vehicles" at their 2,600-square-foot house. "When we purchased the property, the two garages had been converted to rooms...so it limited the parking from four down to two parking spaces," Barakat said.

Neighbors across the street opposed the request at the public hearing, saying the house is used as a short-term rental and has generated heavy weekend parking. "The biggest weekend so far, 10 cars," said Cathy Sarago, who lives at 503 North Fannin, describing repeated weekend vehicle congestion and a safety concern for a two-lane street.

City staff clarified regulatory context during the hearing. "We do have a short-term rental ordinance," Ryan Miller, historic-preservation staff, told the board, saying the ordinance requires registration and that vehicles must be parked on an improved surface. Miller also noted that, under state law, board members must treat short-term rentals as residential uses and cannot consider a change of use when evaluating a certificate of appropriateness.

Board members said permitting the expansion would set a precedent that could encourage further driveway widenings that are at odds with the historic district’s design guidelines. The chair moved to deny the driveway request; the motion passed 6–0. Following that vote, the board separately voted 6–0 to deny the associated building-permit fee waiver and to deny the small matching-grant application.

What the board considered: H2024‑008 (driveway expansion at 303 William Street), H2024‑009 (building-permit fee waiver tied to the driveway), and H2024‑010 (small matching grant tied to the driveway) were each acted on individually; all were denied by 6–0 votes. Staff had mailed 22 property-owner notices and reported one emailed opposition prior to the meeting.

Next steps: Denials close the requests unless the applicants choose to revise and reapply. Staff said the short-term rental ordinance will enter fuller effect after a probationary phase concluding after July 1, when registration and improved-surface parking requirements will be enforced more fully.